12 Free DIY Tree House Plans

Deluxe Treehouse

If you are out to build an amazing treehouse, then this free tree house plan is the one for you. Don't worry if you don't have the right trees for a treehouse. This free-standing tree house can be built anywhere.

Outside this treehouse is a pulley system for treasures and a ladder. Inside there are bunk beds and plenty of room to play out adventures.

This free tree house plan includes a materials and shopping list, color photos, diagrams, and plenty of step-by-step building instructions.

Deluxe Treehouse from The Classic Archives

Handmade Hideaway

Plenty of color photos, diagrams, and written directions will help you build this treehouse hideaway that any kid would love. A master cut list and supply list (including prices) are available for this free tree house plan as well as separate blog posts on how to build the deck, the walls, railing and shutters, and the roof. 

A double-decker hideaway designed for adults is also available from the same link below.

Handmade Hideaway from The Handmade Home

Happy Treehouse Playhouse

For $300, Made With Happy build this high-quality low to the ground treehouse for the kids to play in all summer long. There's a breakdown on how to build the base and frame, floor, roof, and walls and window.

Happy Treehouse Playhouse from Made With Happy

Adaptable Treehouse

Popular Mechanics has this free plan for building a "World-class backyard treehouse." There's a handful of images and lots of text in this treehouse plan, so you can't skim through the steps like you can with some of the other plans from above.

Adaptable Treehouse from Popular Mechanics

Platform Treehouse

Here's a fairly simple DIY tree house plan that is a sturdy but wonky platform that you can build within the trees. The free plan includes a list of materials, building instructions, and lots of color photos. 

Platform Treehouse from Yea Dad's Home

Modern Tree House

If you're looking for an updated tree house plan, this free plan from Dornob will help you build a modern treehouse with an unusual shape and windows from the tiny to the huge. Color photos, written instructions, and diagrams will help you build this unique treehouse.

Modern Treehouse from Doornob

Two-Tree Treehouse

Instructables has a lot of free treehouse plans, but this one, built by Makendo, is a stand-out. It's a simple structure that needs a few trees close to each other for the build. It uses recycled fence posts for the sides and a tarp to cover the top.

The plan includes lots of building instructions, color photos, and a materials list. The author of the plan spent just $250 on this construction.

Two-Tree Treehouse from Makendo

A-Frame Treehouse

Outdoor Life has a free tree house plan that will build an A-frame treehouse with a wrap-around deck and ladder. This treehouse is constructed out of 4x8 plywood sheets so that it can be built in a tree or free-standing. The free tree house plan includes detailed diagrams, instructions, and a materials list.

A-Frame Treehouse from Outdoor Life

Treehouse with Slide and Swing-Set

This one comes from BuildEazy. This treehouse includes a deck that wraps around the tree, stairs to the ground, a slide that comes off the treehouse, and an attached swing set. You'll be able to view a materials list, cutting list, building instructions, and blueprints in this free tree house plan.

Treehouse With Slide and Swing-Set from BuildEazy

Tree Fort

Here's another free plan for a treehouse, and this one is built with protecting your tree in mind. This one is a video that will take you through each step of building the treehouse. Pressure-treated wood in 2X8s with 4x4 posts makes this treehouse safe for the kids and easy to assemble.

Tree Fort from Ron Hazelton

Free Tree House Building Tips

This isn't a step-by-step plan for building a treehouse but is instead a handful of tips that you can use when building your own treehouse, whether they be from own your designs or ones from this list. Some of the tips include keeping weight and stability in mind when building the treehouse, understanding that there needs to be space around the trunk for the tree to move and grow over time, how to keep the floor level and sturdy, and more.

Free Tree House Building Tips from The Family Handyman

Reclaimed Treehouse

This is another free treehouse plan from a wood worker on Instructables. The directions aren't super detailed, so this isn't for beginners, although there are lots of pictures. You'll also need to find a place with a few usable trees in order for this DIY treehouse to work. But if you're lucky and can find a good spot, this looks like an awesome treehouse!

Reclaimed Treehouse from ClenseYourPallet