Made in the Shade

In spring, the rhododendrons that bank the steep hollow that slopes to Norton Creek will burst into billowy clouds. The eight treehouses built on and around the old-growth forest guarding the creek will look like they are floating in a bubble bath of flowers. 

Above the catwalks and balconies that ring the treehouses, the sky will flirt with a fretwork of branches. Below will rush the creek, spraying white as it tumbles over rocks and past moss. 

That was the vision, anyway, as the treehouses were still under construction in February. With a late spring 2020 opening in sight, the construction crew from Nelson Treehouse and Supply, made famous from its 11 seasons of “Treehouse Masters” on the basic cable channel Animal Planet, slid in red mud as they finished framing. A persistent winter rain had slowed, but not stopped, installation of cabinets and sinks. 

Treehouse Grove, located deep in the woods off Highway 321 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, might be the first planned, purpose-built development of vacation rental adult treehouses in the country—maybe even the world. Joseph Ayres and Joe Ayres, the son and father, respectively, of the family-owned Wind River real estate development firm, based in Lenoir City, TN, pondered for over a decade how to develop the 500-acre parcel they bought in 2009, when real estate prices nationally were at a low. 

They weren’t sure if treehouses would work in the little hollow. They’d have to figure out if the narrow building site could support a commercial septic system, then if the stand of mature oaks, poplars, beeches and maples could support 500-square-foot houses even with additional support, then if the site could be terraced into winding drives and parking spots required for the practicalities of vacationers coming and going with suitcases, gear and provisions. 

It would, they could, and it did. As the logistics fell into place, the Ayres say they were relieved, even a little surprised, as each step in the design process brought their whimsical vision into focus. 

“The little kid in you always wanted a treehouse, or was jealous of your friend’s treehouse,” says Joseph Ayres. 

“You can just imagine sitting on the deck with your morning coffee or evening wine, looking up at the sky through the leaves,” adds Joe Ayres. 

The underpinnings of the overstory

“What I wondered was, would the trees cooperate?”

Pete Nelson has wondered this about every treehouse he has built since 1987, when he started experimenting with adult treehouses as a way of life for both himself and for his clients. The star of the now-concluded “Treehouse Masters” reality television show, Nelson’s ultimate goal is to create ways for people to spend time in the woods. Creating treehouses literally gives people a leg up into the forest. 

With a national reputation in the admittedly rarified category of functional treehouses, Nelson and his Fall City, Washington, company are the ones to call when someone wants to build a castle in the sky. 

The Ayres approached him two years ago with a plat but no plan. They knew that Nelson would see their land not as a blank slate ripe for clearing but as a finished tapestry that he could embellish. 

Nelson was intrigued with both the project and the Smokies. If there was any market that could support treehouses as vacation rentals, it was Gatlinburg, he says. 

“In that part of the world, there’s all this interest in the hospitality model,” Nelson says. “We did a quick overview of what could fit in that little hollow and instead of a lot of back and forth [with the Ayres}, we all saw how it fit with the trees.” 

Each of the eight Norton Grove treehouses is custom designed to fit amongst the trees and slopes of the 15-acre hollow. Each house is built around at least a couple trees, with balconies and catwalks wrapping around trunks, and into trees, thanks to pylons sunk into the trees. Nelson has been at this long enough to have analyzed the long-term effect of the burden on tree’s health: typically, trees absorb the weight of the houses by strengthening their growth around the pylons, he says. 

Nelson’s team is adept at figuring out how to connect the houses with the utilities—water, sewer, and power—that support bathrooms, kitchens and lights. Each Norton Creek house has a small kitchenette; a small living area; a bedroom that accommodates a queen-sized bed; a bathroom; and a sleeping loft. Paneled in cedar and dovetailed at every turn, the interiors of the houses smell and look like the the inside of a tree. And while the treehouses are not wheelchair-friendly, several are serendipitously accessible because catwalks extend straight from hillside parking spots straight to the houses and few stairs interrupt the flow of houses, balconies and airborne porches. 

