Treehouse

Pricing Guide

Build it yourself or have it built by a treehouse professional?

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Together with the treehouse builder ‘baumbaron GmbH’ from southern Germany, we have already built over 270 treehouses throughout Europe. That’s why we can tell you exactly what a treehouse costs, when it’s worth buying from a treehouse professional and where you can save money if you build it yourself.

Using 6 treehouse examples, we show you the material costs and the construction time for building your own treehouse:

    • Cheap treehouse for kids
    • Simple playhouse in the trees
    • Small treehouse for spending nights in summer
    • Insulated treehouse for winter living
    • Professional treehouse for adults to live in
    • Large luxury treehouse to live in

The cost of a treehouse depends very much on how it is to be used and how long it is to last. A simple children’s treehouse for hiding and playing, which is only used on warm summer days, can be built very cheaply with used materials (from 1000 €). A heated treehouse for living in, which is also used in cold winter months, costs at least 6000 €. The price for a real luxury treehouse by “Pete Nelson” starts at $200,000.

1. Example of material costs of different DIY treehouse types

Here you can see the pure material costs of different treehouse types (without working time, without tools, without wear and tear, without expensive furnishings). The purchase price from a treehouse professional would be about 3 times as high. (The prices are valid for Southern Germany and have to be adjusted depending on the country – just compare the DIY store prices for 1 m³ spruce lumber and 500 Spax screws to get a feeling for the material costs in Southern Germany;)

Example pictures of small and cheap treehouses for kids

Cheap treehouse for kids (tree hut in backyard)

  • 4–6 m² (40–60 sq in)
  • very simple construction
    single-shell, uninsulated walls
  • Roof covering of bitumen shingles or roofing felt
  • Self-built plexiglass windows
  • Mostly used materials
  • Use in warm weather

     

Material costs: 1000 – 2500 €

DIY construction time: 1–2 months

Examples of simple small playhouses in the tree

Simple playhouse in the trees

  • 6–10 m² (60-110 sq ft)

  • uninsulated construction for summer

  • simple windows and doors

  • bitumen or corrugated iron roofing

  • small terrace with railing

  • play elements: slide, swing, climbing wall

  • partly used materials

 

Material costs: 2000 – 4000 €

DIY construction time: 2 – 3 months

Examples of summer treehouses to stay overnight

Small treehouse to stay overnight in summer

  • 10–15 m² (110-160 sq ft)
  • insulated construction for spring to autumn
  • used windows and doors
  • small terrace with railing
  • simple furniture (bed, table, chair)
  • for several people to squat together
  • possibly play elements (slide, swing, climbing)
  • for occasional overnight stays
  • possibly for renting out in summer (Air B’n’B)

Material costs: 4000 – 6000 €

DIY construction time: 3–4 months

Examples of insulated winter treehouses to stay in

Insulated treehouse for living in winter

  • 10–15 m² house (110-160 sq ft)
  • fully insulated for cold seasons
  • used double-glazed windows and tight door
  • new timber
  • electricity connections
  • solid furniture: bed, table, chair, lamps, shelves
  • for overnight stays of several days
  • suitable for renting

 

Material costs: €6000 – 10000

DIY Construction time: 3–5 months

Examples of professional treehouses to live in and rent

Professional treehouse for living for adults

  • 15–25 m² (160-270 sq ft)
  • professional treehouse mounting
  • built for several generations
  • thickly insulated for cold winter nights
  • high quality building materials
  • double-glazed windows / skylights
  • many electrical connections
  • high quality interior
  • enough space for several adults
  • ideal for renting out
  • or as an extended living space for sleeping / working / relaxing

 

Material costs: 9000 – 20000 €

DIY Construction time: 4–6 Months

Examples of high price luxury treehouses to live in

Large luxury treehouse to live in

  • 25–40 m² (270-430 sq ft)
  • permanent living and renting
  • Luxury treehouse for several generations
  • Thick wall construction, insulated, back-ventilated
  • Elaborate details (spiral staircase, suspension bridge, several platforms)
  • electrical, heating, sanitary connections
  • modern interior (from carpenter / joiner)
  • High-quality materials
  • High-quality roofing (wooden shingle or tin roof)

 

Material costs: 25000 – 40000 €.

