Mind-Blowing Couture Treehouses

Dustin Feider, of O2 Treehouse, creates structures that are imaginative, functional and fun.

By: Lynn Coulter

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Photo By: Courtesy Dustin Feider / O2 Treehouse

Hillside Treehouse

Feider built this treehouse for a client who had "an amazing hillside where kids would play." It's suspended between a tree and the hill; kids exit through a trapdoor to scamper down a rope ladder to a lower deck. Made of Douglas fir, the treehouse features electrical power for lights.

Sculptural Treehouse with Deck

Not all treehouses have to sit in trees. One of Feider's clients, a guitarist in a rock band, asked him to build an on-the-ground structure with an inner deck. "He likes to sit in the woods and watch the wildlife roam around as he plays his guitar," Feider says.

Treehouse with Recycled Sail

Feider recycled a numbered sail from a sailboat for the canopy on this treehouse. "It has two structures on the same level with a small, crawl-space bridge between the two," he says. Built in California, this structure also features a circular window.

Treehouse in Bamboo Grove

Feider used a structural principle known as tensegrity to build this Southern California treehouse. "Tensegrity means pressure is distributed evenly across the structure, so it's resilient enough to retain its integrity and interconnectivity," he explains. The design features 2 hanging platforms and a catwalk leading to "a little chill-out spot" inside the bamboo grove. Woven nylon net was used on the sides; the treehouse is suspended by steel cables.

A Treehouse on the Ground

Designed with an open deck platform, this structure sits on the ground and features an expanded steel floor with grates. The owner planned to add plants later, and wanted the grating so dirt and water could fall through. "It's a cool, forest sitting area for adults," Feider says, "like a wine deck." Made of pine and coated with an exterior clear coat, it's located in Austin, Texas.

Treehouse with Gondola

Kids climb into this gondola on a hillside and pull a rope to get to the treehouse, which features an open deck about 30 to 40' above the ground. Feider says he built it for a client who was developing a garden, but wanted his children to have a play area.

Treehouse with Tower

Feider built this treehouse to match the owner's home. It's designed, he says, for maximum tree and star gazing. The enclosed clubhouse serves as a look-out tower. "The structure is built of steel brackets, kiln-dried Douglas fir, cedar siding and galvanized, corrugated roofing," he explains. It features a trap door, 3 levels, 2 netted "hang-out" areas, a bucket lift, two swings and a slide (some features not shown).

Treehouse with Basket

This O2 treehouse kit is made from the same material as plastic milk bottles, Feider says, and features an interior canopy. Kids and adults enter by getting into a basket and winching themselves up with a pulley system. "Coming down is easier," the designer says. "You kind of rappel out."

Luxury Treehouses

Feider's thesis project for the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and his study of Buckminster Fuller's work, inspired him to start building luxury treehouses. He says his geodesic spheres can be used as modules that "dock together, kind of like Legos." His first step, he adds, is to "(interview) the tree;" that is, he laser scans it and creates a digitized model that's merged with a working computer model.

Treehouse in Snow

Built for Feider's mother, this geodesic "Copper Nest" design has a customized canopy made of rusted steel. The structure, partially built from an O2 Treehouse kit, sits on stilts in the ground, since the surrounding trees aren't strong enough to hold it. A 17-foot long catwalk attaches to a deck off the second level of the home. "The catwalk has a custom railing made of welded wrought iron," Feider says. "(My mother) is very musicial, so it mimics a staff with wires that scroll along organically."

Treehouse Branches

A parent in the Hollywood Hills asked Feider to create this treehouse as a traditional-looking play cabin. "About 80% of the wood is reclaimed, and the roof tiles are made from recycled pallets," says the designer, who left a branch in the wall for fun. The kids enter via a rope ladder that can be pulled up behind them.

Treehouse with Rope Bridge

The first structure Feider built in L.A., he says, was this treehouse, created for a couple who'd written and directed a movie with a treehouse in it. It has an open deck, canopies to provide shelter from the sun, and a 55'-long rope bridge that leads to another structure.

Tamarack Treehouse

This Tamarack Treehouse, built in Seattle from an O2 Treehouse kit, was featured on the show Treehouse Masters. It's an open deck, Feider explains, with a rain canopy. It hangs between a Douglas fir, a cedar and a custom-carved totem pole and uses cedar struts, metal hubs, and patina sheet metal canopy panels.