Meet the treehouse builders shaping dream homes in the sky

Special branch: We talk to the intrepid builders who travelled the world to discover how to create the perfect treehouse

Luke Leppitt building one of his treehouses.

If trees are mystical and they are, then treehouses are majestic. Not only are they nestled within trees, they become part of them, with tree and treehouse becoming one.

In this way, the majesty and magnificence of trees support the build.

Some structures are super-sophisticated architectural delights. Japan’s Takasugi-an tea house treehouse is simply stunning. So too is Costa Rica’s Finca Bellavista treehouse community, and Sweden’s Mirrorcube Treehotel.

The standard is high. But for deep-of-pocket, imaginative sorts, a treehouse can be anything they want it to be. Provided they’ve got the right tree in which to build, and provided that tree is treated right.

For this sort of synergistic arrangement, the trees’ traits and requirements must be ascertained, and their health and future wellbeing prioritised.

It helps to have an expert involved in the design and build. Two such gentlemen are John Lennon and Luke Leppitt.

Lennon’s treehouse portfolio (www.yelp.com/biz_photos/irish-treehouse-builders-maynooth

or [e-mail]) boasts trophy-type constructions built in the more affluent areas of the country: “The market I was in was the highest end of the treehouse market in Ireland — luxury products. I had other businesses running alongside that and the treehouse business took only a portion of my time. I turned down a huge number of enquiries for basic back garden structures.”

An entrepreneur to the core, Lennon started his career in carpentry. At one point, he ran overlapping businesses including tree surgery, treehouse building and construction.

In 2017/2018 he phased out the treehouse building side of his businesses. These days his focus is primarily on insulated concrete formwork, having founded Lencon-ICF Construction.

Would he consider requests for treehouse projects today? “If someone’s looking for a luxurious one, I just might be,” he says.

Mirrorcube Treehotel in Sweden. Picture: ArchitypeSource/Creative Commons

Some treehouse builders’ clients commission treehouses to be constructed in their gardens for leisure use and sleepovers, others want treehouses they can live in on a more permanent basis, complete with kitchens and bathrooms, or to use for holiday letting.

Luke Leppitt is the founder of Treetop Co in the UK (https://www.treetopco.co.uk/).

He says he has spent his “entire life” building treehouses for other people.

At 22, his travels to India led Leppitt to Auroville, which he describes as “a place of alternative living in community”.

Was grabbed his attention there was the “amazing construction” going on: “Even though the land that Auroville was built on was a desert in Tamil Nadu, they planted a forest. Today, there’s an incredibly lush forest there, with canopies 30 metres high.”

The Hemlock treehouse by Treetop Co.

You can guess where this is going. Leppitt joined forces with a team of treehouse builders there and spent years learning their craft. “I learned carpentry and aerial construction. I learned to build treehouses in a non-invasive way, using a system that suspends treehouses from tree branches. In India, using that method, we rested structures into the trees, without using permanent fixings.

“This is an entirely different approach to the standard method of treehouse building around the world, which relies on the use of a treehouse attachment bolt.”

Leppitt describes that as “a bit of hardware that’s like an implant that goes into the tree”. On that, you can then put a variety of different brackets, suspension systems and other devices. These are tried, tested and very versatile. They allow the tree to remain healthy and strong and to continue to move freely.

TECHNIQUES

Which system does he use now he’s back in the UK? “When I started Treetop Co around five years ago, I implemented a system which is a mix of both techniques,” he replies.

Leppitt always attempts to build something which works with the tree. “The design is very much dictated by the tree. The tree really tells us what we can do.”

He conducts a tree survey and does a 3D scan of the tree. “That way we’re able to import the geometry of the tree into our modelling software and design something that works perfectly. So, every job is a tailored process from the initial concept right through to the building stage.

The Wilderness treehouse by Luke Leppitt. 

“We’ve built some really incredible structures in the recent years of running this business. There are a couple of big ones on my website, like the Gracious Treehouse. That’s built between two oak trees. It’s eight metres tall at the top and it has two curved staircases that wind around the trees.” Recently, Leppitt undertook a project with the Indian team of builders he once worked with.

Together they went to Peru: “We went to the Amazon to build a treehouse that was 35 metres high. It sits on top of the Amazon jungle. You can see right across the canopy in all directions.”

Builders build with what they have. Lennon says: “Any good tree with the right shape and strength can be considered. “After that, it’s about carrying out any necessary tree work and removing dangerous or potentially dangerous branches that might cause problems in the future.”

TIMBER TYPES

With his focus firmly on delivering a high-end product, Lennon says he uses the best timbers available. “I’d use larch and cedar and Douglas fir, that type of timber that would naturally have a good lifespan outdoors.

“They are also naturally insect-repellent and rot-resistant, so they wouldn’t require a lot of treatment.

“The prime factors are the tree species, a tree survey to include a health check, then a clean out of the crown to make things generally safer. I’m a qualified tree surveyor so I do those myself.”

He has yet to experience the thrill of sleeping in a treehouse, although he has often enjoyed camping beneath the stars. 

Lennon worked with wood from the outset, having started as a carpenter: “I always had a great love of trees. Also, rock-climbing. I went into the tree surgery field to combine working with trees and working with ropes and harnesses.”

The Orchard treehouse by Treetop Co.

Something Leppitt says in conversation triggers me to ask whether he talks to trees. I’m hoping his reply is yes, but alas it isn’t to be. Instead a hearty laugh is his response. “Some people might,” he says. “I don’t exactly have a conversation with them. It’s more I’m trying to understand how the treehouse will work best in that tree — for example, if we had three very straight trees in a triangle, no branches on them. We could quite easily put a house in between those three trees. We might then have a balcony that goes around. So, when you walk around the balcony, you walk around the tree trunks.

STRUCTURE

“If we’ve a really big tree with loads of branches, I’d look for openings and points in the tree where a house is going to fit. That might mean the house has a certain shape and different levels to it. Space at the bottom might mean we can fit a portion of the house in there. That might be the bedroom.

Gracious treehouse by Treetop Co.

“Up above, we might be able to wind around a branch and reach another opening where we could have a lookout platform or something like that.”

He says it’s about trying to create something that “makes sense for the tree” and is not out of proportion: “Trees are beautiful things on their own. We don’t want to make something that doesn’t look like it fits. With treehouses, it’s about getting up there, exploring and being creative with the design so that you can go on a journey through the tree.”