While not part of a home inspection, tree houses can be fun and a great item for kids – but they can be dangerous as well. When looking at a tree house, be sure to focus on these 3 things:
Access – If the treehouse can only be accessed via a rope, this needs to be tested extensively. With both feet on the ground, the rope should be pulled with some force to check its integrity. For maximum safety, wooden ladders will always be safer than rope ladders as they are secure and allow for stable footing.
Wood – When checking the material of the treehouse, all splintered areas should be sanded down and there should be no nails sticking out. If so, look into the possibility of using screws instead. Also, loose or rotten wood should be addressed; if excessive, the treehouse should not be used.
Railing – Finally, a railing is strongly advised seeing as though children will be using the treehouse and it should be at least 0.91 meters tall. In terms of balusters, they should be 10.2cm apart at most. If the treehouse is for a younger audience, rope or cable as balusters is not advised and horizontal is always a bad idea because this adds a climbing frame for the child.
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