DIY Construction time: 5–7  Months

The stated “DIY construction time” applies to “ordinary people” with previous craftsmanship skills who spend 2–3 days a week working on the treehouse with their family or friends.

Be careful, gentlemen – a few factors can make the construction time incredibly long;)

  1. This is the first wooden house you build
  2. You are a perfectionist
  3. You want to build crazy creative details à la Daniel Düsentrieb
  4. The treehouse is higher than 3 m (10 ft) off the ground (then you need climbing gear, etc.)

2. Prices for different fastening methods

A treehouse floats above the ground – the key to the wonderful world of treehouses is the right fastening technique. The cost of a treehouse on stilts is lower, but strictly speaking it is not a treehouse. Because with stilts, you avoid exactly the tricky challenge that makes up a real treehouse: anchoring the house floating in the tree.

The following costs / unit are incurred for the fastening:

Post in concrete

70 - 150€
Wooden post + post connector + concrete for foundation

Treehouse Screw

150 - 400€
Treehouse Screw + Accessories

Buy Here!

Rope Suspension

150 - 250€
Tree strap + steel cable + turnbuckle + ring nut + carriage bolt

Steel belt

300 - 600€
2 Steel rings with strut connections (custom-made by locksmith)

Depending on the type and number of attachment points of the treehouse, the costs have to be added. Often, with small trees or trees that are very close to the property line, a combination of treehouse and stilt house is the only sensible solution.

Example – Hybrid treehouse:

Your “Hybrid Treehouse” is attached to a tree with 2 Treehouse Screws and is also supported by 2 posts with foundations. The costs for this professional mounting are approximately:

2 × 350 € + 2 × 110 € = 920 €

All in all, the additional costs for a professional tree attachment are vanishingly small compared to the total cost of the treehouse.

3. Build it yourself or have it built by a treehouse professional?

If you multiply the above material costs by 3, you come to about the price of a professional treehouse built by a reputable carpentry. A luxury treehouse by DMX treehouse professional “Pete Nelson”, for example, costs $200,000 upwards! The waiting time with an established treehouse builder is on average > 6 months.

 

Advantages of having a treehouse built by a professional:

  • everything works 😉
  • years of practical experience in timber construction
  • expertise in dealing with trees
  • professional assembly techniques
  • more extreme projects at greater heights possible – professional tree climbers
  • the treehouse is safe (safety standard on request)
  • long life span over several generations (> 20 years)
  • short construction time (assembly time on site only 1–3 weeks)
  • warranty claims on construction defects

 

Advantages of DIY “Build your own treehouse”:

  • Lower costs (approx. 1/2 to 1/3)
  • The feeling of having created everything yourself – the children will be proud of you!
  • Fun for the whole family – community project
  • you gain craft experience that will be useful for a lifetime
  • Unique project – check out our customer projects and our blog!

4. Where can I save money? New or used?

If you want to build your treehouse yourself, the following points will help you to estimate the costs a little better:

 

New building material:

If you want to buy new building material, there are, as always, no upper price limits. High quality makes sense if you are building a low-maintenance treehouse for several generations, to rent out or to live in during the cold season.

Here are a few prices (in Southern Germany) for quality products:

  • Small wooden window (double-glazed by carpenter / joiner): > 250 €
  • Wooden door with high-quality fittings: > 350 €
  • Roof window to open: > 400 €
  • Shingle roof, three-ply, with battens, approx. 10 m²: > 800 €
  • Wooden boards, planed, larch, 1 m³: > 500 € + 10-20 % waste!
  • Spiral staircase, 180°: > 1.500 €

 

Used parts:

But a DIY adventure treehouse can also be very cheap. A treehouse in a wild tree is just crying out for colourful used materials; I think that’s what gives it its special charm:

  • You use used materials, such as scrap wood, windows and doors from renovation or demolition work, screws and nails from grandpa’s workshop.
  • You already have a well-equipped workshop and borrow the missing tools from friends.
  • You spice it up with creativity and a talent for improvisation.

