At a time when connecting to nature has taken on a whole new meaning, west coast carpenter Tyler Bohn offers a dreamy, nature-surrounded treehouse as a coveted Airbnb listing.
Completed in April, the East Sook Tree House on Vancouver Island provides a chance to live out your fairytale tree fort fantasies as you get up close and personal with British Columbia’s pristine landscape.
The easy on the eyes, 500-square-foot retreat offers elevated wilderness accommodations that are a far cry from your typical tent. Bright and open, the treehouse features a kitchenette with a full fridge, dining space, separate-entrance bathroom, and a loft bedroom accessible by ladder.
Outside, the artful structure features a peaceful deck and a gravelled parking space.
“I watched the show 'Treehouse Masters' on the Discovery Channel and saw what people could do beyond your average treehouse and decided to look more into it,” said Bohn of the inspiration behind the treehouse. “I wanted one of my own.”
So, with the wheels turning, Bohn assessed the property he and his family had just moved onto in Sook to see how this could materialize. A year and half – and a lot of dollars – later, a stunning treehouse had become a reality. A passion project through and through, Bohn built the whole thing himself in his free time, with a little help from his friends – a roofer, an electrician, and a plumber – for the finishing touches.
“It was a little tricky to work with an odd shape and with the trees, and there are a lot of design elements to consider that are different than those of building an average house,” says Bohn of the challenge to bring the treehouse to life. “In a typical home, you really don’t have to consider weight in any way, so that was always an interesting factor to it.”
The end result was the product of a natural evolution. “It cost four times more than expected,” admits Bohn. “Originally, we thought we’d make it as cheap and easy as we could and just get some used material and sort of put it together. But we ended up doing really nice siding and got a really nice door for it, so then we had to follow suit and make the rest of it really nice.”
With that, he “blew off the original six-month timeframe” to complete the project and refocused to make it as elevated as possible. “I decided to build one that people were going to want me to build for them,” says Bohn.
With that said, the initial plan wasn’t necessarily to list the property on Airbnb. “We thought it would just be a cool guest house, because our house really isn’t big,” says Bohn. But with the money invested in its creation and the appeal of the final product, listing it as a short-term rental made perfect sense.
Naturally, the listing is a hot one. It’s pretty much booked up for the summer.
The plan is, however, that the treehouse will be open year-round for guests to take it down a notch and submerge themselves in nature. “The space appeals for lovers of unique spaces and craftsmanship, who aren’t just looking for a cheap place to stay,” says Bohn.
The nearby East Sook Park offers a scenic spot for outdoor exploring, with a 10km coastal trail, inland mountain trails, and a landscape of caves, points, and fields to explore. “Guests typically use it as a home base to stay as they explore the incredible hiking nearby,” says Bohn.
As for his next steps, there are more stunning treehouses in store for Bohn. “I figured if I built the nicest tree house around, people would call me to build their treehouses,” says Bohn. It’s safe to say it’s working, as his phone continues to ring with requests.
“I don’t want to count my chickens before the eggs hatch, but I have a couple of really exciting projects on the go,” he says. “In one remote area, they want to build a whole treehouse village with dozens of treehouses.”
While he stops short of revealing too much, one thing is certain: the only thing better than one treehouse is a group of dreamy treehouses. Sigh.
