Can you imagine growing up with a treehouse like this in your backyard?! 
Summer is almost here, and that means more time spent outside. If you’re looking to improve your backyard with a kids-only hideout or a fun space that the whole family can enjoy, a treehouse is a great way to go!
Did you know that you can order custom treehouses from Etsy? But it’s gonna cost ya!
Etsy seller Tiny Town Studios has worked with names like Royal Caribbean and the Vanilla Ice Project to build the custom playgrounds, splash pads, and treehouses that most of us could only dream about seeing on vacation or TV.
Now you can have the folks from Tiny Town Studios work their magic in your own backyard, as long as money is no object! Ranging in price from around $10,000 to well past $50,000, these amazing creations are not for the budget-minded treehouse shopper. Since shipping, set-up, and customizations are not included, you can expect to pay even more than the listed prices! 
It sure is fun to dream though, and these amazing creations may give you a little inspiration for a fun DIY treehouse project that you can complete on your own for much less! Keep reading for more affordable options and DIY tips to build a cool custom treehouse of your own!
Here are just a few of the fun (and pricey) treehouse options available on Etsy.
This Castaway Tarzan Treehouse is a kids hideout with a beachy vibe.
No tree? No problem! This treehouse comes with one of Tiny Town Studio’s sculpted concrete tree bases. It also has a working water wheel, a big deck, a buccaneer ship bow, and a large thatched roof. It comes with lots of fun features like swings, a slide, monkey bars, a climbing rope, a rock wall, signage, and island decor.
The inside has 12-foot ceilings with exposed rafter cross beams and hinged bunk beds. Its base price is $36,000, but it sounds like you could just about live there, or maybe even use it as overnight accommodations for adventurous inlaws!
Tiny Town’s Castle Fortress Playtower is a backyard dream come true!
This custom playset offers three stories of play fortress fun. It comes with cannon fire towers, a bridge, a slide, a rock wall, and many other extras! Starting at $37,500, it can be customized to make all of your family’s backyard dreams come true.
This Tinkerbell Treehouse looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale!
Tiny Town Studio’s Tinker Bell Treehouse comes with its own custom concrete tree, a working water wheel pond, and 20 feet of deck space. The finished interior has lighting, fairytale-inspired furniture, and bunk beds. It’s priced starting at $40,000.
The Pirate Rapunzel Treehouse is sure to please both pirates and princesses!
Starting at $44,000, this custom-made playset comes with a swing beam, a rock wall, and plenty of quiet corners for hiding out. There’s a full-size staircase leading up to Rapunzel’s tower, and a rope made to look like her signature braid for climbing up and down. The other end of the playset is a pirate ship complete with a climbing net, a slide, and a deck of its own.
Tiny Town’s Shipwreck Treehouse is a pirate-themed water play area!
This Shipwreck Treehouse comes with large pirate shipwreck sections, a shipwreck shack, and added fun from water cannons, water balloon launchers, a rock wall, a climbing net, a slide, swings, etc. It can be yours for a mere $50,000 (plus shipping, setup, and customizations, of course)!
Thankfully, there are affordable kids treehouse alternatives!
If you’re not afraid of some assembly, many other retailers sell affordable treehouse alternatives that can be put together in a weekend or even a matter of hours. Best of all, you’ll spend just fraction of the cost of some of the more lavish options from Etsy!
An elevated playhouse definitely has a treehouse feeling and is an excellent choice for a yard without trees. For a more affordable DIY/storebought hybrid, you could also purchase a playhouse kit and build it on a treehouse platform that you construct yourself!
Here are just a few of the more affordable kids treehouse options available…
This elevated playhouse from Walmart is a safe alternative for younger kids.
If you don’t have a good treehouse tree or if you’d like to keep your kiddos out of trees for safety reasons, Walmart’s Backyard Discovery Scenic Heights Playhouse is perfect for kids who want a playhouse with a view.
At just $700 shipped, this cedar playhouse has lots of the extras that you might expect from a more expensive custom build. It comes with spring-loaded saloon doors, sunburst windows, a play kitchen with a mounted sink and faucet, full wooden staircase and flat step entry ladder, a cushioned wood cot, two toy boxes, and a built-in growth chart.
Wayfair’s Eagles Nest Playhouse has enough room for your big kids and their friends.
For around $1300, the Eagles Nest Playhouse comes ready-to-assemble from Wayfair and is expected to be back in stock on May 22.
This kit comes with everything you need to construct a tall, spacious clubhouse. With a large wrap-around porch, multiple levels, a 10-foot wave slide, and a 5-foot rock wall, this playset is so much more than just a cool hideout!
This raised cedar playhouse has a sandbox down below.
Outdoor Living Today sells this raised cedar playhouse in panels that can easily be screwed together. Most parents get it assembled in just a day!
For around $3000, you’ll get everything you need to put together a sturdy structure made from long-lasting cedar. Details like the covered porch, windows, and flower boxes make this charming elevated playhouse something the whole family will enjoy having in the backyard for years to come.
Inspired to build your own?
There are plenty of places to buy treehouse plans that you can use to build your own treehouse at just a fraction of the price of having one delivered and built for you! Etsy sellers like Treehouse Guides sell easy-to-follow treehouse plans that come with materials lists and can be customized to fit your needs.
Better yet, there are also lots of places you can go to find free plans and instructions for building treehouses, and many of them are as detailed and easy-to-follow as the plans you would pay for. For example, Instructables is free to join and has lots of free DIY treehouse and play fort projects to choose from.
If you do decide to build your own treehouse, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose a healthy, mature hardwood tree that is strong enough to support your treehouse. The best treehouse trees include maple, oak, fir, beech, and hemlock. If you’re not sure if your tree is a good choice, consult an arborist or someone from your local garden center!
- Mulch around the trees before you start building. This will help to protect the tree’s roots from being damaged by the weight of all the extra traffic from people and building materials during construction.
- Don’t restrict tree growth by building too close to the tree. Allow some space between your structure and the tree’s trunk and branches to allow for tree growth and movement. Remember not to constrict branches with rope, straps, or wire, as this can damage a tree.
- Build as much as you can on the ground first. It’s easier and safer to build your main sections on the ground and then hoist them into position. This method also allows for more accuracy.
- Use coated screws, not nails, wherever you can. Treehouses move a lot due to the trees growing and swaying in the wind. In these conditions, nails are more likely than screws to pop out over time.
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