Living in trees - Wood magazine

Treehouses are no longer just a playground for children. They have become a way of life for many. Whether they are properties or part of hostels or resorts, the cottages are real homes, with all the comforts. No wonder builders have sprung up for such houses. One of them is Pete Nelson, from Fall City, Washington, USA, who has built an entire organisation around people's desire to live in trees.

Childhood passion

Pete fell in love with treehouses when he was 5 years old, and his father built him a fort in a tree behind the garage of their home in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His passion for treehouses remained the same even after college. Combining training in economics with a love of carpentry, construction and treehouses resulted in a thriving business now known throughout America.

Nelson now leads Nelson Treehouse and Supplya company that builds tree houses in every corner of the United States and Treehouse Point, located in Fall City, a B&B (bed and breakfast) resort where guests stay, where else but in treehouses.

Pete is joined by his wife Judy, who is also in love with the tree life, and their three children, all of whom now work at the firm.

Passion turned into business

Over the years, Pete has employed some very good specialists who put passion into what they do, and have produced some truly outstanding projects.

Any new contract they get involved in starts with beneficiaries visiting Treehouse Point, where they see the cottages. Then they have a meeting with a member of the company to tell them what they want. They are encouraged to tell any related fantasies, how big they want the house to be, whether it includes more trees, etc, and if they want a children's house, they are invited to join in the discussion. Once they get an idea of what they want, they pay a visit to the client to see the trees and make sure they can support the construction. Next comes the design, approval by the beneficiary and finally the construction.

In addition to his cottage building work, Pete Nelson also writes books about cottage building. His latest, Be in a Treehouse, details technical aspects of building, with examples of treehouses from around the world.

The restaurant in the tree

One of his recent projects is the tree house he made for the restaurant "Laurel Tree" from Utopia, Texas.

The owners wanted to make a separate living room, a sort of 6-person booth, in the generous tree in the yard. As Laurel is passionate about French cuisine, the interior decorations were made to look like a chic little Parisian restaurant.

Pete has also taken into account the need for easy access from the kitchen, so the connection between the cottage and the restaurant is made with a gently sloping walkway.

As you can see, life in a tree doesn't seem just for kids anymore. You can lead a very 'serious' life in a tree, with all the necessary facilities.