Out of the 400 or so treehouses Nelson has built over his 20 year career, Daryl McDonald has been his foreman and right-hand man for about 350 of them, helping convert Nelson’s limitless imagination into resilient reality. Today, the Nelson crew works from their home base in Fall City, Washington, but they travel around the world constructing some of the most amazing treehouses imaginable. The crew has worked on projects all over the country, but they say the Texas trees keep calling them back.

“Texas is a hotbed for treehousing,” says McDonald. “We have done at least a dozen treehouses in Texas –– there are some really good trees in Texas.”

Whether it’s the abundance of trees, sprawling ranches or the Texas-sized spirit that flourishes throughout the Lone Star state, McDonald says there is a drive here to think outside of the box and do something a little different.

“A treehouse is a really great way for people to experience nature a bit more than they could in the city,” says McDonald. “Treehouses really encourage that part of Texas culture.”

o be fair, this spectacular spa room perched in the treetops in Waelder, Texas, just an hour outside of Austin, was the creation of Pete Nelson –– the tree-loving visionary and creative genius who lives and

breathes treehouses, spending a large chunk of his life and career transforming his clients’ treetop dreams into livable reality.

The Davis Ranch Retreat’s treehouse spa room was featured on an episode of “Treehouse Masters” last year, the Animal Planet series that shows the world how the self-described tree whisperer builds fully-functioning homes in the trees.

After an initial discussion with The Davis Ranch Retreat’s owner, Monica Davis, Nelson learned she wanted her treehouse spa to feature a steam shower, massage table, a small bedroom to relax in, hot water and air conditioning.

“That was one of my challenges –– figuring out how to make the spa functional, while still having room to relax,” Nelson says.

“This treehouse has more things in it than a treehouse should have,” he adds, laughing.

T

Treehouse Spa Room at Davis Ranch RetreatBy MAURI ELBEL | Photography courtesy of ANIMAL PLANET

Visit the treehouse spa room at The Davis Ranch Retreat and you can throw any

notions of what you thought about arboreal structures completely out the window.

loftyLIVING

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When it comes to treehouse design, the team can do just about anything –– from a simple cocktail deck to a livable space complete with everything from air conditioning and a bathroom to a full kitchen with a refrigerator and dishwasher.

“The sky is the limit,” says McDonald. “We can build things up in the $300,000-plus range. These are basically high-end custom homes that are put into trees. Everything is thought through and designed to meet our expectations and the clients’ as well.”

When Davis approached Nelson and his team, they had never built a treehouse spa. Naturally, their interest was piqued. Davis had a vision: a quiet, intimate space removed from the rest of the property with a massage table and Murphy® Bed so guests would have the option of getting a massage or staying overnight in the trees.

“She wanted a multi-use space, and usually treehouses are used for more than one purpose,” adds McDonald.

After an initial site consultation filled with meetings and measuring, the team headed back to their shop for a month of building the materials based on their drawings and completing the prefab work. Nelson and his team returned to Texas to get started on the three-week-long installation, cladding the treehouse in siding and working with subcontractors to install everything from the septic to electrical systems.

“It all has to happen quickly, but the thing about treehouses is you can only have so many people up there at one time before it becomes unproductive,” says McDonald. “It’s a tight space, especially when you are trying to put up wall paneling.”

Red cedar shingles, a material from the Northwest that the team likes to bring with them on the road, as well as Douglas fir, another species brought from their home base, are the main materials featured on this Texas treehouse. Inside, the spa treehouse features a dual split HVAC system which contains a small unit on the wall that goes down to a compressor to provide space-appropriate, energy-efficient air conditioning and heat whenever needed. Both the steam shower, an element the Nelson crew had never built into one of their designs, and a Murphy® Bed, completes the multi-functionality of the space.

Rather than climbing into this treehouse as typically designed, the Nelson crew took advantage of the slope of the land to build a 45-foot skybridge that extends from the pool area of the main

house into the trees. Walking in the spa room’s front door, there is a Murphy® Bed on the right, a massage table in the front of the room, and a self-contained bathroom on the left that houses the sink, mirror, toilet and steam shower. On the front deck, a sink was added to allow a massage therapist to wash up without disturbing the waiting client. It is a basic 200-square-foot single room and separate bath unit –– but it’s up in the trees.

Nestled in a cluster of live oak trees in a showcase spot on the property, the treehouse features an aesthetically pleasing curve to the slope of the roof, pulling the man-built structure into the natural environment. The treehouse sits in the ideal spot –– it’s the first thing you see as you enter up the long driveway. Another advantage of this project was the durability of the trees where Davis wanted the treehouse built. The trees are the number one factor considered when choosing the placement of these treehouses, and everything from the species and trunk diameter to the height and proximity to the main house is considered. Live oaks are one of McDonald’s favorite species to work in, he says, because they have extremely hearty wood, don’t lose their leaves and stay shady year round. But no matter what treetop McDonald seems to be working in, he can’t think of a better office.

“It is fun, and it can be quite challenging in a positive way,” says McDonald of this line of work. “The good thing about treehouses is that they are all very unique. The trees kind of in their own way speak to you. They tell you what is allowed and what is not. Trees allow certain structures to be built in them in certain

spots, and they always drive the design. You are never going to build the same treehouse twice because the trees aren’t the same and the space isn’t the same.”

Nelson says each time he builds a treehouse, the most special thing about the project is the person he is creating it for.

“I feel like I have a new emotional connection to the land here, and it feels good,” says Nelson. “Treehouses are very powerful structures, and for us to leave these little seeds of happiness is the greatest job in the world.” v

NELSON TREEHOUSE AND SUPPLYInfo@nelsontreehouseandsupply.comNelsontreehouseandsupply.com

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