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Out on a Limb

Building a tree house is every kid’s dream. Tony Farese turned that dream into reality.

By Mark McWaters

Photography by Fred Lopez

How many of us have ever built a tree house? Maybe a fair number. Now, how many built their tree house with a tin roof, crow’s nest, hand-woven 20’ x 20’ hemp cargo net, bunk beds, two windows, and a hammock, all supported by a foundation of massive, twin, 6” x 12” x 20’ cypress beams? The most likely answer is: One.

Tony Farese grew up in Winter Garden, in a home just down the street from his current address. In fact, when this house came on the market five years ago, Tony leapt at the opportunity to buy. “I told Sarah, ‘I know this house. I know exactly where it is.

I grew up down the street. This is the one!’”

The house was a bit older and needed some work. But for a homebuilder with licenses for general contracting, plumbing, and roofing, that’s just icing on the cake. “I love all that. So we bought it and moved in—and then we saw the tree!”

“The tree” in question is a 150-year-old oak tree in the backyard. The couple would sit out on their back patio after work and just stare at it. One day, Tony turned to Sarah and said, “You know, I could build a heck of a tree house in that big old oak.”

And so it began; Tony’s casual remark set him and Sarah on a twisty path with fits and starts, code enforcement squabbles, wood sourcing, and tons of research on Google and YouTube. It took five years to raise their pet project to its present perch 18 feet off the ground.

The tree is called “The Tree House Oak,” and is now a regular stop on the Winter Garden Heritage Trees Tour. “They gave us a sign to hang out there and everything. Every now and then we hear people stop out there and take pictures.”

When asked why he took on such a huge commitment in time, resources, hassle after hassle, not to mention the money, Tony just shrugs. “I don’t know, really. My company does a lot with outdoor projects, and we do badass woodwork. Mostly I just thought it would be a kick to do it. Of course, if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right.”

I started with the right lumber. Tony is a bit of a freak for good wood—he fenced his backyard in structural aluminum and tiger wood from Brazil—so he began by sourcing the 20-foot foundation beams. “I called the local lumber yard and got a quote for my cypress beams. $2400— for one. I needed two of them!” Needless to say, he put the project on the back burner, until he talked with a source in Alabama that was supplying wood for another project. I asked him about my beams as an afterthought. “He quoted me $600 a beam! It was like a sign. The tree house was back on!”

Since Tony builds actual houses, he knows all the permitting and hoop jumping involved, so he was determined to do everything by the book. “I met with the city and asked about the permits I’d need. I told them I was building a tree house and they looked at one another. ‘Oh,’ they said. ‘A tree house? No electricity? No plumbing?’ They were afraid I might be putting an Airbnb up there. ‘Well, there’s nothing in the

Florida Building Code that references tree houses. You’re fine.’ I reminded them of that conversation a few years later when we got a call from the city and were informed that Code Enforcement had concerns and demanded that we halt construction.”

Code Enforcement said the Fareses had to turn in a petition of signatures first. No problem—they put a petition up online and got over 1,600. ‘Nope, not good enough, they said. ‘We meant actual signatures, with names, addresses, and phone numbers. In ink.’ So, Sarah typed out a petition and attached it to the outside of their fence. “We got, like, 150 signatures, in ink, in a couple of hours.”

The final build was completed over a couple of weeks, with some starts and stops in between. “I had a lot of bodies helping me out. It took eight of us just to get those two big beams in place. After that, it took about five guys to help me finish.”

Part of the reason for his two-to-three-week rush was that he had a big deadline to make: his daughter Ellie’s birthday party. “We invited all the kids. Had a great turnout. It was pretty cool. Of course, after watching the ways those kids climbed and crawled all over the tree house, I got my guys back and we tightened down everything we could, to the max.”

Now Tony and Sarah can just sit back and enjoy the view since the tree house is finished, right?

Tony laughs. “Oh, it’s not finished. I have an idea for a sweet wooden ladder with nice wide treads and handrails for the ladies. That’ll be the next thing.” Lofty visions, indeed.

photo by Sarah Farese