Awesome. I have a lot of large pines on the property and would love to have one built for my kids. I'll scout locations and be in touch. We're at 5,500 ft (Tahoe) so it would need one of those "Vermont" sheet metal roofs. I have a heater in mind and S-exposure for the sat dish.
Ok, sounds good Atticus. Keep in mind too that many other species of trees will work, some better than others. The Norway spruces you see in the pictures were used because of circumstance and locale. Other trees such as deciduous may be ideal if you wish to keep the host trees alive and growing.
That's all we have! The Aspens are too small in diameter, of course. Huge biomass of those, but worthless for the application. I would prefer not to cut so I will take pics.
I was just pointing out that other species can work just fine, while some will present more challenges than others, in terms of keeping the trees healthy and vigorous. A variety of spruce, Doug Firs, and White pine can all be excellent candidates. Smaller Ponderosa type pines may be a bit too fragile to build from directly. I believe aspen could work too if the situation is right, for example: lanky individuals leaning out over windy hillside probably wouldn't be sufficient alone, but a healthy cluster on solid ground could potentially provide adequate support. Stilts can also provide most (if not all) the support necessary, and they can be used(even disguised) in the midst of smaller and weaker trees, still giving it the feeling of a house in the tree tops. I'd be happy to look at any pics you take. Try and get shots of the surrounding landscape too.
Hi MS, It's difficult to say what a base price would be, due to all the variables, i.e. site accessibility, terrain, height of the treehouse (the higher the view, the higher the price), materials used, etc. We did a project in Michigan where we were able to stay in nearby cabin bungalows with electricity and pressurized water on site, which cut down on expenses significantly. Another job we did just an hour from my house, we had to build a raft and ferry our equipment back and forth across a wide creek, then hike another mile or more so expenses naturally ran up accordingly. It's probably safe to say that the kids could have a pretty cool treehouse for somewhere between 6k and 35k. Adult treehouses with full-on finishes, electrical, plumping, hvac, would likely be anywhere between 30k and several hundred thousand(or more), depending on size, height, lavishness etc. We'd have to do some real evaluating to determine anything closer to realistic costs. As for installing a Bloomberg, it's just a matter of having adequate power, internet/sat access on site etc. If a bloomberg can be installed in a nearby building, there's probably not much other than price that would prevent you from having it in your treehouse office too.
i've always wondered about the fixation of these structures to the trees.. not to be a total greenie.. but something that wasn't so much of a noose .. something more commensal i'm not obviously advertising this guys company.. i'm sure the op can execute any these technologies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7aVLMZvNEQ we had alot of tree forts when we were younger.. it was either up in the trees.. or down in the ground.. i still envision burying a intermodal container and creating a literal cave to hide out.. can't wonder how i got my handle..
There is one of those tree houses near my parents house. Crazy how big it is. I wanted to buy an old missle base or simply a silo and have an underground house. I did some searching around and couldn't find anything. Then I see a show on crazy homes and sure enough a family was living in an underground silo. Dang it.
Some obvious questions are: 1. Are these properly engineered for safety, following National Building Code and NEC standards? 2. Some places have strict permitting and Code compliance regulations. Are these installed with filed plans and permits? 3. Will it be in view of the neighbors? Are there deed covenants and conventions that will restrict these structures is this neighborhood? Yeah I know it's a pain, but it would be a drag to have to tear it down after spending $35k.