Freestanding Treehouse - Multilevel

La Canada, California 2011
Redwood and Cedar
24 feet by 18 feet by 24 feet

High End Treehouse: $20,000 and up

Freestanding Treehouses

Often when you want to build a treehouse, the trees might not be in the right place, be the right type or mature enough to support the weight of a treehouse, let alone the extra decking and multilevel platforms many kids want these days. That is where freestanding treehouses come in. You can put them where ever you like - making sure you get the privacy you want as well as the comfort of being able to watch your kids play.

The support for a freestanding treehouse comes from support posts set in concrete, rather than tree bolts - which have to be installed correctly in trees that have the correct size, statue and load bearing capability. Large treehouse structures can require a whole stand of trees to spread the load around - and usually these tend to be placed at the edges of the property and don't always grow in a pattern that makes it easy to build in. Some neighborhoods also have setback rules and there is always the issue of the neighbors if you build close to the property line - specifically the impact of noise and the new view the kids will have of the neighbor's property. All of these issues make it a lot easier to go with a freestanding, self supported treehouse that can be placed almost anywhere.

For more information, check out my portfolio of custom treehouses. You can also check out the cost for custom treehouses in the Los Angeles area and my detailed treehouse design guide.

Below are some more photos of the freestanding treehouse.

A photo of the construction process after the main platform is up.

The traditional clubhouse sits on the first level of the freestanding treehouse, which is built around the tree instead of in it. I find building it freestanding is not only easier on the trees, but makes the treehouse stronger because it does not rely on the tree's strength, uprightness and longevity as the main support for the structure.

A view of the fireman's pole that can be used to quickly get to a lower level.

A view looking up at the fireman's pole that shows the support structure of the freestanding treehouse.

View of the treehouse deck with the mature tree cutout that allows it to keep growing.

Better view of the tree cutout from an upper deck of the freestanding treehouse.

A close up of how the treehouse surrounds the tree but is standing independent of it.