Customer Reviews

Home Tree Home: Principles of Treehouse Construction and Other Tall Tales

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I live in a treehouse (corbin's treehouse), and I used a lot of techniques in this book when building my house. excellent book, and highly reccomended.

FABULOUS BOOK FOR THE BEGINNER WHO IS LOOKING FOR THE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON "HOW TO BUILD A TREEHOUSE"- IT EVEN TELLS YOU HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT TREE. A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE THINKING OF TAKING ON THIS KIND OF PROJECT!!!!

This is a book to read before you even decide what type of structure you want to build. This book is not a book of plans or a quick-read instruction manual of how to build tree houses. This is a serious book about the most important part of the process: the planning.

Nelson begs us to realize that first we must select the tree(s) and that the characteristics of the tree(s) will dictate what size and type of structure can be built. Nelson includes information about which trees are best suited for building in, taking their strength and growing characteristics. This is great information to know, and something I think my tree landscaping books don't include. We learn that the growth of some trees will actually crush the structure over time, while others are too weak to safely hold up a structure, let alone one with people inside it.

The key element in this book is safety. Nelson gives detailed information about how to build a structure that is safe to inhabit, whether it is a playhouse for children or an actual house for adults to use to work or live in. I was surprised to see that some of the tree houses in the book are for actually living in and working in!

Several different methods to attach the structure to the tree are outlined in detail. Exactly what type and how many tree "attachments" to use is explained, such as too many direct nailings into the tree will kill it. I think this information is key.

Looking at the plans for the tree houses in the book, I realized the quality of the workmanship surpasses houses that I have lived in. These are not quick slap-up tree houses, not the type where you use scrap wood that you have lying around. The houses featured have fine edgings, safe banisters and ladders for climbing, beautiful doors and windows. Some have balconies!

Anyone considering building a tree house should read this book first lest they waste their time building a tree house that later kills the tree, ends up being not-secure, or is flat out unsafe for people to use. As a non-carpenter, frankly I am feeling intimidated and doubt I have trees on my property that are worthy!

Hard to read. It only has a couple of different designs for treehouses. This is for an experienced builder.

I wish I had this book the first time around. The tree house I built for my wife was tragically destroyed late one summer. We chose a tree on the basis of its strength. It happened to be one of the maple trees flourishing on the edge of our property in Syracuse, the heart of central New York. Unfortunately, there was a mammoth storm on Labor Day in 1998. The treehouse was destroyed, as was the tree and the car beneath it. This book was an incredible asset in the rebuilding process of our dream tree house.

This persnickety carpenter's primer includes four detailed construction narratives by Peter Nelson, a professional tree house contractor. His seminal 1994 survey of the field, "Treehouses" (Houghton Mifflin), had resulted in many reader letters--all asking what kind of tree house he owned. While a weird Marin Family Robinson-type chic could eventually overwhelm Nelson's oeuvre, for now he brings a leavening thread of paranoia to the account of finally building himself a tree-mounted office from which to boast.

As the principle photographer for most of this book, I had the pleasure of working side-by-side with Peter as he crafted one of his homes in the sky. Not only is he a wonderful author and researcher, Peter is an excellent architect and builder. His tireless work in publishing his two books is evident in the fine writing and detail. I recommend this book for anyone interested in building anything in the air.

This book provides basic construction tips as well as excellent advice on how to properly support a tree house. I built a tree house for my son this summer.