Playhouse and tree house

How it is built

The cabin sits at the back of the platform with a guarded deck in front. The platform stands on posts with concrete footings. A tree house can stand on posts around a tree or be attached to the tree. Access is by ladder, stairs or climbing net; a slide, swings and a sandbox can be added.

The bill of materials includes posts, joists, decking, frame, board cladding, roof, a balustered guardrail, accessories and an impact-absorbing surface.

Safety

We found no mandatory Lithuanian rules for a private playhouse, so the system uses guides and labels them as such:

- a guardrail from a 0.6 m platform height (EN 1176, secondary source); above 1.5 m the guardrail should be at least 0.9 m (STR 2.02.09 item 47);

- at most 89 mm between balusters so a head cannot get trapped (HN 131:2023 item 11.3);

- grass only suits falls up to 1.5 m; above that use bark (≥ 200 mm) or rubber tiles. The impact zone is 1.5 m around, larger for higher platforms;

- a floor no higher than 3 m, the EN 1176 free-fall limit;

- attaching to the tree is only shown with a warning: we have not checked the tree's load capacity or the protection rules.

Permits

- If K = S × H³ < 10 it is not a structure and the Construction Law does not apply (STR 1.01.03:2017 item 30). A larger roofed playhouse is a group I building up to 5 m and 50 m²; a tall tree house can exceed 5 m.

- A home playhouse is an activity toy (EN 71). In a public place, such as a block-of-flats yard, HN 131:2023 and LST EN 1176 apply.

- Closer than 1 m to the plot boundary needs the neighbour's consent, and within 1–3 m it does too if the playhouse is higher than its distance to the boundary (STR 1.05.01 Annex 7 item 4).