The best place to begin learning about anything is a book. If you want to learn about building treehouses, books are a very good source of information. In this post, we have compiled the ten best treehouse building books. These books are from treehouse experts with tons of experience in designing and building treehouses. Some provide an overview of the treehouse and some provide a step by step process of building the treehouse. Nonetheless, it is a good place to begin.
Contents
Top Picks
Product
Editor's Pick
Runner Up
Budget Pick
Name
Tree Houses You Can Actually Build: A Weekend Project Book
Be in a Treehouse: Design / Construction / Inspiration
No one has made the process of building treehouses easier than Jeanie Trusty Stiles and David Stiles. The couple has sold more than 200,000 copies of this book. Their sole aim with these books is to help the amateur treehouse enthusiasts who want to build their own dream treehouse. On Goodreads, the book has a rating of 3.75 out of 5.
We like the fact that books offer practical information about building the treehouse. The books are cool illustrations to help you understand the steps with ease. In addition, authors also provide a lot of safety tips to make sure that whatever you build is safe for you and your kids. In addition to basic information, there is some extra information on treehouse accessories that you can add to your treehouse-like benches, bunk beds, etc.
Looking at the content of this treehouse building book we believe it is more suitable for beginners or someone with on experience in treehouse building. There are a lot of simple ideas that you can execute. You can say it is one of the best DIY treehouse building books.
2. Be in a Treehouse: Design / Construction / Inspiration By Pete Nelson
Pete Nelson is a legendary treehouse designer and builder. He even has his own TV-Show about treehouses. There is no better source of learning about treehouses than from the guy who has spent his entire life designing and building treehouses. Reading his treehouse building book is like getting the first-hand experience of Pete Nelson’s expertise. The Goodreads gives it a 4.2 rating out of 5 and Barnes & Noble gives 4 ratings out of 5.
When you read the book you see a lot of Pete’s projects in the book. There are pictures from actual treehouses designed and built by Pete Nelson. Even he uses case studies to provide the information more effectively. You might consider this book to be too long but you will find almost all the basic information that you should know before you begin your treehouse construction. The book is divided into six chapters and also includes major discussions on some of the popular treehouses all around the world.
If you want a book that gives your everything including the legal advice related to treehouse building, then Pete Nelson’s book is a great source. However, the designs and plans the book discusses are more of a complex nature. Hence, we think books are more suitable for those who want to build elaborate and complex treehouses.
3. Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Treehouses, 2nd edition By Philip Schmidt
Philip Schmidt may not be categorized as someone who is a treehouse expert but he has vast experience in Home improvement. He has gained his experience by building houses, backyard treehouses, and many other home-related projects. The Goodreads gives his book 4 ratings out of 5 and Barnes & Noble too gives the same rating.
If you look at the information the book provides is mostly about building treehouses for kids. This treehouse building book has a lot of ideas. If you are building a treehouse for your kids, you must check out the book for ideas. It has not just ideas but it comes with complete construction plans and instructions. Even someone with no experience can follow these plans and build a treehouse. You can even get ideas about sourcing the material required for the construction.
We would definitely recommend the book to those who want to build treehouses for their kids. Also, we recommend this book for those who are looking for ideas and construction plans. You won’t have to spend extra dollars on plans. With the help of books, you can immediately begin construction.
The New Treehouses of the World is another book by Pete Nelson that takes you on the journey of unique treehouses around the world. Compared to the books that we have mentioned up till now, it is a little different. It could help someone with the vision of building unique treehouses. You can say it is for those who want to be professionals in the field of treehouse designing and building. The Goodreads gives it 4.2 ratings out of 5.
The is beautifully designed with some great photographs of the unique treehouses around the world. You get to learn the details of some of these unique treehouses. Books tell you about their design, building process, material, and the idea behind the house. Such information will help those who seek inspiration for their own treehouse.
Practically, this book belongs to some architect’s lounge. It may not be a suitable book for beginners or amateurs. However, you can gain a lot of ideas and inspiration from this book. We suggest you buy this book only if you are looking for ideas and nothing more.
5. Treehouse Chronicles: One Man’s Dream of Life Aloft By S. Peter Lewis And T.B.R. Walsh
We learn a lot from someone else’s mistakes. The book, Treehouse Chronicles: One Man’s Dream of Life Aloft, gives you glimpses of what the author has to go through while building his own treehouse. You can consider it as a case study. If you want to prepare yourself for the problems that you might face while building your treehouse, it is a perfect book. The Goodreads has rated it 3.7 out 5 but we think it deserves a much higher rating.
Since it is a personal account of S. Peter Lewis’s journey of building treehouses, you will be able to get a glimpse of what you yourself might face. However, the book does miss out on technical information like designs, plans, step by step process. We think it’s okay because the book is all about creating an experience with your family and friends. You would encounter some doses of philosophy too in this book.
If you want to know what it feels like building and having a treehouse is like, you can read this book. The author has an engaging narrative style, which entertains and amazes you throughout. But we do warn you this is not how to build a treehouse book.
