49 DIY Treehouses Made From Reclaimed Materials

DIY treehouses have been a staple of childhood backyards for decades—and now they're becoming popular getaways for adults, too. Be amazed by how treehouses have transformed!

1 / 49

Wishing Well

People love a great treehouse, especially ones they’ve built on their own. That’s also the case with this Georgia creation. It’s been named Airbnb’s most-wished for listing in the world and it’s for good reason. It’s a secluded getaway spot in Atlanta that includes three rooms: Mind, Body and Spirit. Each room is connected by rope bridges and the Mind room contains antique furnishings, fossils and 80-year-old windows of pressed butterfly wings.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

Do you also wish to construct a treehouse but are nervous about undertaking this hefty task all by yourself? You can use our reliable guide and learn how to build a treehouse in your backyard. Oh, and these treehouse kits will come in handy, too.

2 / 49

Treehouse Canopy Room

Another urban enclave holds this three-story treehouse. In Little Haiti in Miami, this treehouse rises above to allow visitors to overlook the farm that operates below. Wake up to the sounds of goats and take in the sight of a sustainable farm. Volleyball games take place every Sunday and there’s a potluck every Thursday.

Get a taste of the farm in your home with these 20 super simple ways to add farmhouse style.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

3 / 49

Luna Loft

From 1860s barnwood and 16-foot windows from an old warehouse, the Luna Loft in Georgia features some unique reclaimed material. The treehouse also includes a penny floor and a copper-lined whiskey barrel shower in the bathroom. But what might be best: complimentary s’more kit. Get your s’more adventures started with one of these awesome fire pits.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

4 / 49
Douglas Berube/Shutterstock

The Minister’s Treehouse

Horace Burgess had a vision to build a treehouse after God told him, “If you build a treehouse, I’ll see that you never run out of material.” He started building a treehouse in 1993 in Crossville, Tennessee using reclaimed wood. It developed into a 97-foot tall treehouse, though it has been closed since 2012 because it does not follow fire safety codes. Check out the common causes of home fires and how to avoid them.

5 / 49
GJGK Photography/Shutterstock

Tree House Café

The Tree House Café in Magnolia, Texas isn’t hard to spot with a treehouse as the café’s sign. Owners Brent and Terryl built the treehouse to signal customers to the restaurant, which sits tucked away from the road. Next to the treehouse with the café sign sits a “Hillbilly Hilton” trailer, an old bus outfitted with antiques. Busses make for really incredible tiny houses, check out some of the best-looking bus conversions out there.

6 / 49

Trillium Treehouse

Barefoot Treehouses used foraged or reused materials for 90 percent of the construction of this magnificent treehouse. Each piece seems to have a story of its own. The deck is recycled, the door salvaged, the metal roof is 10-year-old siding that was reclaimed and the siding came from a 150-year-old cabin built by slaves who were granted land with emancipation.

Like the look of reclaimed barn wood? Some say it’s on the way out, find out why.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

7 / 49

Whispering Wind

In upstate New York you can retreat into the wild with this off-the-grid treehouse. Stare at the stars from the bed at night through the clear roof and rise to the sun by looking out the reclaimed windows. Windows are great for repurposing, check out an incredible use that will leave you warm inside.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

8 / 49

The Roost

Rise above it in The Roost in Greensboro, North Carolina. It’s an eco-friendly treehouse that incorporated local materials where it could.

Do an eco-friendly thing with those plastic bags that you’re swimming in at home.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

9 / 49

(Tree)House of Hyères

Ethan Hayes-Chute collaborated with Jean-Paul Lespagnard to create this treehouse made from found, reclaimed and recycled items in Hyères, France. The tree is allowed to continue to grow as it was before the construction of the treehouse. The construction had to cater to the reclaimed items the pair used. Hayes-Chute has constructed several cabins in this vein under the term “Potential Living Situations.” Hayes-Chute and Lespagnard came up with this treehouse back in 2010. Hayes-Chute’s latest project is his take on DIY programs and is called The New Domestic Woodshop.

