Treehouse Life FAQ's

Obviously, the cost of a ‘Treehouse Life’ treehouse is very much dependent on the size and complexity of the project, but rest assured, there will always be something that we can create to suit your budget.

Prices can range anywhere from £5,000 for a simple treehouse to £80,000 for the ultimate treetop adventure playgrounds. For many of our clients, the typical price ranges from £12,000 – £50,000.

All of our prices are carefully budgeted to take into account the high quality of materials and exacting workmanship that goes into creating each wonderfully unique and exciting project.

“No you don’t! ”, just because you don’t have any trees in your garden, doesn’t mean you can’t still experience the excitement of owning your own treehouse.

How is that possible? Because at Treehouse Life we don’t actually NEED to use trees for structure, we can create our treehouses with nothing more than a little bit of open space and an awful lot of imagination.

Our treehouses are designed to work WITH the natural ‘architecture’ of the tree, or group of trees, and to merely make the most of what nature has provided us.

We have already designed and built many treehouses without trees, and can happily report that the end result was neither lacking nor limited in any way.

It is because we do not build and attach our treehouses onto the tree, that we guarantee we will never cause any damage to the tree itself. Occasionally, some minor branches may need to be removed to accommodate the design, but this is always carried out by a professional tree surgeon and will never be detrimental to the health of the tree.

Of course, any trees that you do have will only add to the overall effect and help to ‘dress’ the end design product. Groups of trees are particularly effective as they can help us to draw on the relationship between the treehouse and the trees, and create even more adventurous routes for the Rope Bridges, Zip Wires and Tree-Canopy Walkways to take.

“ To go ‘tree-top walking’ will of course require a tree at each end of the tree-canopy walkway, but this one element of design aside, the only thing that can limit the possibilities of your adventure treehouse, is your own imagination ”.

We understand that once you have taken the first step and decided to have your own treehouse, you will no doubt be eager to start enjoying your very own ‘Treehouse’ life. We certainly don’t want you to have to wait any longer than necessary.

So once you have expressed your interest through the website, we will visit you that very same week, so that we can discuss your ideas and explain to you what we can do.

Our next visit on-site will usually take place 2 weeks later, and at this point, we will deliver and run through our design proposal. Assuming you are happy to progress with the plans, the lead-time from order generally takes 6 weeks from the timber production.

Once all the materials are ready to go, we will start the on-site construction of your treehouse. Depending on the size of the project, that can take anywhere between 2 – 4 weeks to complete.

With our school projects, we always work towards a straightforward ‘one week build’ to align with school holidays.

“ Rest assured our experienced and dedicated team will always work to help you achieve your dream as fast as possible ”.

At Treehouse Life distance is never a problem. We are always happy to travel to meet with you so that we can develop a good understanding of what it is that you are hoping for, and what it is that we can set out to achieve.

It is because we believe that having such a high level of communication is crucial to the design process, that when starting out on a new project, we offer an initial on-site visit completely FREE of charge.

This visit, which is scheduled within a week of initial contact and generally lasts between 1 and 2 hours, gives us the opportunity to see exactly what the space we are to be working with is like. We can then make sure that we fully integrate the natural lay of the land and any existing features of your garden into our final design.

Following this, a second follow-up site visit is scheduled so that we can present you with the proposed plans. This is an exciting stage for both parties, as it enables you to get a real feel for the depth, height and dimension of the treehouse. Using the latest in 3D technology, you will be able to literally ‘walk around’ the design, see where it will be placed within your garden, and even watch how sunlight will work through the space.

Hopefully, having such a glimpse into the heart and soul of the treehouse will give you the total confidence that Treehouse Life will be able to satisfy and exceed all of your wildest treehouse expectations.

If a site visit isn’t possible or convenient for you, we are of course more than happy to progress with the design from photos and close communication, and will then present the completed design ‘electronically’ by web or email, or both.

We are also delighted to visit you if you live overseas, though this will take place a little further into the project proposal, and usually at a negotiated expenses payment that can be deducted against the cost of the project. Initial stages of design can easily progress following a discussion about your ideas and budget, and with an exchange of photos and plans.

“ So if you think that you might like to live a ‘Treehouse’ life, be rest assured that we are always happy to go that extra mile if it means being able to make all of your treehouse dreams come true ”.

At Treehouse Life we have spent many years researching and resourcing the best materials to use; materials that will complement our treehouse designs and really withstand the test of time.

