Tiny House Blog

Ryan alerted me to this 172 square foot tree house which serves as an office and guest room that was featured in Dwell.

This office/guest house is built on an estate in Brentwood, California a suburb of Los Angeles and was designed by Rockefeller Partners Architects, Inc. I’m sure this was an expensive tree house but that information was not given.

The architects took about eight months to design the tree house. Construction of the inhabitable sculpture, with its studio and lounge, took another 18 months. Continue Reading »

Steve from Green Line Architects had commented on the Old Time Tiny Houses post and I happened to click on his link and discovered this cool tree house. Steve said I could share it with you, so here are the details.

This treehouse was designed for relaxation and contemplation, a meditative space for kids of all ages…   It was originally conceived as a place for children to play, but its equally comfortable for adults.

It is ideal for a couple, on a romantic evening, or could easily fit a family of four.  In a pinch, it could sleep up to 6 adults.

It’s fully insulated, which is a necessity in our cold mountain climate, with has a natural gas heater and electricity, and no bathroom, though the owner will be use a composting toilet in it from time to time.

The owner has requested anonymity, as well as keeping the cost a secret!  (we can tell you that it was very expensive…)

It was designed collaboratively between Green Line Architects and David Rasmussen Design.  David is a designer/project manager at Green Line and he built the treehouse, and designed and built the custom lighting fixtures.  He honed his skills building  handicapped accessible treehouses for Forever Young Treehouses. Continue Reading »

What do Ewoks and Julie “Butterfly” Hill have in common? They have discovered the ethereal magic of living up in a tree.

Tom Chudleigh of Vancouver Island, Canada has discovered the same magic with his Free Spirit Spheres, handcrafted tree houses that bob among the trees like giant apples.

Chudleigh calls his design a bio-mimicry. Each sphere attaches to a web of rope. The web connects to whichever strong points are available. This replaces the foundation of a conventional building. A tree house sphere uses the forest for its foundation, so the occupants of a sphere then have a vested interest in the health of the trees. Each sphere has four attachments on top and another four anchor points on the boom. Each attachment is strong enough to carry the entire sphere and contents.

A suspended sphere is tethered by 3 nearly vertical ropes to each of 3 separate trees. This distributes the load evenly over the 3 trees and results in a stable hang. Like an inverted three-legged stool, there will be almost equal tension in each of the three suspension ropes. The sphere resides in the center of the triangle formed by the 3 trees. It can be slung from 5 to 100′ off the ground, depending on the size of the trees.

Photo from Kiwipulse

If something really big, like a tree, falls through the web then some strands will break and let it pass through. The sphere remains suspended by the remaining strands. A major disaster like that is not likely, but possible. Everything, including spiral stairways and suspension bridges, are hung from ropes. Trees are protected where the spiral stairways hug the trees and ropes pass around the trees. The spheres are well adapted to life in a large mature forest.

The sphere concept borrows heavily from sailboat construction and rigging practice. It’s a marriage of tree house and sailboat technology. The wooden spheres are built much like a cedar strip canoe or kayak and suspension points are similar to the chain plate attachments on a sailboat. Stairways hang from a tree much like a sailboat shroud hangs from the mast. The joinery is yacht style with much brass trim, varnished wood and cane doors. They have closets on either side of the door.

Photo from Kiwipulse

A sphere is accessed by a spiral stairway and short suspension bridge. The two lower back suspension points of the sphere are tied horizontally to the two back trees, to keep the suspension bridge from sagging when it is walked on. The door faces the “door tree” and the suspension bridge connects the two. A helical stairway spirals up or down from the suspension bridge to the ground or next level.

Two Spheres, named Eve and Eryn, are available for overnight rental year round. Eve rents for $125 a night or $199 for two nights while Eryn rents for $175 a night or $299 for two nights Eryn’s rate is based on 2 people. The motion in a sphere is a slow gentle rocking when the wind blows. The rope tethers are almost vertical which lets the treetops move considerably while hardly moving the sphere at all. When another body inside a sphere shifts his/her weight the motion is abrupt. This is because the mass of the sphere is low.

Photo from Kiwipulse

In the Eryn style, there is a double bed on the right centered under the 40″ window. A settee with table is placed in front of the 42″ window on the left. The back wall opposite the door provides a galley area with counter cupboards and a sink. A microwave and refrigerator are also installed. Above the galley area there is a loft bed with full sitting headroom at the center. Circular shelf segments connect the loft bed to the cupboards on either side of the door. An outhouse and washroom are located nearby on the ground.

Photo from Kiwipulse

Free Spirit Spheres can also be purchased as completed projects or as shells and component kits. Wood spheres are made of two laminations of wood strips over laminated wood frames. The outside is then finished and covered with clear fiberglass. The result is a beautiful and very tough skin. The cost of these are sold for about $125,000-$150,000.

Fiberglass shells are also sold at $39,000-$45,000. The skins are waterproof and strong enough to take the impacts that come with life in a dynamic environment such as the forest.

Both wooden and fiberglass spheres are insulated. Vinyl upholstery fabric is stapled to the frames (lines of longitude). Each fabric joint is then covered with a decorative wood strip. The wood strips come together at the top and give a nice cathedral ceiling effect.

Photo from Kiwipulse

By Christina Nellemann

Copyright © 2009 Tiny House Blog

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to our feed

I have been wanting to cover some tree houses as they fit very well in the tiny house arena. There are some really neat ones around the world that I would like to share with you. I will start with one of my favorite finds, located in the East Kootenays of British Columbia. Mike Zamara and Debbie Lungal Zamara have built this unique tree house getaway.

Perched on a large platform 5 meters (15 feet) high and built on seven trees, “Outa-the-Woods” is a totally unique vacation retreat. 

You can relax on the deck overlooking ponds and forest. Enjoy a spectacular Rocky Mountain view and watch the wildlife from the deck. This treehouse is built entirely out of the woods with carefully selected, curved, twisted and burled wood. It features many carvings, two handmade spiral staircases, and rustic furniture.

“Outa-the-Woods” has a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere in a peaceful natural setting. Experience the magic of living in the trees. Outa-the-woods is a secluded, romantic getaway, ideally suited for couples.

Features of the tree house include:

• spacious two-sided front deck with barbeque,
• main floor with dining area, kitchen, bathroom and lounge,
• loft bedroom with walk-out balcony and double hammock,
• propane kitchen with a full set of pots, pans, dishes and cutlery,
• An attractive propane fireplace,
• solar electric outlets for low amp appliances,
• three piece bathroom with all bath, bed and kitchen linens supplied,
• running hot and cold water, and solar powered lights.

Visit the “Outa the Woods” website to see more cool pictures get more information.

Photo Credit – Outa the Woods

Living Room

Kitchen

Bedroom

Deck View

Outa the Woods Tree House

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to our feed