I’m sure many tiny house enthusiasts have dreamed of living in the branches of an oak tree in their own tree house, hidden by leaves and accompanied by birds and a light breeze. This dream could become a reality with these elegant, little nests from the German company, baumraum. They specialize in the design and building of tree houses and other constructions in natural surroundings.
The company combines the creative and constructive expertise of an architect with the experience of a landscape designer, a tree expert, and other craftsmen. They transform individual ideas and wishes into ingenious and inspiring dwellings that combine versatility with craftsmanship of the highest quality and maximum safety standards. These tree houses are also installed without harming the tree. They are not anchored with bolts or nails into the tree, but rather with textile belts and adjustable steel cables. This protects the bark, trunk and branches and allows the tree flexibility and growth.
The dimensions and the height of the tree houses depends on the stability and health of the tree. Sometimes it might be better to anchor the tree house to two or more trees rather than a single one. The tree houses can have a horizontal or upright design, with two or more levels, or even consist of several interconnected constructions at different heights. Most of the tree houses are units about the size of a small trailer or caravan.
The structure can be insulated, wired and fitted with built-in furniture according to the dimensions of the treehouse. The company also offers a wide range of different interior fittings such as seating and reclining areas, storage space, a mini-kitchen, heating, lighting, stereos or a flatscreen TV, a mini bar and windows facing in all directions. The installation of plumbing depends on the height of the tree house and availability of water supply and sewage disposal features on the property.
The tiny houses are built out of larchwood, oak, Oregon pine or FSC-certified tropical wood. Light metal, textiles and synthetic materials are also used. The tree house can be insulated using natural materials such as wood fiberboard, sheep’s wool or coconut fiber. The tree houses shown on baumraum’s website cost between $25,000 and $200,000 depending on the design, materials, assembly and interior furnishing.
baumraum has recently published a book called, Treehouses – Construction and Design Manual, which is available in both German and English and profiles 25 tree house projects around the world and several fictional designs from the company.
Photos courtesy of baumraum
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]