CUSTOM TREEHOUSES Builders capitalize on a growing market By Sara Graves
Today’s treehouses are so much more than you may remember from childhood. With price tags and amenities equivalent to a fully furnished home, it’s no wonder that many builders are looking to the trees for new inspiration. Pete Nelson, one of the pioneers of the modern treehouse and the star of Animal Planet’s television show Treehouse Masters, builds approximately 10 to 12 treehouses per year from his headquarters in Fall City, WA. He primarily builds treehouses for high-end clientele ranging from $400,000 to $800,000. “We had a recent design quote come back and it was $995,000 for a Kentucky treehouse outside of a mansion that was quoted with a bridge to an outdoor, roofed drive-in theater, a bunk house, a chaperone quarters with a bathroom, a 13- by 21-ft. sports building to accommodate badminton and pickleball, another building with a small kitchenette and bathroom with a staircase leading up to a crow’s nest 43 14
| Deck Specialist | Spring 2022
ABOVE: Bella Luna, a luxury treehouse nestled in the treetops in Mt. Rest, S.C., that can be rented on AirBnB. It is a sister treehouse to the Stella Vista, both of which are owned and rented by Come Sleep in the Trees. (Photo by jblandingphotography.com)
feet up in a very tall oak tree. The clients wanted to be able to zipline or slide down to a splash pool, with a nearby rock climbing wall and fire pool.” “I thought at first that we were going to build simple refuges in the trees, but it has become treehouses with amenities, such as kitchens and bathrooms,” Nelson said. Dan Wright, CEO of Tree Top Builders, Inc., Treehouse Supplies, Inc. and Treehouse World, Inc., Exton, PA., added that his company builds his projects with a combination of engineered wood beams, steel fabrication, and regular pressure treated lumber for the substructure of their projects. He added that their projects range from a small $20,000 backyard treehouse
