Making sure your treehouse isn't leading to home insurance rate hikes

For those of us who have yards big enough to include large trees, there's an opportunity to add onto your property that you may not have looked at before. If your property includes a large, healthy tree, you may be able to add a treehouse.

Having their own space close to the skies may be a dream come true for many children. But dealing with the stress that comes with it may not be worth it for parents. Concerns about what it takes to build a treehouse, dealing with any potential risks and figuring out if these risks are covered by a home insurance policy are all things adults have to deal with.

Building a safe treehouse

If building a treehouse were as simple as finding a tree and throwing a house on top of it, there would probably be at least one on every block. The process of building a strong, sturdy treehouse can be very tedious and requires a lot of knowledge of carpentry and using tools properly. Hiring a professional for the job is recommended if you aren't completely certain you can do the job alone. But do keep in mind that there's always the option to pace out your work and communicate with a professional step-by-step if you need help along the way. This could serve as a great relationship-building exercise for you and whomever you're building the treehouse with.

Pre-building plans

Blindly picking a tree and climbing up a ladder with a hammer and nails most likely isn't a wise decision. There are steps that need to be taken before any actual building begins.

Tips on building

While having previous knowledge of using tools and building is definitely a plus, constructing a treehouse in one's own backyard is a completely different process. There are rules that are applicable to treehouse construction that aren't anywhere else. Just as there are rules that apply in general construction that don't apply to building a treehouse. Here are some tips on how to build a treehouse:

Treehouses and insurance

Before you even begin to build the treehouse, it's important to contact your insurance agency to see if it'll be covered as a part of your home insurance policy. Many factors come into play with this, like potential injuries, and it also depends on your coverage. The treehouse, or any incidents related to it, could be covered, force you to change your insurance policy or lead to your policy being dropped by your provider.

CoverHound's website is an easy-to-use tool for comparing home insurance quotes.