How much does a Treehouse cost?

Treehouse can be built as a DIY project, or you can hire professionals to do it, such as Eden. These professionals specialize in designing and building complex designs and make good use of the location and materials. 

Let’s check out in detail the different factors and features that influence the cost of building a treehouse in the United States. 

Cost of Treehouse by Size 

Here’s a breakdown of the average cost of building a treehouse according to the size of the structure:

• Small-sized treehouse (36 sq. ft. to 49 sq. ft.) = USD 2,000 to USD 8,000
• Medium-sized treehouse (64 sq. ft. to 81 sq. ft.) = USD 4,000 to USD 12,000
• Large-sized treehouse (100 sq. ft. to 144 sq. ft.) = USD 6,000 to USD 17,000

Other Factors that affect Treehouse Cost

Every treehouse is unique and its total cost will vary. Here are some additional elements that affect the overall cost of building a treehouse:

Multiple levels

Remodeling or building a multi-story is quite tricky. This cost increases proportionately if the first level is several feet off of the ground. The second and third levels will be even more complicated, in terms of engineering, safety and logistics. 

Height

If you plan to build a treehouse at least 5 feet off of the ground, the cost of the overall project will increase exponentially. However, the cost is more for building the same structure at a height of 10 feet from the ground. The reason is that you will need more material for scaffolding, difficulty pulling up materials and additional time in building it. 

Complexity of Design

The overall cost of building a treehouse is heavily influenced by the level of design complexity. For instance, if a location is hard to access, then building a treehouse in such case will more expensive. 

Here are some factors in design that affect the total cost of building a treehouse:

• Difficult to access running water or utility near the site
• Difficult to access site
• Hiring companies from outside your area 
• Special engineering requirements

Additional Services

A simple treehouse is not as fun as one surrounded by supporting landscape. Let’s check out some additional services you may need to hire the professionals for, when having a treehouse built on your property:

Arborist Services

An arborist is a tree specialist. They are trained professionals who are certified to ensure wellbeing and health of trees. Hiring an arborist to do a visual tree assessment (VTA) of your treehouse tree and the ones surrounding it is recommended. You may need to pay around USD 145 for this service. Usually, it takes around an hour for an arborist to do an inspection, for small trees. However, the arborist may need to do an in-depth check involving using a drill to bore into a tree for a Resistograph test. For this, you will need to pay around USD 25 extra per bore. 

For an official arborist report, you may need to spend anywhere between USD 300 to USD 425 for a single tree, and around USD 700 for multiple trees. An official arborist report is usually required when you need to present one to a local authority or city council. 

Tree Trimming

Tree trimming is another additional service that is recommended for homeowners when building a treehouse. To hire professional landscapers, such as Eden for tree trimming, you may have to pay around USD 475 per tree, or between USD 315 to USD 700 per tree. The lowest price for this service is around USD 85 per tree and the cost can go as high as USD 1,267 per tree, depending on the size of the task. 

Tree Removal

Tree removal may also be needed when building a treehouse. If you need to remove trees from the surrounding area, you may have to pay around USD 630 per tree on an average. The cost of tree removal service is as low as USD 150 per tree, or as high as USD 1,935 per tree. The national average cost for professional tree removal services in the United States is between USD 385 to USD 1,070. 

Landscaping

If not an elaborate plan, you may need to build a walkway from the patio or house to the treehouse. Pea gravel is usually recommended for this task, and costs around USD 23 per ton to USD 50 per ton, when bought in bulk. You will also need a heavy-duty 200 sq. ft. roll of landscaping fabric which can cost around USD 28. Installing walkways in yards or gardens is usually charged around USD 8 per sq. ft. to USD 22 per sq. ft. 

Apart from this, lawn mowing charges are around USD 33 per hour to USD 70 per hour, usually depending on your location. The cost of lawn mowing by professional landscapers is around USD 29 per lawn to USD 65 per lawn. 

DIY Treehouse Cost

If you are handy with tools and ready to take on a significantly challenging task, then you can choose to erect a treehouse as a DIY project. This will also incur significant charges for several different things.

Let’s take a quick look at the type of equipment needed to build a DIY treehouse and their respective costs:

• Industry-grade corded reciprocating saw = USD 108
• Cordless circular saw kit = USD 350+
• Industry-grade table saw/stand = USD 370+ 
• Industry-grade miter saw = USD 400+
• Hammer = USD 5+ 
• 2-ft Level = USD 7+
• Speed square = USD 7+
• Safety glasses = USD 2 to USD 20
• Ear protection = USD 3 
• Gloves = USD 10 to USD 15
• Dust mask = USD 17
• Impact driver = USD 80 to USD 200
• Framing nail gun = USD 250+ 

The overall cost of your safety equipment will be over USD 32. 

Conclusion

The national average cost of hiring professionals to build a treehouse in United States is around USD 7,350, with the typical range is around USD 7,000 to USD 15,000. At the least, you will have to pay around USD 3,425 while at the most, you should expect to pay around USD 225,000 or more for a fancy, multistoried treehouse. It is highly recommended to hire professionals, such as Eden to build a treehouse in an affordable and efficient way. Not all DIY projects are the same so it makes sense to hire professionals to handle this kind of project.