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A Northern California Tree House Makes Memories
Designed with utmost respect for the tree cradling it, a cozy house gives overnighters an experience to cherish
The shape of this 100-year-old California coast live oak just begged to hold a tree house. Although it took a while to get the project started, the Studebaker family in Burlingame, California, worked together to build a special and soothing place. "Thinking back, I found motivation from a combination of just being a good dad and the opportunity to do something creative and highly original," says Doug Studebaker. "Each of our three kids helped out from time to time, and in this way built up a little sweat equity and pride in the project."
Although the backyard tree house has served the family well, Linda and Doug Studebaker now rent it out to visitors.
Although the backyard tree house has served the family well, Linda and Doug Studebaker now rent it out to visitors.
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| Doug built a solid platform as the base for the tree house without bolting or nailing anything to the tree itself; nails might have countered the tree's natural movements with growth and in the wind. |
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| The Studebakers outfitted the tree house with cozy quilts, vintage furniture, warm rugs and whimsical accessories. The tree's long limbs wind their way through the interior. It was important to Doug to minimize damage to the tree and pay careful attention to its structure while he built the tree house. This meant that the design needed to allow for growth of the tree's branches. |
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| The family repurposed as much of the construction material as possible. A neighbor donated the worn clapboard siding, which ties the tree house's style to the main home's redwood siding. Vintage windows — including some with stained glass — and salvaged French doors make the structure feel more like a home. |
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A vintage chandelier and several bedside lamps light the interior. Running electricity into the treehouse required the help of an electrician friend. Wiring also allowed for ecofriendly heating, Wi-Fi and cable.
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Two bunks provide sleeping space. A glass dormer inspired by one on the family's garage allows the east-facing light to flow through the home.
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| Simple, irregular shelving between the tree house studs creates storage space for games and books. A down-filled duvet, vintage trunks, quilts and pillows add to the space's cozy ambience. The Studebakers decided to build this treehouse when they moved to the property in 1994. But like many home projects, it was put on the back burner, until about 10 years ago. At the time, building a tree house was like an antidote to Doug's corporate construction work. Now he focuses on building safe, tree-friendly and playful tree houses for other families and organizations through his company, Treehouse Design & Construction. |
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| Plenty of windows, including some that can be opened, allow for natural light and air movement. A TV nestled at the top of the front door is visible from both beds. |
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Decks wrap around three sides of the tree house to allow guests to step out and fully experience this stunning tree.
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| Now that the family rents out the tree house, it's become even more of a treasure. "In recent years, this tree house has proven to be sort of a Field of Dreams experience for our family," says Doug. "When we built it over a decade ago, we had no idea that it would bring such special guests from around the world to experience it for a couple days and nights." Most leave notes, stories, illustrations or photographs of the parts that they loved the most. |
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Often, access to a tree house is forgotten until the end. For this design, the tree itself provided a simple answer. A couple of lower limbs worked perfectly for two platforms, accessed by a 10-foot set of stairs and a smaller staircase connecting the platform to the tree house.
"This two-flight-stairs approach added stability, intrigue and safe access to our whimsical structure," says Doug. "How a tree house is accessed is an important and creative aspect of the overall design. Making access subtle and not entirely obvious adds to the intrigue and specialness."
More photos of this tree house
"This two-flight-stairs approach added stability, intrigue and safe access to our whimsical structure," says Doug. "How a tree house is accessed is an important and creative aspect of the overall design. Making access subtle and not entirely obvious adds to the intrigue and specialness."
More photos of this tree house
Ideabook updated on April 2, 2013.
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Come to think of it, how would the plumbing work..?
If you would like to see it...I blog about it sometimes at DESIGN THE LIFE YOU WANT TO LIVE www.lynneknowlton.com
Big love and treehouse hugs of CONGRATULATIONS !!!
Lynne xx
Same here!