After the trials and tribulations of the past year, many of us would jump at the chance to escape the rat race and carve out a quiet refuge away from the hustle and bustle. Having been laid off from his job in the midst of the pandemic, Georgia homeowner Kyle Longwell did just that and retreated to the woods to build a whimsical treehouse nestled within the canopy. Click or scroll on to discover his remarkable homebuilding journey.

Inspired by pioneering builder Pete Nelson, star of TV show Treehouse Masters, Kyle had long harbored an ambition to create his own high-rise home in the woods; not an elevated playhouse designed for children but an enchanting retreat where the whole family could unwind. So when Kyle and his wife bought their house in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth almost five years ago, its wooded acreage offered the perfect opportunity to realize that romantic dream – with a little help from their four-year-old son.

Kyle's background is in construction for theater, where he spent some 10 years managing scenery departments, so he was uniquely prepared to tackle the unusual venture. The project began in the autumn of 2019. “It was a little bit of a learning curve because of the specialized hardware that you attach to the trees but once the initial platform was in, it basically became like any other construction job, just off the ground," he explains. The weight of the treehouse is carried by tree attachment bolts that can hold up to 25 tons on a single bolt. 

With his experience in engineering and computer drafting, Kyle planned the design himself. In fact, he undertook the majority of the construction work, hauling lumber piece by piece from the street to the wooded site, though he did bring in help when it came to securing the elevated structure. "I have a friend who has a background in rigging who came down for a long weekend to help with the overhead installation – he did a lot of the climbing in the trees," said Kyle.

Initially, Kyle worked on the treehouse at the weekends, fitting it around his job as an arts center administrator but he was laid off in March 2020 as the pandemic swept across the world. What seemed like a low point became a fortuitous twist of fate, allowing him to work on the project full-time and finish it a mere six months later. 

One of the biggest challenges was building around the natural landscape. Trees are constantly expanding outwards so Kyle had to ensure there was enough distance between the trees and the structure to allow them to grow. The wind was another consideration: "If you have a solid structure between the trees the wind can actually tear it apart if the treehouse is attached too firmly," he explains. Instead, special brackets that fix the platform's beams to the tree bolts allow the bolts to slide back and forth under the treehouse in windy conditions, holding it in one place as the trees move around it. 

Working alone during the pandemic, Kyle had to build all the treehouse components in the woods to save the struggle of singlehandedly maneuvering them onto the site. He confesses: "Doing this again, just having an assistant to build chunks of wall or larger pieces in a carpentry shop and then carry them down fully assembled would be great."

While the temperature does dip for a few weeks in the winter, for the most part, Duluth offers a mild climate so Kyle didn't install insulation in the structure. He ran a water line and power line out to the property, while the heating, hot water and stove rely on propane tanks, which Kyle delivers to the treehouse as and when they're needed.

When it comes to advice for aspiring treehouse builders, Kyle can't stress enough the importance of planning ahead. "Something that’s built on the ground might be a bit more forgiving of mistakes, but once you drill holes into trees and put the mounting hardware in there there’s no going back – you can’t redo it. So it's really important to make sure you start with a complete plan," he says. Kyle recommends budding builders consult Pete Nelson's guide to treehouse design and construction.

Now complete, the enchanting treehouse offers a whimsical hideaway amongst the trees. Kyle painted the steel roof to look like copper and used an outdoor weatherproofing stain to seal the home's exterior. He estimates that 500 hours of work went into creating the woodland retreat, with the cost of materials totaling around $50,000. 

Originally, Kyle intended to build a straight staircase up to the treehouse, however, he couldn't shake the idea of a spiral staircase and a bridge leading to the front door. "That element of a journey... it just adds that extra wow-factor," he enthuses. Illuminated by fairy lights, the magical entryway is now his favorite design element of the build.

Inside, the treehouse squeezes plenty into a snug living space. Encompassing 120 square feet, plus a 50-square-foot loft bedroom, the petite property can sleep up to three guests. The compact dimensions were dictated by the local county's planning laws, with buildings up to 120 square feet permitted without planning consent, provided they're not considered permanent residences.

Faced with the task of furnishing the snug kitchen, Kyle looked to other types of alternative housing for inspiration. Commonly used in tiny homes, the stovetop was designed for a small sailboat, however, its streamlined dimensions made it the perfect fit for the treehouse. Kyle also installed a boat furnace, but it wasn't large enough to heat the living space so it was replaced with a larger model. 