Our money savings tip: Search on online platforms like “eBay locals”, “Quoka” or “shpock”; or post on social networks that you need building materials for your treehouse … you’ll be surprised how many nice things you can find there!

 

“All the small things”:

+ Costs for small parts: Stainless steel screws, ropes, strips, foils, tape, lamps, cables, fittings, insect protection, interior furnishings, slide, swing, play tower, …

+ Tools, wear and tear, waste: sandpaper, saw blades, bits, measuring instruments, equipment maintenance, wood waste, …

These hidden additional costs can also quickly add up to > 400 €.

 

So don’t be shocked: a decent, habitable DIY treehouse with a mix of new and used materials quickly comes to €4,000 – €6,000 (pure material costs, not including labour!).

5. How long does a treehouse last?

The lifespan of a treehouse depends on several factors:

  1. Construction quality (quality of the materials used, detailing, roof structure, …)
  2. Roof pitch, overhang and roof covering
  3. Tree (vital vs. rotten)
  4. Exposure and climate (much shade, precipitation, humidity, storms, …)
  5. Use and maintenance

A well-built treehouse is comparable to a mountain hut or a boathouse. With professional assembly and under normal conditions, a treehouse will last at least 20 years! Then small things may have to be repaired, e.g. the roofing (shingles) or individual heavily weathered floor boards.

See for yourself how long a treehouse lasts, at Michael Garnier’s “Out’n’about Treehouse Resort”, Oregon, USA – his first treehouses have now been standing for over 25 years and are getting more and more beautiful each year:)

Pro Tip:

Never underestimate how fast a tree grows in width! If you don’t want to be stressed with rework, keep structural elements such as walls, roofs, gutters at least 30 cm away from the tree and its branches. Build your structure in such a way that you can eventually replace it after 20-30 years (e.g. stagger new Treehouse Screws).

 

What if the tree dies?

Don’t worry, the tree will not die from one year to the next. Should the tree weaken for any reason, you can always put the existing treehouse on stilts – so the tree can grow old in peace and the house will stand for eternity.

6. My personal experience – Just do it yourself!

“For me, building a treehouse is the perfect mix of freedom, creativity and craftsmanship. An adventure for those who are looking for a challenge and never want to grow up completely. Definitely a project that you grow with and that will inspire everyone!”

 

Vitus Wahlländer – Carpenter, treehouse builder, civil engineer and founder of TheTreehouse.Shop

Where does my love of building treehouses come from:

“Before my apprenticeship as a carpenter, I built my first own treehouse on stilts in 2015 (see pictures). For this project, I taught and worked out everything myself: from the planning to the handling of the machines to the details, it was new territory for me. My machines were a cordless drill, a hand-held circular saw, a router and a grinder.

Having always been an enthusiastic tinkerer, I went all out on this treehouse project. Family, friends and neighbours helped me with words and deeds and so after about 5 months the finished house was standing in the garden.

The summer I spent in it is one of the best times I can remember. Now the treehouse is used by the whole family: Grandma and Grandpa like to read and relax in the shade of the deciduous tree, and for our children it is of course the purest adventure playground. The cost and months of work were worth every penny!”

The path to becoming a treehouse professional:

“The experience of having my own treehouse has stayed with me and in the meantime I have been working as a trained treehouse builder at Baumbaron GmbH for over 6 years; we have all the tools imaginable, precise machines and a large warehouse of materials, we work with 3D plans and are an absolutely well-coordinated team of friends. As professional tree climbers, we get to heights that are difficult to reach without special tools. I love this job!”

 

My personal tip for you:

“If you can take your time and have a few nice helpers, then I recommend you build your own treehouse! It is an unbelievably beautiful and satisfying experience to build a treehouse with your own hands – to create your own personal oasis of peace, according to your own wishes and dreams. The enthusiasm and amazed faces of family and friends are unique!”

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