When we were young, we dreamed of living full-time in treehouses.
We loved the feeling of having a novel home and a space to just be ourselves in.
This guy built that dream into a reality.
Meet Michael, the treehouse man.
The Oregon man took treehouses a step further than most ever imagined.
He didn’t envision just one treehouse, but a community of differently-designed tree homes in one area.
Michael has been building tree houses on his property for more than three decades.
As someone who has built one of the highest concentrations of treehouses in one place, his property was considered to be a “tree house resort.”
It all started when he wanted to make a profit from his property. At first, he made a cabin and offered horseback riding services.
It wasn’t much of a hit so he had to do something bolder.
Then he rebuilt his kids’ treehouses.
People thought it was a bad idea but Michael persevered.
He built one treehouse, then another, then another. Next thing he knew, people from all over the country were coming just to experience being kids again.
The first treehouse was erected in 1990.
It was designed by Michael to last for 20 years. With new tools and learning, however, the next ones he made were designed to last double that time.
The property has a total of 15 treehouses with 13 of those being entirely off the ground.
One of the biggest and the most popular is the tree house school suite. Its popularity came from the fact that it was the only one with a bedroom.
It also has complete amenities, from multi-purpose rooms and storage to plumbing, and a bathtub.
The tree house school even has a kitchenette and a barbecue grill on the porch. It is perfect for a party of 4 but can be fitted to house 6 people.
Building this many treehouses has challenges.
Michael had to figure out a way to extend the lives of the structures.
In doing so, he learned that metal works well with wood in the sense that the tree grows around it.
He then used metal braces to connect the tree to the houses so there wouldn’t be any wood-to-wood contact.
To prove that the tree houses were up to standard, he showed the local regulators how much stress the structures can withstand.
He invited 66 people up.
He also had 2 dogs and a cat to round out the company.
He also developed a system that allows the trees to continue to grow even with tree houses built around them.
The fastener that he developed became an industry standard.
There’s different treehouses for different groups.
If you have a party of four, you can stay at the Pleasantree. It has bunk beds, a sink, and a bathroom with a shower.
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For other tree houses with only sleeping areas included, the resort provides a common-use area from baths to an outdoor kitchen space where families and friends can prepare meals, eat, and hang out.
In other words, they have everything.
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He also has “satellite” tree houses.
These trees are located further off the main property and offer more privacy but are still close enough to migrate between the two for activities.
This one is called the Castletree and is my personal favorite.
Is this something you’d try out for yourself?
Watch the video below to learn more about this amazing “Treehouse Treesort”!
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