As timber is the main raw material used to construct a treehouse, it is obviously very important to us that we use only timbers that are produced, graded and managed to withstand the demanding requirements of every treehouse that we build.

For example, while we love the look and feel of round wood timber, with every change in moisture and temperature it does typically produce air cracks along its length as it stretches and constricts. This would therefore make it an unacceptable material for the look and longevity of the treehouse, as would any timber that has been developed specifically for the fencing business.

So what DO we use? At Treehouse Life we use Radiata Pine, sourced from the managed and environment friendly forests in South Africa. As well as being guaranteed not to produce any finger-sized air cracks, our pine is also fully FSA approved.

But we don’t just limit our exacting high standards to the main structure of the treehouse. At Treehouse Life we understand that it is just as important for the underneath of the structure to look as good as the house itself. So with this in mind, we have resourced the perfect joist, beam and decking timber to compliment the Radiata Pine.

Southern Yellow Pine, or Monterey Pine as it is known in America, is shipped over from California, before being taken to our own workshops for final preparations. At this stage, all sharp edges and rough surfaces are carefully removed, so as not to cause any problems later down the line for small hands and feet.

All of our timbers undergo an extensive preservation process directly prior to their arrival on-site – a process that guarantees against rot and decay for up to 60 years. This modern selected treatment also allows the natural beauty and true colours of both the Radiata Pine and the Southern Yellow Pine to shine through. This serves to enhance every design, rather than imposing an unnatural stain or colour, as is achieved when using a chemical process.

“ But it’s not just the standard of our timber that we are fussy about. All other elements used in our treehouse designs also have to meet very high standards. From the bespoke rope products to the galvanised steel prepared cables and the ‘barefoot’ lighting, we ensure that everything we use on, in or around your treehouse will be safe to use, incredibly durable and of course, pleasing to the eye ”.

At Treehouse Life there isn’t a project that we won’t tackle or a treehouse that we can’t build. In fact, over the course of the past 20 years, we have already imagined, created, built and delivered more than 100 treehouses throughout the UK, and all around the world.

So whether it might be a simple childhood playground set in the heart of the English countryside or a beachfront resort in the Seychelles, all of our groundbreaking designs offer that little bit extra.

We cover it all, from our Tree ‘suspended’ treehouses for maximum childhood adventure and fun, to our stylish treehouses for adult relaxing, lounging and living; from our functional treehouses for schools and parklands to our truly luxurious, resort-inspired treehouses – perfect for some sheer indulgence and a well-earned spot of pampering.

While we may have a wealth of experience across the board, at Treehouse Life we still remain focused on offering ‘exclusivity’ rather than production; ‘bespoke’ rather than pre-fabricated. To ensure that we can always uphold our exacting levels of quality and workmanship, we only ever take on a maximum of 20 projects each year in the UK.

So we do think it’s safe to say there are no limits to what we can achieve. There are no specific requirements that you as a client need to meet, and no ideas that are too outlandish for us to hear. We thrive on pushing the boundaries and always enjoy trying out something new.

In fact, when setting out to create a new treehouse design, it is often the problem-solving element of the project that really excites us and inspires us to achieve the seemingly impossible.

“ We genuinely enjoy combining all of our experience, ideas and imagination and turning them into a dream treehouse for you ”.

Easy, yes…we have projects in Ibiza, Marbella, Seychelles and Italy. Also, closer to home in Jersey, Isle of Man.

We can package materials to worldwide pallet shipping, bring a small key team and if necessary work with local staff. For us, Ibiza is as easy as Ipswich and Seychelles as successful as Suffolk.

For particular projects, we are delighted to work with reclaimed timbers and can provide a complete provenance.

Recently we completed a Rope Bridge project for the National Trust with 300 years old pitch-pine milled for us from provenance-certified timber piles recovered Chatham Docks. Similarly, a Rope Bridge project in the Seychelles where a colourful patina and ‘rustic’ appearance was perfect within the huge ‘Jurassic‘ granite boulders as the ‘bare-foot’ entrance to a luxury spa resort.

Our square profile timbers regularised, eased edge C16/24 Osmose Celcure treated timbers (70% PEFC Certified BMT-PEFC-0277), certified as sourced from a well-managed and sustainable stock.

