Austin Tree Houses

We Build Trust

Playland Tree House

Nestled inside a canyon of live oak and cedar trees sits a modern-day monument to childhood fun, exploration and adventure. An outdoor oasis for kids of any age. Imagine the amenities of a neighborhood playground complete with a club house, trap door and cargo net hammock. And without neighborhood kids. Except the ones that get invited that is. Sometimes a treehouse is more about the outdoors than the structure. That doesn’t mean the structure can’t be magical too.

When we saw the tree that looks like a melted football goal post, we didn’t fumble. We put one through the uprights. Not the ball, but the main support beam. This not-so-perfect tree became the perfect inspiration our Playard Treehouse project.
Talk about going with the flow, we incorporated the snaking limbs of this mature masterpiece of nature into the design of the back deck.
As the structure began to take shape, the marriage of the decking, roof
and tree began to look less odd and more like something out of a fairy-tale that nature thought up on its own.
The rear view shows an oversized deck covered with an expansive shed roof, rustic railing and supports from cedar trees sourced on the property. The tree growing through the deck and roof allow the entire structure to blend into the landscape like a chameleon.
The structure is cradled safely in the tree. The rough cedar siding with rough live edges add to the rustic appeal. The lighted deck ceiling adds a certain star-gazing element to the mix.
The front of the structure leads out to the walkway. There is an extension jutting from the roof and corner windows that let light in from multiple angles.
Adding small touches often get big returns. The back deck features a cargo net hammock for spying on incoming invaders. It is double reinforced so even dad’s brother “Big Tom” can stand on it. There is also a tree limb ladder that leads to a push up trap door.
We go out of our way to incorporate nature into our treehouses. Blue is one of the rarest colors in nature. In fact, most blue objects in the wild appear blue because of the physics of light. So why did we add a cobalt blue spiral slide to this project. Sometimes you just have to go with the fun!