Tours
Man builds treehouse and puts it on AirBnB and now he's earning enough to quit his job
Will Sutherland built a tree house and it paid off big time.
Michael Dabu
03.23.23

Will Sutherland has been hosting a skoolie in AirBnB for years and it’s been earning a decent amount of passive income. However, when he was walking around his four-acre land for the first time, a sudden thought popped up into his mind.

On his land, he saw two trees over a rock ledge and that’s when he visualized that it’s a good spot to build a treehouse.

It took Will six and a half months to turn his dream treehouse into a reality.

He told his wife, Sabrina Hartley, about his plan of building an AirBnbB treehouse, and what his wife said was, “As long as you build another bathroom for guests, I’m all for it.”

As it turned out, their skoolie in AirBnB has no toilet and bathroom.

What they were doing was, letting their guests use theirs.

AirBnB - Will Sutherland
Source:
AirBnB - Will Sutherland

After building the treehouse, Will also built a bathhouse with a shower and toilet for their guests to use.

“I carried up every piece of wood, every piece of floor, the roof trusses, the floor trusses, and the big quad beam. I also sourced a bunch of cedar logs from a friend who was having a house built. I have a sawmill at my house so that I could mill all the cedar for the siding,” Will said.

However, Will admitted that the hard work and labor didn’t just come from him.

Facebook - Will Sutherland
Source:
Facebook - Will Sutherland

“Sabrina helped me with some of the details, like the floor finishing and trimming some boards. She was by my side every day when she got home from working as an arboretum specialist at the Virginia State Arboretum,” Will said.

What to expect inside the treehouse?

AirBnB - Will Sutherland
Source:
AirBnB - Will Sutherland

Inside Will’s treehouse is a loft bed that is best for a family. Above is a bunk bed that’s perfect for kids and below is a queen-size bed that’s best for adults.

It has a 12×5 feet front porch with a good sunset view, perfect for couples seeking a romantic view.

The treehouse is being supplied with a five-gallon water tank and a hotplate, so guests are able to heat their water.

AirBnB - Will Sutherland
Source:
AirBnB - Will Sutherland

It’s also best for any type of weather because it’s equipped with an electric heater and air conditioning unit.

There is a staircase in front where guests enter and an emergency fire exit ladder at the back.

You’ll never go wrong in booking Will’s treehouse.

Will managed to pull off his treehouse project and it made quite a success.

AirBnB - Will Sutherland
Source:
AirBnB - Will Sutherland

According to him, his AirBnB treehouse made $30,000 in its first year.

Rent plays around $160 and $250 per night, depending on the season. To no surprise, the treehouse is getting thousands of views online and he’s already booked for months out.

AirBnB - Will Sutherland
Source:
AirBnB - Will Sutherland

The couple’s treehouse and skoolie started to earn quite decently on AirBnB. In fact, according to Business Insider, Will is already earning enough that it wouldn’t hurt them to leave his job.

“I now have a lot more time to help friends and family with projects and to daydream about new things I want to make. I also get to see them come to fruition sooner than I used to with my full-time job,” he said.

AirBnB - Will Sutherland
Source:
AirBnB - Will Sutherland

Apart from freedom from financial stress, Will said that seeing their guests create good memories makes him feel fulfilled.

If you’re interested to be an AirBnB host like Will, then don’t miss the video below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Advertisement