We use glulam structurally engineered round timbers – glulam tensile characteristics make it suitable for long-span, load-bearing widths, such as Rope Bridges. Our laminated logs are produced from kiln-dried redwoods. During a state-of-the-art process, high-quality planed sawn redwoods are glued together and they are passed through a high-frequency hot press. Finishing through a moulder we obtain high-quality timber columns with a perfect finish. Finger joints are used to enable us to produce lengths of up to 6.0m. All are treated using Tanalith E8000 with added BARamine™ technology.

We use gulam structurally engineered round timbers.

Our laminated logs are produced from kiln-dried redwoods. During a state-of-the-art process, high-quality planed sawn redwoods are glued together and they are passed through a high-frequency hot press.

Finishing through a moulder we obtain high-quality timber columns with a perfect finish. Finger joints are used to enable us to produce lengths of up to 6.0m. All are treated using Tanalith E8000 with added BARamine™ technology.

While treehouses can always be counted on to bring a sense of adventure, magic and escapism into any family garden, they can also offer a host of different benefits when introduced into a more corporate world.

In this age of environmental awareness, where companies are becoming increasingly more accountable for their own carbon footprint, using treehouses and outdoor living aspirations can now make perfect commercial sense.

For hotels, resorts, eco-tourism and conferencing businesses, to name but a few, a treehouse is not only a very affordable build solution, it also offers all of the advantages of utilising available natural resources and saves money by using ‘off-grid’ energy.

With this in mind, at Treehouse Life we have established a worldwide consultancy service – Treehouse Life Consultancy.

We understand that there is now a consumer demand for corporate businesses to respond to, and start providing alternative solutions to how they do business. Whether that may be in the branding of their services or the ‘bottom-line’ of balance sheet business, treehouses are fast becoming the ‘headline’ marketing solution that can relate to the aspirations of their customers. While a treehouse might not at first seem like the obvious choice or a very ‘business like’ way to go, commercial and corporate businesses would be wise to recognise the emotions that they can bring out in everyone, and then use this knowledge to help improve their businesses further.

“ At Treehouse Life Consultancy, we can tap into this powerful emotion, and through our consultancy service, deliver persuasive ‘design to balance sheet’ solutions which can help to you realise your big ideas and help your organisation experience ”.

Really depends upon the time of year and scope of the project, but often 4-6 weeks from order to being on-site. Also, we can book specific dates for your project to be a Christmas or Birthday present!

Yes, we are a full Design and Build company with 20 years experience taking clients all the way from their Wish-List through to Wow-Factor with a bespoke design and custom build.

Yes, we have projects all over the UK – we are based in Surrey Hills with a workshop and warehouse, then enjoy installing to beautiful locations throughout UK.

Yes, we have projects all over the world, from Seychelles to Ibiza, from Utah to Qatar. We are very experienced in progressing projects from distance, pre-producing in our own workshop and then shipping to international regions. Our own expert team meet the consignment and work directly, often alongside local teams, to install our world-class signature designs and systems.

Covid taught us a lot about how much we can use Zoom and WhatsApp to work closely with all potential clients and listen deeply to their Wish-List. We are highly experienced at translating a Wish-List into a Wow-Factor, plus everything required inbetween for a seamless and really enjoyable customer experience. We are world-class at our niche and enjoy working with customers all over the world.

Yes, we purchase direct from producers wherever possible – not only to secure the best possible prices for all our customers, but to secure full chain-of-custody and establish the unique and precise specification requirements for all our world-class products.

We know that what we build lasts a lifetime, both designed and built for both your children and for when they become parents too – your project becomes their best-ever childhood memory and a memorable collection of wholesome family values that they in turn wish to pass to their children and your grandchildren.

This depends upon the scope of the project, the location and often the particularb landscape, however, typically our team can be on-site for around 2-3 weeks.

To place order, we require a 40% Initial Payment – this allows us to order materials and pre-produce elements of your project. Also to schedule the on-site project. We ask for an Interim Payment of 40% as we arrived on-site. We stay with you, always, until completion of the project and then a 20% Final Payment is due upon practical completion.

We can chat by phone or WhatsApp, also happy to schedule a Site Consultation – once we understand your Wish-List we can create a design as a 3D model sketch drawing and share this with similar project photos and a detailed budget for you to review. Once you are ready to place order we can send a Contract and schecdule project install dates.

We can create whatever you wish, including Draw-Bridges.

All our projects are custom-built by awesome teams so that the design imagination can flow. In this project, we created a Draw-Bridge close to the ground and linked it to a fixed-beam Rope Bridge by platform decks to create a magical woodland adventure.

