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How to build a treehouse for exercise and fun
  • Natural Home

How to Build a Treehouse for Fun & Exercise

Katie WellsJul 11, 2014Updated: Jul 30, 2019
Reading Time: 4 min

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » How to Build a Treehouse for Fun & Exercise
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Why Build a Treehouse?+−
    • Is it Risky?
    • Expensive?
  • How to Build a Treehouse at Home+−
    • Treehouse Building Supplies

We can learn so much from children, especially the importance of running, jumping, and climbing. Children do these things naturally and as adults, many of us lose the ability to perform many of these functional movements.

Why Build a Treehouse?

Climbing is one of the most functional and useful movements we can do, but statistically, most adults can’t do these movements anymore. Could you climb a 20 foot rope right now? What about a 15 foot climbing wall or a fire pole?

My children are still naturally able to climb, and helping them keep and improve this ability was a priority for my husband and I. We saved up and build a treehouse that would provide a place for exercise, climbing, and creative play (the children know all of these activities as “play” or “fun”).

The result was a month-long project that involved the help of grandparents (and the kids), a lot of wood and natural wood stain, and the creation of a treehouse that the kids (and adults!) love. Every aspect of the treehouse, from the zip line to the slide to the monkey bars is strong enough for an adult to use.

Is it Risky?

Obstacles don't have to stop youSome aspects of our treehouse would be considered risky. The zipline starts at a height of 12 feet. The climbing wall is at least that high and they could potentially fall from 8 feet or higher in a number of places. We’ve minimized the potential for them to get seriously injured, but I don’t mind that there is some risk involved.

There is evidence that the over-safe playgrounds we’ve created have a negative effect on our children and that not having this risk is stunting their psychological development.

…the more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves. If you never let them take any risks, then I believe they become very prone to injury. Boys should be allowed to climb tall trees and walk along the tops of high walls and dive into the sea from high rocks… The same with girls. I like the type of child who takes risks. Better by far than the one who never does so. -Roald Dahl

Expensive?

We consider this treehouse an investment in our children’s health and I love that it is a place where they can spend hours of quality time and make memories.

It wasn’t cheap to build but it was definitely in the same price range as buying a pre-made “safe” play structure that many families have in their backyards (but with a lot more features). We built it strong enough to hold all of our children even when they are teens (in fact, we’ve had 8+ adults up there at once).

The treehouse also encourages my kids to play with each other, and seeing them bond is priceless to me.

We saved and budgeted and made this a priority for them.

How to Build a Treehouse at Home

The goal of early childhood educationThe deck of the treehouse is 9×16 and supported by a huge pine tree and six 6×6 boards. One side is a climbing wall and a climbing rope that goes to the top of the enclosed clubhouse inside. The deck of the treehouse is 7 feet tall.

On the deck, there is an open area with a railing where the children can play, and a 7×8 enclosed clubhouse area where they can build forts, have camp outs, and play outside even if it is raining. There is a 9 foot speed slide that comes out of the enclosed building.

The zip line attaches to the pine tree and goes to another tree that is over 150 feet away. To use the zip line, the children have to climb up, hold on to the zip line, ride it to the other tree, then run the 150+ feet back to the treehouse for the next person go. They typically do this for an hour or more a day (great exercise).

Under the deck of the treehouse are metal monkey bars, a set of rings/trapeze bar, a cargo net for climbing, two hanging chairs and a hammock. The kids spend time here relaxing and reading.

Treehouse Building Supplies

  • six 6×6 boards
  • tons of decking boards for the deck and the climbing wall
  • wooden siding for the building
  • translucent plastic for the roof
  • 1 inch metal bars for monkey bars
  • A long 2-inch metal pipe for fire pole
  • A turbo slide
  • 50 natural rock climbing holds
  • A climbing rope
  • A zip line
  • two harnesses for the little kids to use the zipline
  • A slack line
  • Hammock Chairs
  • Rings and Trapeze Combo
  • A cargo net
  • A simple hammock
  • Natural Stain

Take the (virtual) tour here:

Do your kids have a treehouse? What physical activities do you encourage for them to stay fit and active? Share below!

Category: Natural Home

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (78 Comments)

  1. Hazel

    September 1, 2014 at 3:32 PM

    Wow. I too would’ve wanted a tree house like this as a kid.

    Reply
  2. kasia

    August 12, 2014 at 4:16 AM

    Katie- sending you a big big hug for all your work! so many posts I´m learning from, so many made me smile, more curious, interested in new things, pushed me to try new ideas- congrats, you´re doing such a great job, keep posting!

    pd. totally loving the treehouse idea!!

    Reply
  3. Mary Redeker

    August 3, 2014 at 6:42 PM

    Hello Katie! I love this article on building a tree house for and with your family. I was wondering if I could use the link to this article on my new blog about Christian Family Living.

    Reply
    • Katie - Wellness Mama

      August 4, 2014 at 9:38 AM

      You can link to this post and attribute it to me, but my articles cannot be copied in their entirety to another post.

      Reply
  4. Kelsey Albers

    July 27, 2014 at 10:53 AM

    This is going in my “for when I have kids” folder. LOVE IT!

    Reply
  5. Kate

    July 26, 2014 at 4:19 PM

    Very cool! Where are the monkey bars?

    Reply
  6. Stacy C

    July 16, 2014 at 8:29 AM

    I’m so excited that you shared this because building a similar treehouse is on our to-do list this Fall! This encourages me to think long-term and build a treehouse that our littles can grow into. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Vanetta Luke

    July 15, 2014 at 10:34 AM

    I want to have kids now, just so I can encourage my husband to help me build this!!! Great job!

    Reply
  8. MJ

    July 15, 2014 at 9:03 AM

    Wow! What an awesome tree house! I love the descriptions, but can we see more pictures (of the zipline and speed slide to be precise)? Maybe it’s just me, but I definitely take my inspiration visually.

    Reply
  9. Brooke

    July 14, 2014 at 8:59 AM

    Treehouses are the best! I so think I could live in one…especially the ones Pete Nelson makes on Treehouse Masters.

    Reply
  10. Katrina

    July 13, 2014 at 12:49 PM

    Fantastic Katie! You guys are amazing with your fantastic ideas! I want one of these for sure and I want to go on it too! I know you mentioned you didn’t have a plan as you did it as you went, but would love it if you could draw up a plan of what you ended up with as a template as I’m sure every detail was well thought through by you and would love to see more details on this. Guessing you put mulch underneath from the pics for extra safety too?
    Thanks for your blog and creativity! LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Keep it coming!

    Reply
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