Forget the pool house; a new way to relax

By Justin Hunter

Do you need a home away from home to relax that is not far way? Do you have an extra $100,000 lying on top of the dresser?

While elaborate pool houses are an excellent way to escape your in-laws or to pretend you are on a mini-vacation, it is peanuts compared to your very own luxury tree house. Luxury tree house? Yes, these environmental houses have everything you need to reinvent your inner child without sacrificing comfort or style.

The article, “Real Estate That Branches Out” written by Douglas MacMillan and posted on the October 4, 2006 edition of Business Week Online, explains how two brothers have developed a new craze in exotic real estate.

Brothers, Ron and John Daniels grew up on a ranch building elaborate tree houses to pass time and be envied by family and friends.

“Nowadays, not much has changed for the Daniels -- except that their creations sell from $7,000 to upward of $1 million and can be found in the backyards of homes all over the world.”
“Once a symbol of childhood imagination and the test of a father's carpentry prowess, tree houses are now becoming a luxury commodity for people of all ages. Custom makers like the Daniels supply adults with a fun space for entertaining, relaxing, and working.”

Obviously, these are not your average tree houses. With professional wiring, plumbing and insulation these tree houses can become livable guest homes.

Kids have no need to feel left out. At the right price, the Daniels brothers or other luxury tree house designers can tailor a wonderland of imagination without the creaky boards and sharp nails. The old made who lived in the shoe would have nothing on your kids.

“We didn't know if it would be a business, but we ended up selling 17 of them in [the first] four days,” says John Daniels. The brothers rang up their first tree house sale in 1998.
It didn’t take long for the brothers to be recognized as innovative architects. Their designs bring out the imaginations of your inner child.

“‘I thought we had arrived when I sold a $6,000 one,’ John says, though they were far from hitting a ceiling of four figures. By the end of its first year of business, Daniels Wood Land had sold its first project for more than $100,000.”

“This year, the company has already overseen 10 six-figure projects, and expects to do about $6 million in revenue. Its efforts, along with those of a handful of other tree house designers that sprouted in the late 1990s, have recently opened the floodgates on an unexpected new luxury market.”

Other than the innovation, these tree houses are becoming increasingly popular due to its environmental impact.
“‘In the tree-house world, people [normally] don't explore alternative materials. They're usually made of super-heavy beams,’ says Dustin Feider, founder of O2 Sustainability Tree Houses.”

These beams are suspended by branches in a way that they have very little detrimental impact. Feider also offers do-it-yourself kits included with 13-foot beams and a tent-like canvas. You can create a “canopy tree house” for just under $19,000.

A professional tree house (especially an elaborate one) will add a selective value to your home. If you have one of these luxury tree houses and are trying to sell you property, many buyers will pass by but a select few will be entrapped by your backyard design that will definitely increase your negotiating power and property value.

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