OUT ON A LIMB
Area adults are building extravagant treehouses for themselves, their kids and Airbnb guests
TREEHOUSES aren’t just for kids anymore.
Woodn’t it be nice to have a souped-up perch where adults can also have fun? Well, beleaf it or not, treehouses are becoming points of pride for grown-ups.
Tristate-area adults are increasingly adding them to their year-round and vacation properties, for purposes from standout amenity spaces to quirky guest rooms. Yes, fir real!
Here, a look at some folks who’ve masterminded especially glorious retreats.
Cottage industree
Ranell and Michael Shea have a stunner on the grounds of their 2-acre property in Summit, NJ. “Every time we’re coming up the driveway,” Ranell says, “I say, ‘This is where we should be camping!’ ” The 2-year-old treehouse, mainly clad in Douglas fir and built for extra hangout space, has a main level with a kitchenette, a bathroom and bunk beds. A second floor has a queen-size bed suspended from ropes. It was designed and built by Nelson Treehouse, the Fall City, Wash.-based company that’s the centerpiece of Animal Planet’s “Treehouse Masters,” whose 11th season premiered in August. (The Sheas’ treehouse, which is 460 square feet and cost $350,000, appeared on screen last summer.) “Since they built this treehouse, I’ve been more inspired to be outside,” adds Ranell. The Sheas also enjoy the deck, with a bar, that hangs from the treehouse’s underbelly. Their young grandchildren delight in the suspension bridge that leads to the main level. “We shoot all sorts of zombies from it,” Ranell says. “Or it’s a pirate ship, you name it. We have fun on it.”