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Baumraum Treehouse

BaumRaum is the German expression for “Tree Space”. This company designs and builds unique custom tree houses throughout Europe. The quality and finish is more like a piece of fine furniture. As they describe them on their website, treehouses are “ . . . a promise of adventure for the kids, a retreat for the adults, a romantic hideaway close to nature.”

Photo Courtesy of Lillyput Playhomes

If you are planning to purchase a backyard playhouse for your kids, and you want it to look as lovely as this one, you’ll have to do some planning. Here are four key issues to bear in mind:

1. How large is the playhouse, and how will it get into your backyard? That is, will it be trucked in whole, or shipped in components, to be carried in and assembled? If it’s the former, then what about access for the truck?

2. There are usually limitations as to what you can build, and how far it must be from adjacent property lines. Check first with your local building department.

3. Every building needs some sort of foundation, in order for it to stay level, and prevent rot. Most playhouses are installed on a simple “skid” foundation. Research and build this carefully before you drop in your playhouse.

4. The sitescape around the building is key to the visual beauty of it. Think about how your enter the playhouse, whether you want a little deck, rails, etc; and how you it will be landscaped.

Steve Chernicky built a playhouse for his daughter, because he couldn’t find one that he liked. He turned that personal experience into a business – Lillyput Playhomes – that now ships stock and custom playhomes throughout the world.

What’s particularly interesting about his little buildings is the attention to detail and proportion. Without children standing next to them, it’s hard to tell the miniatures from their full-scale counterparts. Often, Lillyput will duplicate a real home in miniature.