6. Treehouses and other Cool Stuff: 50 Projects You Can Build by Jeanie Stiles, David Stiles
136 Pages - 12/19/2007 (Publication Date) - Gibbs Smith (Publisher)
The best way to quickly build your own treehouse is to copy the plan of the existing treehouse. With Treehouses and other cool stuff you get a plan of 50 projects that you can straight execute. Everything in this book is about the construction of a treehouse and its accessories. The book has been written by the popular treehouse enthusiasts Jeanie Stiles And Davide Stiles. On Goodreads, it has a rating of 3.82 out 5.
When it comes to building things related to a treehouse, there is a lot of information in this book. You can build different types of treehouses with the help of this book. There are a lot of simple illustrations to help you with the construction. In addition to tree houses, the book also gives you a lot of tips on carpentry and woodworking which is a key skill for building treehouses.
We would recommend this book for anyone who wants to build the treehouse. However, we also feel that you get another book to learn the basics of treehouse building before buying this one.
One of the most elaborate treehouses also includes a bathroom and a kitchen. If you are planning to build such a treehouse, these books about tiny houses would be of great use.
The book has been offered by Fine Homebuilding magazine which is a 40-year-old magazine of tiny houses. It is not practically a book on tree houses but does provide you ideas about adding amenities like a kitchen and bathroom in your treehouse. On Goodreads, the book has a rating of 3.8 out of 5.
We would not talk much about the designs and plans the book offers but the information they offer in addition to small things to make the house more efficient is really good. Using the ideas from the book you can get ideas about plumbing, heating, and even creating a cooking area on your treehouse.
This book is not for the simple treehouse. You must buy the book only if you want to create a treehouse where you can cook, bathe, and sleep.
8. Treehouses: The Art and Craft of Living Out on a Limb By Peter Nelson
Another book from the legendary architect, Peter Nelson, which is highly popular among the treehouse enthusiasts. Looking at the content, we can see it much suited for the people who want to get into treehouse building. The author has a lot of books that provide detailed information about building treehouses. But this book is a little different because the author has a personal touch to it. On the Goodreads, the book has 4.2 ratings out 5 which is really good.
Though the book looks plain there are some nuggets that are very good. First of all, we like the fact that the author is very frank with the things he says. He even mentions that he is not a very skilled builder which for a treehouse legend is hard to believe. Anyhow, we feel the book does ease a nervous builder because it tackles common problems of treehouse building.
We feel if you are nervous about building a treehouse for the first time, you might like reading how a legendary treehouse builder felt in his early days. It is perfect for beginners.
9. Backyard Treehouses: Building Plans, Tips, and Advice By Dan Wright
Another name that comes close to Pete Nelson is Dan Wright. He owns a treehouse building company that has experience of building more than 100 treehouses all around the world. This is a complete how-to book for all kinds of builders. But the book includes a lot of plans and designs that are targeted for the people with limited budgets. The book does have an average rating of 3.4 out 5 on Goodreads but we like the information it provides.
In this book, Dan Wright shows how simple to complex treehouse can be built from scratch. The book has a very good step by step instructions and pictures to help you throughout the process. You also get different types of plans to get ideas. We like the simple tips that are mentioned in the books.
When you compare this book with other treehouse building books, it focuses more on offering you an organic step by step process. If you are new to building treehouses, you must definitely get this book.
10. The Complete Guide to Building Your Own Tree House: For Parents and Adults Who Are Kids at Heart By Robert Miskimon
The Goodreads has no rating for this but we think it is a really useful book for the treehouse enthusiasts. Barnes & Noble has given it 4 out of 5 ratings. The author, Robert Miskimon is a journalist who has a very strong inclination towards the environment. You will find a lot of his wisdom and artistic touch in this book.
What we liked the most about this book is that it provides many other aspects of building treehouses in addition to the basic treehouse building process. Though there are not many designs or plans that you get from others, you do get a lot of useful information about waterproofing treehouses, safety measures, decoration of treehouses, and many more.
If you are looking for a book that has additional information on things you can do even after the main structure of the treehouse is finished.
Final Thought
Choosing the right treehouse building books depends on what kind of information you want. You have to assess if you are a complete novice or have some information but need more ideas. Based on that assessment you must choose the book. If you think we have missed out or have some unique books on building treehouses that others don’t know please do comment on this post.
Tree Houses You Can Actually Build - Editor's Choice
4.9
Summary
No one has made the process of building treehouses easier than Jeanie Trusty Stiles and David Stiles. The couple has sold more than 200,000 copies of this book. Their sole aim with these books is to help the amateur treehouse enthusiasts who want to build their own dream treehouse
[…] you don’t have an extensive budget to build a treehouse (see books related to building treehouse), you can build this little basic fort. It has also deck with walls and a tarp based roof. Any […]
[…] you don’t have an extensive budget to build a treehouse (see books related to building treehouse), you can build this little basic fort. It has also deck with walls and a tarp based roof. Any […]
[…] you don’t have an extensive budget to build a treehouse (see books related to building treehouse), you can build this little basic fort. It has also deck with walls and a tarp based roof. Any […]
![Best Treehouse Building Books In [year]](https://thehemloft.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Best-Treehouse-Building-Books-1200x385.jpg)
[…] you don’t have an extensive budget to build a treehouse (see books related to building treehouse), you can build this little basic fort. It has also deck with walls and a tarp based roof. Any […]