Given the floor plan's space limitations, a freestanding fridge was out of the question, however, a 12-volt DC refrigerator designed for camping offered an ideal solution – it simply rolls out from under the curtained units when needed. Wall-mounted racks for pots and pans, plus open shelving for crockery, puts every square foot of space to good use.

The lounge is the perfect spot to unwind and soak up the picturesque woodlands views. Because of the pandemic, all of the furniture was purchased online and delivered to the treehouse. The construction materials were new too, but this is something Kyle says he'd reconsider if he were to do the project again: "I’d use a mixture of new and salvaged, both to keep the price down and because there's a certain charm about salvaged materials that’s in the spirit of the treehouse... but that said I love the way it turned out."

Cleverly, the sofa flips out into a twin-sized bed to increase the treehouse's occupancy. The retreat was primarily intended for the family's personal use – they'd planned to rent it out 50% of the time to pay back the loans they took out to fund its construction. However, when Kyle got laid off, the rental income turned into his full-time salary. “It’s been renting so well that we’ve only been able to stay in it ourselves a few times since it was finished around a year ago; not a terrible problem to have," Kyle says.

In the initial planning stages, the experience of staying in the treehouse was supposed to be more like camping than a hotel – the hideaway was originally designed around the family's needs and they could simply make the short walk back to their house on the property to wash. But as the project progressed and the treehouse's rental prospects took on greater importance, Kyle realized it would've been difficult to find guests willing to pay for accommodation without a shower. 

To protect the petite property's earning potential, Kyle settled on a 32-inch walk-in shower insert that fit the small space perfectly. A composting toilet, wall-mounted storage and white shiplap walls complete the compact washroom.

The interior of the unique woodland home beautifully captures the cozy romanticism of a treehouse, with natural wood offset against white shiplap walls. Fairy lights and an industrial-style pendant of exposed Edison bulbs evoke a sense of whimsy, while Crittall windows add a contemporary twist.

Tucked up in the eaves above the main living area is the 50-square-foot sleeping loft. Home to a queen-sized bed, it offers a luxurious spot for weary guests to lay their heads after a long day exploring the forest. Just imagine waking up to the sun filtering through the canopy in the morning...

Already proving a big hit on Airbnb, the treehouse attracts a varied array of guests, from city-dwellers from Atlanta – a half-hour drive away – seeking a weekend escape, to visitors from out of state searching for a unique base for exploring the region. "We get some guests looking for somewhere quiet to completely get away who spend all their time in the treehouse too," reveals Kyle.

Outside, a 300-square-foot deck encircles the treehouse, featuring an outdoor sofa that looks out across the canopy. On the forest floor below, a scenic path winds through the trees to a stream and a bench. Kyle is in the process of creating a new pathway to the treehouse with wood borders and stone, plus he has a few other additions to the grounds in the pipeline: "I think we’re going to add a firepit area in the woods and some walking paths that meander through the woods and some bridges over the stream."

The picturesque property is known as the Owl in the Oak Treehouse, a name inspired by the barred owls that reside in the surrounding woods, as well as the nursery rhyme 'A Wise Old Owl', which Kyle's wife fondly remembers her grandfather reading to her as a child. Fittingly, these beautiful leaded balustrade panels line the bridge across to the treehouse. 

Kyle's remarkable self build venture has led to more work constructing high-rise tiny homes: "I just finished a project for another Airbnb host just south of Atlanta – I built a cool platform in the trees for him and he's lifted a vintage camper shell onto it." Kyle's next project is for his neighbors who want a treehouse of their own. So is this becoming a fruitful new career? "I’m not sure about a career but it’s turning into some more work I guess,” he laughs. 

This pioneering project, undertaken during the uncertainty of the pandemic, proved the perfect tonic for Kyle: “As a kid, I always wanted a treehouse but it’s not necessarily a thing you can always have or people know how to build. But it has that child-like sense of wonderment that you get from being up in the trees; it’s a different perspective of the forest and it just feels magical.” If you'd like to make your own great escape and hunker down beneath the canopy, Kyle's enchanting treehouse is available to rent on Airbnb. 

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