I agree Luke - surely safety must come first, so although the bureaucracy can be a drag, in the end, I'd rather be safe than sorry... Alternatively, what about a cardboard box cubby house? Hours of fun!!

Thanks for using our photo, Tony! A childhood with a great "cubby" treehouse in the family backyard is what dreams are made of!

You have raised a very good point and safety must always be the priority when installing any form of construction work. Quercus Gardens highly recommend that tree-houses be constructed and installed by experienced professionals who will understand the strengths and limitations of design, materials and workmanship.

I remember when my son was young, we stopped at a playground for him to play. Hubby and I went to the car to get out the picnic stuff, and son stepped off the top to go follow us, about 9 ft off the ground, and fell on his face. Never mind using the ladder...

I would just like to say that that is an awesome tree house

Thank you, ellyrmc!

Sadly, kids will be kids, some rarely get a scratch others regularly break bones. Unfortunately parents fall into many categories too and don't always look at the big picture. I certainly do not advocate the "nanny state" situation that is emerging, but where do you draw the line?? Fencing swimming pools has been law for around 40 years now, but still children drown in backyard pools each year and the debate over that continues.

I think the most important issue is providing children with a safe place to play, to enjoy the outdoors away from the TV and other electronic gadgets of today, to inspire their imagination and just let them be kids, have their own special space and enjoy their childhood. Kids of today are fast losing all this. It also needs to be a place that does not require constant parental supervision, all too often parents are distracted with other happenings in the home and kids often like to be free of parents to really express themselves. How high does a treehouse really have to be? It can be just a foot off the ground, but if it is created to be a child's magical place it will become anything to that child.

There are many public parks and playgrounds that have climbing structures for children where parents can take them for special play times and can watch over them at all times, I really don't think they need this in the home - that then makes a trip to the playground something special.

Remember too, adults see things totally different to children.