Returning to the Trees: A Tree Home Kit, by John O'Melveney Woods

Vol. 2 No. 9

Returning
to the Trees

Tree Homes You
Can Make Yourself

by John O'Melveney Woods

Whether it's dome, foam, straw bales, caves, or Earthships, there's still something . . . well, ordinary about life on old terra firma. But that's totally abandoned when, like Tolkien's elves, we take to the trees.

Here, in the culmination of a childhood vision, John O'Melveney Woods writes of turning a treehouse into an actual home, and creating do-it-yourself kits so that others may share the dream.

Click on pictures for enlarged view.

When I was about twelve, having just watched Swiss Family Robinson at the drive-in with my family in the old Dodge stationwagon, I decided to build my own treehouse in the backyard.

First, I needed a foundation. And being very clever at that age, I figured that I could save a lot of time by using the door my Dad had just taken off the bathroom.

So I dragged the bathroom door out of the garage, wrestled it up the tree I'd picked out for my treehouse, and nailed it securely in place. Then, accompanied by all the neighborhood kids I'd invited over, I stood back to admire my handiwork. And when Dad came home, I excitedly ran out to meet him, grabbed his hand, and proudly walked him into the backyard to show him my great accomplishment.

Well, my Dad had been in the midst of remodeling the bathroom. So needless to say, I learned in a hurry how to "un-nail" a door from a tree.

But the idea of building a treehouse never left me. Thirty-five years later, it returned in even greater force.

Birth of a New Idea

I'd noticed a book about treehouses from around the world, and was fascinated.

And something that struck about these truly beautiful and esoteric structures was how daunting a task they presented if you wanted to build one yourself. The engineering, design, material specifications, construction techniques . . . a hundred problems came to mind.

And then I had an idea: What if we could create a standardized treehouse structure that was functional, aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly, and — most importantly — reproducible, so that others could build them, either from scratch or from kits?

And what would be the environmental implications of such a structure?

After months of reading, searching, thinking, and meditating, we came up with our concept: an octagonal structure that seemed to fit all of the requirements we had laid out. It was easy to construct, easy to get up and into a tree, easy on the pocketbook, and easy on the environment.

Developing the Tree Home™

balsa-wood model

We built a balsa-wood model of our idea, working out the construction details, and then dove right in. (Sometimes, if you believe in something enough, ignorance really is bliss.)

The key had been in designing a structure where all of the walls were the same. Octagonal walls fulfilled that criterion — and, as architect Frank Lloyd Wright pointed out, an octagon is the most efficient use of space.

We figured that we could make a template and create all of the walls at the same time. It would be the same with the floor construction — all of the pieces were the same size.

Building Our Prototype

The difficult learning-curve of how to actually get the structure into the tree finally gave way to excitement as we discovered and used centuries-old techniques of leverage and block-and-tackle to get the floors in place.

Then the support struts went in, the plywood was screwed on — and we had a genuine platform (not, I might add, based upon a bathroom door). I had to have the support strut tree brackets designed and fabricated out of 1/8-inch metal plating.

The walls all slid up two-by-four ramps that we had put in place. Two guys were able to do this job. And the roof was put on from within the tree.

We chose early on to use only non-toxic materials, select-cut woods, and environmentally friendly products in the project. After all, we were in a natural environment. Why not keep it that way?

Surprisingly, although it took a bit of detective work, we found almost all of the materials that fit our specifications at Home Depot.

The treehouse also had to be energy efficient and totally self-sufficient — no telling where it would be built. We wanted it to be a virtual home in a tree.

Our Finished Tree Home

We've now completed the entire structure and are in the process of installing the interior amenities: a toilet (a self-contained Biolet model that self composts), a solar 24-volt battery lighting system, plumbing for the graywater system, and a propane tank for the refrigerator and stove.

We're also putting in a wood-burning fireplace with a big spark arrester system.

The Tree Home itself is 220 square feet, plus a queensize bedroom loft. It's very comfortable and roomy, especially with the four-by-five foot windows in every wall (except the one that contains the door).

The good news is, it's easy to construct and totally reproducible in many different sizes, from the 220-square-foot model to almost 500 square feet. And that doesn't include the cool bedroom loft!

Treetop Living

living room trunk

The view is fantastic! Three hundred sixty degrees of forest.

The squirrels seem to enjoy the company and to view us as kindred spirits. They run around all day through the trees looking at our new home — perhaps comparing it to theirs? But I trust they're not jealous, for they're welcome to visit anytime they please. After all, the trees are their home, too.

So we've effectively created a reproducible way for people who have trees on their land to have their own, fully self-contained, environmentally-friendly Tree Home. And we're looking forward to sharing this information.

We already have some orders by people who are planning to use them as guest homes or offices, and one for an island where it's impossible to build a regular house.

So now, my Dad having long ago forgiven me for the bathroom-door incident, I have my own treehouse. And life seems to be a bit more simple and enjoyable, as I look at a beautiful tree trunk in the middle of my living room, and out into the forest through my windows.

You will soon be able to read about John's Tree Homes™ on his developing website, TreeHomes.info. For further information, contact John O'Melveny Woods, P.O. Box 8219, Kirkland, WA 98034, 425-922-6580,

Top of Page

Print Version