Are some trees too small for treehouses?
Yes and no. When it comes to supporting the load of a treehouse, you need a good, healthy tree with at least a 12-inch trunk diameter at the height you plan to attach the treehouse. Smaller trees present all sorts of problems — lack of load-carrying strength, difficulty installing larger hardware, greater movement in the wind, rapid growth that can quickly overwhelm anchors, and the tendency of smaller trees to try to shed load by bending. It’s best to avoid supporting treehouses in smaller trees. That doesn’t mean your treehouse dreams are dashed, however. It’s always possible to use posts to support part or all of your treehouse. Designed well, the posts can blend into the setting and the treehouse can still sit among the branches. You can’t get too high with this method, and that gentle rocking in the breeze may be out, but it’s still a house in the trees — and that’s pretty special. What’s the right tree? There are a few types of trees to avoid, but the key to it all is to have a