They might never be mainstream, but treehouses capture attention for the bigger conversation about sustainable development and how homebuilding can work around, not plow through, woodlands, says Nelson. 

“There isn’t anything like this,” says Nelson, who plans to be on site when the treehouses open in late spring. It’s likely, adds Nelson, that Norton Grove is the first and only purpose-built treehouse vacation rental complex. 

Not that it’s likely to be the last. 

In Weirs Valley, in Sevier County, Florida resident Randy Cowell is putting the finishing touches on two treehouses that he expects to open in summer 2020 for vacation rentals. 

And in Black Mountain, NC,  treehouses comprise a vertical corridor of the Village of Cheshire, a development largely designed as fairytale vacation getaways, but that have become primary homes for many owners. 

Sikes Ragan, who developed the 64-acre community on family land, initially just wanted to build around the laurels and rhododendrons that loom along a ridge within the project. As he looked at offbeat houses in other areas, including coastal houses built on stilts, he hit on the idea of stacking living areas within a 25 by 25 foot footprint. Some of the Cheshire treehouses are designed for people who work from home, with ground-level offices easily found by visiting clients. Winding stairs connect the stacked living areas, with kitchen and great rooms topped by bedrooms. 

Climbing up to connect with the earth 

The appeal of the treehouse is elementary, says Jody Verser, an architect and project manager with Modus Studio, an architecture firm in Fayetteville, AR. Modus won awards for designing a freestanding modern treehouse for a local botanical garden. 

The mythology of the treehouse goes far beyond backyard shenanigans, says Verser. It’s all about the magic of living between the ground and sky, seeing both from a new perspective. 

“By the very nature of them, you are disconnected from your day to day,” he says. “You’re disconnected from the ground, disconnected from work, and even disconnected from your own house, and because of that, they become a very alluring destination. You’re literally and metaphorically connecting with nature.”  

About the author: Joanne Cleaver would love to live in a treehouse, and would pull the ladder up after her, if she was assured a bottomless carafe of coffee, lightening speed wi-fi and the company of her husbandof 40 years. 

Treehouse logistics

Bring your common sense when you check in to a treehouse.  Gravity will be in full force, so plan accordingly.

• While adult treehouses must comply with local building codes, they still present safety challenges. Owners recommend that parents of young children visit only when the kids have proven they can respect safety rules. 
• Summertime rents run about $300 per night per cabin. Off-season rates will likely be less. 
• Pack light: treehouses are small and don’t have much storage space for food and gear. 
• Don’t expect an on-site laundry. 
• Given that you’ll be up in the air, privacy must be considered. Expect to dress and act accordingly. 
• Owners typically require a deposit that covers not only damage but also a special insurance policy that covers injury and mishap for the duration of your stay. This usually requires an extra fee and a background check.

It’s Rustic Luxury at The Swag

Tucked away on a secluded mountaintop just outside Waynesville, North Carolina, The Swag offers a luxurious getaway with the kind of old-fashioned attention to service that makes a stay unforgettable. 

That experience is what guests recall when asked why they return time and again to the all-inclusive resort. A loyal list of repeat guests, often multi-generational, enjoy The Swag every season, along with a stream of young couples enjoying the romance of seclusion and escape from technology. Locals visit as well and enjoy daily picnics and elevated farm-fresh dining just steps away from the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At an elevation of 5,000 feet, the views are spectacular atop The Swag. With 250 acres to explore, the outdoors is waiting.

Owners David and Annie Colquitt use the off-season at the beginning of every year to implement updates and improvements, such as renovations to the main areas, an additional outdoor dining space and enhanced amenities, including the ever-expanding, carefully curated wine list. The wine collection started as a single rack and is now a full cellar space where guests can savor the tastings. 

“Our guests are family, and we want them to enjoy every detail of their time with us,” Annie Colquitt said. “Every change is made with them in mind, and we love caring for this place that has generated years of memories for visitors.”

Guests can explore the resort online and book stays at theswag.com.