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Camp Treehouse

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“Even the most modest of projects can become something beautiful.
There is no such thing as too far gone.
With hope and a hammer, I believe there is always a way.”
– Tereasa Surratt

Boy do those words ring true in today’s Wandawega post. It’s about the latest addition to David and Tereasa’s magical campsite: a modern, pitched roof treehouse- designed and built by a wonderful bunch of friends.

(photo: Bob Coscarelli)

The project all started with a big, old elm tree located right in the center of camp. Shortly after David and Tereasa purchased Wandawega, Tereasa’s Dad, (Tom) christened the property by hanging a rope swing from one of its branches.

(Photo: David Hernandez)

Sadly, Tom passed away a year and a half later, and around that same time, the elm tree contracted Dutch Elm disease. Tereasa said she “could not cut it down”.

Further investigation into the elm’s condition revealed that even though its branches were dying, its trunk was still very strong. So instead of chopping it down, David and Tereasa’s friends teamed up to work on the once-in-a-lifetime dream project for them.

Tereasa and David’s carpenter/furniture-maker friends started by sketching out plans.

Tereasa said, “Everyone had a radically different idea, and everyone was thinking 100 times bigger and more elaborate than I was. I was imagining a little kid’s house.”

Ultimately the group settled on a three-level cottage in which the tree comes through a deck near ground level, then breaks through the floor in three spots on the first level of the house.

It’s 16 feet from the peak of the vaulted ceiling down to the floor, and there are two sleeping lofts in the treehouse- one at the front…

…and one at the back…

…which can both be reached by sturdy wooden ladders.

“It’s not so much a tree house as a cottage on stilts“, Tereasa says. “It’s four telephone posts, set six feet into the ground into concrete pilings, surrounding a tree. We built it to be as sturdy as our city house.”

The materials they used aren’t just run-of-the-mill two-by-fours, either. The windows are vintage, and most of the wood is reclaimed. Some from a dilapidated dairy barn near the property, the rest from a demolished Chicago bungalow, sourced from the ReBuilding Exchange.

Once the treehouse structure was built (It took about a years worth of sometimes 15-hour long weekend days to complete it), Tereasa and her friend, Angela, went to work on the interior- furnishing it minimalistically, but cozily, with found and vintage pieces.

The design is all about reuse and handmade. Every little detail—from the building materials, to the showstopping antler chandelier- made by Tereasa with antlers gathered from the Wandawega woods and from around her hometown in rural Illinois…

to the handmade furniture and pillows created from old fabric and feed sacks…

…to the stumps coming through the floor boards, that now act as side tables.

The result: an interior, like the tree itself, that reads like the ultimate ode to creative reinvention…

(photo: Bob Coscarelli)

(photo: Bob Coscarelli)

(photo: Bob Coscarelli)

But the ingenuity doesn’t stop there. Outside, and down below the main floor, David created pendant lights from old mason jars Tereasa found in the basement of one of the buildings on the property. He used some edison bulbs Tereasa picked up at Home Depot, along with some simple lamp kits (adapted with extension cords) to create them….

(photo: tharrisonhillman.com)

Tereasa and David named it “Tom’s Treehouse”…

(Photo: Jacob Hand)

…and suspended from the very branch Tereasa’s Dad originally tied it to, the rope swing Tom so lovingly hung for her still blows in the breeze today…

(photo: Jacob Hand)

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I hope you enjoyed the tale of the Wandawega treehouse today. Stay tuned for more Wandawega Week posts to come- and if you missed days 1 and 2, you can find them here: Camp Cottage and A Very Modest Cottage Giveaway.

You can find days three and four here: Camp Tent and Camp Wedding and Baby.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Kelly C

      Me too! I have tears in my eyes seeing that swing still there!! I want one, and yes that is the coolest thing ever!

  3. Rachael

    Wow. That is spectacular!! I think I could live there my whole life and be happy 🙂 What a beautiful labor of love!

  9. Bethany

    Wow! Soooo amazing, I want to live there!!! I hardly show my husband the design blogs I follow, but it was the first thing I told him when I saw him and showed him this amazing place! So inspiring! thanks!

  10. Scargosun

    I am completely blown away. I have dreamed of a tree house like this since I saw a Life Mag article about them years ago. Absolutely beautiful! Denise from The Painted Home sent me. 🙂

  15. Ginger

    Incredible. I love how they were able to save the tree and make it the center of attention. They are so talented and creative! I can’t wait to see more.

  18. Venita

    The cozy spot in the loft bed by the book shelf with the open window is mine!! I can just picture myself there, in the tree tops reading an old favorite. heaven

  19. Melissa

    Love this! I also am in awe of how they have part of the tree going out of the window. Amazing!

  28. wendy

    Layla, Layla, Layla…I feel like I hit the Lottery this week. Getting to read these beautiful post have been truly uplifting. Tom’s cabin is amazing and the fact that the swing remains brought me to tears…yet again. I love the table and chairs/trunks on the deck. Oh and does anyone else think Teresa’s Hubby is/looks like Adam Levine from Maroon 5?

  29. Samantha

    I am blown away that they designed and built such an amazing structure themselves. It’s incredibly beautiful and I want to live there – please!!
    ~Sam

  34. Bethe

    ohmygoodness!!! each post just gets BETTER! I love this couple!!!

    @ wendy – yes. i agree with you. 😉

  35. Tina Youngblood

    Really enjoyed reading and seeing this post… Thanks so much.. How inspiring…

  36. Meredith Smith

    Thank you Layla! This series has been so inspiring to me. One year ago we began a transformation of our family beach house that sat neglected for 15 years after my Father passed away. None of us had the strength to to go back without him. When we finally did we found the renter had left it in ruins and we’ve have been working on it’s restoration since. It is becoming a treasure to our family once again. It is amazing how property/home/furniture restorations can restore your spirit as well. Now we can look forward to many new memories there.

  46. Marissa

    I’ve always been fasinated by treahouses and this one is so special! What an amazing story and journey! I love that all the building materials and decor are repurposed materials as well. Thanks so much for sharing!

  48. good haven house

    Saw this treehouse in some shelter mag that I get. Your post is way better than their article with lots more pictures. Very inspiring! Thanks for sharing. -Susan

  49. Tina from AL

    I am so incredibly jealous! I could just live in that. The treehouse itself is amazing, but tie in the story and it’s just heartwarming. I think I could go back and look at this over and over again. How I wished I lived close to Camp Wandawega so I could visit. Thanks for sharing this awesome find with us Layla!