Treehouse Safety


A Few Words on Treehouse Building Safety


As I look back on this project, there are many things I'm proud of -- how nice the treehouse looks, how much my daughter and her friends like to actually use it, and all the little problems I solved to bring the thing to fruition.

The thing I'm most proud of is not just that I never injured myself while building it, but that I also never took exceptional risks to get any part of the treehouse done. Certainly, I was 30 feet in the air, but I was always clipped into at least one safety line (usually more than one). I never cut corners, always re-tied and re-checked my ropes and rigging every day when I began work, and every night I left enough time to properly store and inspect everything.

I'd guess maybe 90-95% of people who are interested in building tree houses are doing so with their children in mind. Please remember when you're working that there's nothing more important than your safety --  in addition to preventing falls, you've got tools, lumber, hardware, and all sorts of things that need to be paid attention to.

Think about what you're doing every step of the way -- and make plans every day that include considerations of keeping yourself safe. I always joked that if I wasn't concerned about safety, I'd have been done either a lot sooner, or never. Nothing about building a treehouse is more important than ensuring you're not going to get hurt doing it.

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