“Branch out! Children and adults love treehouses and they can add value to your home” – Lauren Thompson – The Daily Mail
JK Rowling knows how to conjure up magic. And now she intends to wave a wand over her garden. The Daily Mail revealed last week that the Harry Potter author plans to build a spectacular 40 ft, two-storey treehouse at her Edinburgh home. The estimated cost for the Hogwarts-inspired design, which will feature towers and a balcony, is £150,000.
It’s the ultimate adventure playground — but there are treehouses to suit every budget and they make an attractive addition to most gardens.
Paul Cameron, founder of Treehouse Life, who counts Gary Barlow and Elton John among his clients, says: “Treehouses are about adventure, fantasyland freedom. But it doesn’t have to be terribly grand or expensive to capture children’s imagination”.
And they are not just for children. Mr Cameron says parents use them as a retreat. “It’s something for all the family to enjoy,” he says. “As JK Rowling knows, treehouses are much more than huts or wooden platforms of yore. Rope ladders, tree canopy walkways, zip wires, slides and climbing frames are often added to the exterior. Inside, the walls can be painted with translucent paint so the wood still shows through”.
Published in the Daily Mail, August 2012 – Source – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-2183100/amp/Branch-Children-adults-love-treehouses-add-value-home.html
Those proficient in DIY could make their own treehouse. Buying the materials from a DIY store, could cost several hundred pounds or more depending on the type and amount needed. Carpenters typically charge a daily rate of around £200. If you’d rather leave such a structure to the professionals, bespoke treehouses by a specialist start from around £5,000 to £10,000, though larger and more complex houses can cost more like £50,000.
“A treehouse is an excellent selling point“
William Peppitt, director at Savills, the estate agency, says: “A treehouse is an excellent selling point — in a digital and virtual age, there is something wonderfully real about a treehouse.” Homeowner Linda Gardener built one for her grandchildren, Daisy, seven, and Honey, five, a year ago. She was renovating Prestbury House, in Prestbury, Cheltenham, and had a pile of elm and oak wood she wanted to put to good use. The treehouse was erected in an old, large cedar tree in her garden, accessed from an apple ladder. “We had a seventh birthday party for Daisy last year with games and a bouncy castle. But all the children ended up in the treehouse — they love it up there,” she says. “We put a balcony all the way round to ensure that it’s safe”. Prestbury House, a six-bedroom Queen Anne property set in half an acre, is on the market with Savills for £1,595 million.
You may need to consult with your local authority first. Mr Cameron advises: “Generally, any treehouse that measures more than 12ft from the ground to its highest point will require planning permission. But we’ve never had any problems getting approved”.
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