12 Amazing Treehouse Designs

Who wouldn't want to walk the plank in a ship in the sky? Built in a Norway maple tree in Horseheads, New York, this 100-square-foot pirate ship has everything from gun ports to a retractable rope ladder to keep enemies out. "When we first looked at the tree we had no idea it was going to be a pirate ship, builder John Carberry says. "Every time you start a project, there's a bit of a blind journey; it goes where it goes and you just enjoy it."

A treehouse that lives up to its name, the Majestree from Michael Garnier's Treehouses.com is 47-feet-high with a Douglas fir running right through the middle of it. Outfitted with a full bathroom and kitchenette, it has a sleeping loft with interlaced wood as a safety rail and spiral staircase access to a wraparound deck below.

One of their most requested designs, this Swiss chalet-style treehouse was built by Nelson Treehouse and Supply for a client in Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Constructed in a cedar tree, it has electricity, plumbing, restored leaded glass windows and can sleep up to four people.

Atop a platform that doubles as a spacious deck, this Princeton, New Jersey treehouse from Living Tree was built in an oak tree for a family with three children. In addition to doors, windows, a roof and electricity, this project affords an equally stunning view of the ground and the sky.