Step into the world of our custom treehouse build through the eyes of the homeowner. Long-time clients, this cedar-wrapped tree house was intentionally designed as a generational space for their family to enjoy, inspired by the existing structures and natural landscape around it.
"The whole purpose of the treehouse is to enhance the cottage area for our grandkids so they will want to be up there and they'll want to keep coming up after they're grown up and have kids of their own."
The clients, who are familiar with the design and build process having navigated it several times before, said they like to take a ground-up approach to their projects, and when it came to those initial conversations with the tree house, it began with a checklist. It was a checklist that not only outlined aesthetic and functional needs, but also how the tree house would fit within the generational family ecosystem - how it would be used and who would be using it - to ensure its finished product.
"We had most of our grandkids meet with the [designer] to give her a priority list of what should be included in this tree house. We weren't able to use all of their ideas - we vetoed the swimming pool and the hot tub and the trampoline - but we did include the fireman's pole and the older kids wanted a quiet place where they might be able to read and get away from the rest of us folks," the client said. "That led to the second floor and I think they got everything they wanted with the exception of those few items."
Read the full feature below.
Builder: Birchwood Construction Company - Harbor Springs, MI
Architect: Edgewater Design - Petoskey, MI
Photographer: Blake Brattina - Harbor Springs, MI