In 1974, fresh out of the army, Michael Garnier went to rural Oregon to try to make a living off the woods. He tried making furniture, fences, pole barns and selling organic, psychedelic picture propellers (to see Fantasy Flakes), but finally it was a treehouse that got him all the attention.
Modeled after the treehouse he had once built for his kids, his first treehouse B&B was completed in 1990. Today he has 9 treehouses for rent, 20 staircases, 5 or 6 bridges, several platforms and zip lines for rapid descent and at least one fireman’s pole. Some of his treehouses even have toilets, running water and showers, though he warns guests to “stand when they flush”.
Over the years, Garnier has become legend in his industry and helped invent a better way to build a treehouse. Instead of bolting wood to wood (i.e. beams to the tree), Garnier and his colleagues at the World Treehouse Conference (an event he used to host) developed a way to attach steel bolts and cuffs to the tree.
Dubbed the Garnier Limb (or G.L.), this open source design can support 8,000 pounds. Garnier sells GLs of all different types as well as plans to build your own treehouse. His DIY treehouses are for 12 foot trees ($150) and he sells about 30 or 40 plans per year.
Original story: http://www.faircompanies.com/videos/view/diy-treehouse-inventor-creates-ewok-world-in-rural-oregon/
){kind=link}
have you invented a nice lift for your tree houses ?
I've always loved tree houses. My neighbor built one back in the late 70s around a huge redwood tree off Polo Drive in Aptos, California. It was so beautiful.
Must be those fantasy flakes, cause there it is.
Man, this is amazing.
I like tree houses so good videos
Michael is now on the TV show Treehouse Guys.
incredible.
I am interested in the plans for a small single treehouse for my grandkids to play in also in some parts I might need to create the support system how do I get hold of you thx
very cool, two thumbs up!
Those tree puns..
0:07 Great Ewok shout "Troopers spotted."
wait it was a chicken….~
Treeific, treemendous. haha love it.
"Make a living on the trees without cutting them down." Well the how the hell did you build the tree houses!?
It's not the biggest, there is one that is four stories tall
I love using all of my available resources to reach my fullest potential, I was Blessed with my hands,And to look at a picture of something,Anything,And built it just like or even better,Michael Garnier is the Godfather of tree houses,I'm just a guy that works with wood and stone 🙂 BE BLESSED
I don't think you know what DIY means
Hello. Where are you located and do you have a website to take reservations?
I liked the part about the tree
Michael,
What city in Oregon? We want to buy some treed land but unfamiliar with rural Oregon.
Thank You,
marie
Too funny! So to save a bunch of trees you build houses in trees? All made out of wood with large wooden staircases. You could build 2 or 3 conventional homes of equivalent size with the wood you used to build these tree houses.
Taking into consideration the viability of a group of trees all surviving without the idea that one tree would not survive due to natural causes is the only drawback I see to this concept. I love it though. I would live in one if my fascist town council (incorporated Village) allow it. The winds I get here where I live can be intense. I have seen healthy trees uprooted from rain and wind combinations. Add a tree house and……Timber…
The karowai tribe have been doing this for a long long time. With stone tools.
Reminds me of Channelwood from the Myst games. XD