For mum and dad, the Draw-Bridge was also functional as it could be lifted on an easily weighted pulley to allow a ‘drive-through‘ track for the ride-on garden lawn mower.

For kids to grandparents, our Rope Bridges are a wonderful adventure for the whole family.

Grown-up supervision of kids’ play is always recommended, particularly with so much imagination and make-believe to be encouraged. With our structurally sound Rope Bridge walkway decks and our hand-weaved rope balustrades throughout in soft ‘kind-to-the-hands‘ polyhemp rope work, the fun can be both adventurous and safe.

For parents and grandparents, our wobbly-Rope Bridge is an awesome re-connection to your inner child, but secure in knowing there are rope balustrades on both sides and a solid timber-slat walkway fixed to the ropes below.

A Log Rope Bridge is the perfect solution where we design as an entrance from the grass, through a gradient up into the treehouse and platform decks.

We use ‘logs‘ so that the walkway works beautifully through the gradient.

Set between decks and platforms within a treehouse design and typically as a fixed-beam Rope Bridge.

We introduce a fixed slabbed round beam (structural) between the platforms or structurally secure timber posts. This establishes huge stability and structure between two fixed points enabling the Rope Bridge to be integrated seamlessly within the treehouse design.

The long span of a platform-to-platform Rope Bridge is limited to the length of the fixed beam (usually up to 5.7m). Typically secured half-height within the balustrade rope-work but alternatively lower down with the rope-work nearer the deck walkway or as a full height balustrade ‘rail‘.

Typically running between platform-to-platform the ‘fixed-beam‘ installation concept to structurally hold both ends apart can be extended over longer spans with a fixed timber walkway.

Here we introduce interim structural points and create a platform timber-work for each integrated ‘section‘. This style of Rope Bridge can be designed and installed for disabled and wheel-chair access conforming to width, access and gradient advice.

As a “wow-factor” feature within a garden landscape, a suspension Rope Bridge across a ‘canyon‘ or perhaps a lake is an awesome adventure.

We find, design or create two fixed points at either end and suspend structural steel cables between. On to this, we establish ropes, a deck walkway and rope balustrades to complete a ‘canyon’ Rope Bridge.

This can include creating built platforms at each end both for structure and access, also mature trees at both end works really well for structure with platforms as required for access.

Perfect for treehouses, either as an entrance or as a Rope Bridge between platforms or decks within the treehouse design.

We introduce a fixed slabbed round beam (structural) between the platforms or structurally secure timber posts. This establishes huge stability and structure between two fixed points enabling the Rope Bridge to be integrated seamlessly within the treehouse design.

The long span of a fixed-beam Rope Bridge is limited to the length of the beam (usually up to 5.7m). Typically secured half-height within the balustrade rope-work but alternatively lower down with the rope-work nearer the deck walkway or as a full height balustrade ‘rail‘.

We designed and built the longest Rope Bridge in the UK at 44m, so no problem working with all span lengths.

Typically, a 20-25m suspension Rope Bridge across a river is fine and for treehouse Fixed-beam Rope Bridges 3-6m are ideal. Log Beam Rope Bridges as an entrance to treehouses are usually around 3-6m with a fixed-beam or perhaps 10-15m as a suspension Log Rope Bridge.

For particular projects, we are delighted to work with reclaimed timbers and can provide a complete provenance.

Recently we completed a Rope Bridge project for the National Trust with 300 years old pitch-pine milled for us from provenance-certified timber piles recovered Chatham Docks. Similarly, a Rope Bridge project in the Seychelles where a colourful patina and ‘rustic‘ appearance was perfect within the huge ‘Jurassic‘ granite boulders as the ‘bare-foot‘ entrance to a luxury spa resort.

A Rope Bridge over a river, stream or even a lake is a perfect “wow-factor” feature often providing wonderfully adventurous access within your garden, woodland or estate.

We have created the longest Rope Bridge in the UK over a river and have the skill-sets and experience to design and install over water, at whatever height or length – take a look at our River Brue project.

We use a natural coloured (manilla ‘white‘) polyhemp that is both ‘kind-to-the-hands’ and structurally sound.

Beautiful in a kids activity area, handsome in creating a true ‘Indiana-Jones’ adventure and a product that will not rot or deteriorate through all weathers.

Typically, 24mm diameter ropes in structural situations with a 12mm diameter rope throughout the hand-weaved balustrades.