Tree Talk: How Local Builders are Reimagining Tree Houses

Story by Tiffany Narron | Photos by Paul M. Howey

Regardless of age, we all welcome a place to play and to escape from the buzz of today’s digital 24/7 world. Green builders are certainly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for such structures. For example, custom treehouses—featuring ladders, lofts, ziplines, decks, and multiple entrances—are no longer only possible in your dreams. What was once a few 2x4s nailed to the backyard oak can now be a true imagination station for young and old.

Meet Three Dads Treepads. In 2013, three Asheville papas met by chance through their little ones’ preschool and decided to combine skillsets to cocreate a custom treehouse design and building company.

One of the dads, Robert Russell, was looking for ways to spend more time with his kids who had just started kindergarten. His pals Andrew Link and Devan Riley also wanted a change of pace in their work that would add a little fun and creativity to their trades. Robert runs the behind-the-scenes operational tasks of the business, while Andrew, an arborist, and Devan, a craftsman, are more involved in the construction aspects.

Robert says, “I was a preschool teacher for a while, which really helped me get into the ‘kid mindset’ and helped lead to the creation of all of this. But I had the idea and went to Mountain BizWorks last year and they were just so incredibly helpful in getting this off the ground.”

Last year, the three men handcrafted their company’s first treehouse, designing and completing construction within just a few months. Since trees move and continue to grow, builders must use special attachment bolts, known as tabs, that don’t harm or hinder the tree’s growth and sway but help to securely fasten the structure to the branches. Andrew, an arborist by trade, assesses the land and trees available before starting. Then Devan makes designs based on the formation of the trees and slope of the land around them.

More than a space for children’s activities, these structures are fully weatherproofed and architecturally sound. They can also act as an extension of the home. Add a bed for the perfect mother-in-law suite or guesthouse. Adults can also gather in a treehouse with friends, kick back, and enjoy the sunset. The Three Dads Treepads’ treehouse pictured on the opposite page is a hundred square feet, excluding the porch. Given the right trees and budget, Robert says the sky’s the limit!

Another treehouse builder, Adam Laufer says he learned a lot while building ziplines last summer for Navitat in Knoxville, Tennessee. A builder by trade and former yoga teacher, Adam says his work in zipline construction helped him realize how much he loved the perspective he gained from being in the upper canopy of a treetop. “I got really inspired being up there and thought, This is really what people need.”

While the majority of Adam’s work is in home remodeling, he has gradually begun a solo venture called World Treehouses that combines his many passions. Adam’s reflective experience enjoying great heights inspired him to take the first step in starting a venture that would give others the same opportunity. “I think that’s how treehouses fit into this new trend. We want something other than just shopping or working all the time. We want a place where we can let our imagination run wild for a little bit.”

We can certainly use a few ways more ways to coexist peaceably with nature. Adam credits his sustainable building methods to treehouse builder Michael Garnier who has created a building tool called the Original Garnier Limb®, a type of treehouse attachment bolt similar to the tab system used by Three Dads Treepads.

“A tree will continue to grow until it dies,” says Adam. “We really need to be that way ourselves. We need to keep growing, otherwise, what are we doing? If you do it right, you can make a great change in the world and I’m hoping to do that.”

Learn more about the work of Three Dads Treepads at 3dtreepads.com, and World Treehouses at worldtreehouses.com. Tiffany Narron is a writer by day, hula hooper and ukulelist by afternoon, and explorer of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the weekends with her trusted Australian cattle dog Bella. She, too, hopes to one day have an adult treehouse where she can live, work, and play!