# Dead tree okay for treehouse?



## Oilcan (Oct 15, 2007)

I have a dead avocado tree (long sad story-overpruned) in my back yard.  I was thinking that a tree house would be nice so the tree isn't a total loss but I dont know how kosher it is to build in a tree that's dead.  

The trunk is about 18 inches.  It's plenty strong now but I don't know if its prone to rot or termites and such.

I guess the question is - is this tree worth building in?


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## glennjanie (Oct 15, 2007)

Hey Oil Can:
Yes, the tree is worth building in; I'm sure the lumber you use to build it will be dead too. If it is a concern, you could always seal the tree like a deck or whitewash it. By the time it begins to rot, your children will be burned out on it or too old for it.
Glenn


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## Oilcan (Oct 18, 2007)

heheh...thanks Glenn.  It's kinda like, I have a million other more pressing projects and my kid is only 10 months but it seems like such fun to build. 
Anyway, that seals it. I'll send pics..


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 18, 2007)

That sounds like a good post for a  9 ft birdhouse


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## inspectorD (Oct 21, 2007)

Great hotels man.....ever seen a 9 foot bird...hehe.


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## Oilcan (Oct 22, 2007)

That thing's incredible...do you put those in trees?


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 23, 2007)

Oilcan said:


> That thing's incredible...do you put those in trees?



Unfortunately i don,t have any trees in my yard that i can put them in so find old dead trees and then i dig a hole and put them in.
I also use old barn beams for the smaller birdhouses.

I had a bad lightning storm a few years ago and it took down a large northern pine so i used it for these two birdhouses.

It is much easier if you do have a half tree still standing, it saves on the digging and is obviously much stronger.


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## Oilcan (Oct 24, 2007)

I looked at your site.  I couldn't afford any of those but the Bogner Inn is my favorite.  Well done!


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## cranbrook2 (Oct 24, 2007)

Oilcan said:


> I looked at your site.  I couldn't afford any of those but the Bogner Inn is my favorite.  Well done!



Thanks Oilcan

I just got a order to build 10 more for a customer in the states.

I would rather build them for myself and then sell the plans but you gotta keep the customers happy and give them what they want .


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## mhopkins (Mar 10, 2013)

Hi Oilcan,
Did you ever build your tree house in the dead tree? I want to use a dead tree for the third leg and was wondering how it worked out.
Thanks,
Mark 
Westerville, Ohio 




Oilcan said:


> heheh...thanks Glenn.  It's kinda like, I have a million other more pressing projects and my kid is only 10 months but it seems like such fun to build.
> Anyway, that seals it. I'll send pics..


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## CallMeVilla (Mar 11, 2013)

Answer is YES.  A couple of years ago, I built a large tree house anchored to one dead and two living redwoods.  The main thing is to use bolts or lag screws of sufficient size to ensure stability.  You also need to provide additional support for the platform using 4x4 or 6x6 posts tied to your floor joists.

I chose to use a triangular support system at the tree points to increase the span and strength of the support.  With three trees, my lateral movement was minimized under most forseeable conditions, so the main thing was downward load strength.  You can see from these pics how I did it.  GO FOR IT!


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## CallMeVilla (Mar 11, 2013)

Here is another view of the angled braces I used at each connection point on the trees.


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## nealtw (Mar 11, 2013)

I think it will depend on the tree type , I would talk to an arborist in your area.


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