New Book from ‘Treehouse Masters’ Star Explores Tree House Design
By Lauren Mang June 17, 2014
This article originally appeared in the July 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.
If you see yourself living in elevated environs, mingling with the wrens and swinging with the sparrows, a tree house might just be your bag. Pete Nelson, tree house designer, builder, owner of Fall City-based Nelson Treehouse and Supply and host of Animal Planet’s television show Treehouse Masters, has penned his sixth book on the deluxe arboreal dwellings, Be in a Treehouse: 
Design/Construction/Inspiration (Abrams, $37.50).
In it, Nelson spills his secrets about how to construct a forested habitation via 21 of his own creations, many located at his Treehouse Point bed-and-breakfast in Issaquah (treehousepoint.com). Leaf through the Treehouse U section to glean tips on tree selection (e.g., avoid palms and junipers); the proper installation hardware (tree house attachment bolts, etc.); structural design basics; how to obtain permits and more. Then feast your eyes on glorious photos of single- and multiple-tree designs, plus more snapshots of inspiring tree houses found around the world.
“I’ve tried to impart all I’ve learned over the last 27 years,” Nelson says. “I’m proud of our industry, and it’s exciting to get the word out that [tree houses are] viable architecture.”
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