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There are now increasing numbers of eco-friendly treehouses, which use only salvaged materials and equipment: Water is collected and recycled, photovoltaic panels provide electricity, and double-glazed windows make for a comfortable and energy-conserving interior.

BUILDING A DREAM

Karen Grayczk It all started with two maple trees growing at our home in Oregon. I had a dream of building a treehouse in their branches, but heavy fall winds left us with a two-ton branch in the yard and sinking hearts. We called an arborist to cut away the dead wood and install supportive cabling between the branches. He pronounced the trees healthy, so we began buying lumber, and I managed to salvage some pressure treated poles from a nearby hops farm.

We made the foundation out of poles, then put up the basic platform, allowing plenty of room for the tree to carry on growing, and started laying deck boards. A broken branch in one of the maples was cut out to support the second level. The first wall was so heavy it had to be supported on one side by a fallen tree we cut to size.

Slowly but surely the treehouse grew - here a wall, there a can of beer, until the second platform was in place, and we could start building a loft and putting up rafters for the roof.

We bought some windows and a Dutch door from salvage and adapted the final design around them, adding a green metal roof. We also installed a railing around the upper deck and plan to do the same for the stairs. I'm having fun working on the interior, which is to be a riot of jungle-meets-East India decor.

The treehouse was named after the original structure we had as children, built by my father and brothers. We lived then in a wooded area close to Oxbow Park, and after we moved away, we referred to that home as "Oxbow." We called the new treehouse "Oxbow Annex" in memory of my father, who passed away two years ago.

GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN

John-san Our family treehouse, built of old miso barrels, sits on the grounds of a Buddhist temple within the forests of a national park. We always wanted our treehouse to be distinctly Japanese, but even more important to me was that it be made from recycled materials and its creation involve a wide community of people. The fact that it exists at all is a great tribute to the scores of volunteers who helped make it possible.

From the start, the project attracted a lot of attention. The very idea of a livable, environmentally friendly treehouse, built by a foreigner and on temple lands... people thought I was crazy

Part of our treehouse statement was about recycling wood, and that's where the barrels came in. The miso and soy sauce industry has been replacing its big wooden barrels with stainless steel ones, and because of their overpowering smell, the old barrels have usually been burned rather than recycled.

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