Photo: Courtesy of Ethan Hayes-Chute

10 / 49

Rainforest Treehouse

Tucked away in the Costa Rican countryside, this treehouse will take you back to your youth because only your imagination at that time could believe what lies there. Those who stay at this Airbnb have access to 12 natural hot and cool springs, rainforest trails and views of wildlife that others will only dream of seeing. Enjoy a view of the water with these amazing Airbnb houseboats.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

11 / 49

Blue Mountains Treehouse

Check out a rainforest on a different continent when you travel to Australia. This treehouse sits on 600 acres of private wilderness in the Blue Mountains rainforest. It’s close to the Glow Worm Tunnel, which is a tunnel once used by trains. Now glow-in-the-dark fungus gnat larvae—glow worms—live there and provide a spectacular sight during the day or the night since the tunnel is completely pitch black inside.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

12 / 49

The Hermit Thrush Treehouse

The Hermit Thrush Treehouse in Vermont sourced its material locally and used reclaimed items to complete its construction. It is a little more of a rugged treehouse experience with an outside shower.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

13 / 49

The Bird’s Nest

The Bird’s Nest is part of the Treehotel compound in Sweden and well-camouflaged with branches secluding the view. Inside the treehouse is pure luxury with its circular design. Discover another geodesic beauty in a smaller design that will blow your mind.

Photo: Courtesy of Treehotel

14 / 49

Canadian Treehouse

This treehouse outside of Toronto is made from a reclaimed, upcycled barn and sits next to a cabin, both of which can be rented on Airbnb. The treehouse also includes an incredible slide for a quick getaway and will make you reminisce about your childhood. These DIY playsets will take you back, too, though a rock climbing wall might be something you didn’t have as a kid.

Photo: Courtesy of Lynne Knowlton

15 / 49

Hashtag Treehouse

The elevation of this treehouse in Washington makes it a unique place to visit. It stands nearly 22 feet off the ground and includes rustic features throughout. It sits on 4 acres of countryside near plenty of hiking trails.

Photo: Courtesy of Mountain Views Bed n’ Breakfast

16 / 49

Healdsburg

The geometry of the Healdsburg Treehouse is striking and how it combines in a five-level treehouse will keep your mind working in a meditative setting. The Healdsburg uses reclaimed Douglas fir in its construction.

Douglas fir is great for woodworking, like with some of these outrageous cat furniture pieces.

Photo: Courtesy of Dustin Feider/O2 Treehouse

17 / 49

Copper Nest

The Copper Nest connects to an existing deck at a home outside of Milwaukee and includes reclaimed wood in half of its construction. It also uses steel awnings that were given a rust patina that blends into the background of the wooded area.

Most of the time we’re trying to get rid of rust in cool ways like with electrolysis, but this look catches the eye.

Photo: Courtesy of Dustin Feider/O2 Treehouse

18 / 49

Calistoga

The Calistoga model by O2 Treehouse uses a trapdoor entry to a catwalk that leads to the rest of the treehouse. It uses woven recycled climbing ropes as built-in hammocks, too.

Check out why having some climbing rope in your gutters is a good idea.

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Koshiam/O2 Treehouse

19 / 49

Villa AIX

For the Villa AIX treehouse, O2 Treehouse grabbed some salvaged windows to create some awesome views from the treehouse. Portions of the tree come through the treehouse interior and rebar makes up the supports the railing that leads to the treehouse. The treehouse also features a rope swing. You’ll enjoy the look of these 12 rope swings, too.

Photo: Courtesy of Alissa Kolom/O2 Treehouse

20 / 49

San Jose

O2 Treehouse’s San Jose treehouse uses reclaimed timber and salvaged window for a fairy book style home that overlooks San Jose. It has four rooms and a deck, along with an interior cat walk for kids and a skylight roof. Here are a few ideas to build a treehouse for kids.

Skylights are great for treehouses obviously, but they’re also incredible for tiny homes.

Photo: Courtesy of O2 Treehouse

21 / 49

Treepod

Over in the UK, specifically in Cornwall is the Lost Meadow Treepod, which seems just suspended in air. It’s built with recycled materials and uses cedar siding. The Lost Meadow is 20 acres of ancient oaks and meadow. It also sits near a babbling river for a complete outdoor experience. Check out a gorgeous Victorian screen house that uses cedar shingles.

Photo: Courtesy of Canopy and Stars

22 / 49

Chapelle

What a better place to stay in a treehouse than Utopia, Texas. The Chapelle treehouse takes inspiration from French countryside chapels and is filled with French antiques. Nelson Treehouse and Supply built the treehouse for Laurel Waters and her husband, Robert.

Antiques make for unique bathroom vanities, check out some breathtaking vanities that came from antiques.

Photo: Courtesy of Treehouse Utopia

23 / 49

The Cinder Cone

The Cinder Cone is a paradise for skaters who have an outdoors bent, too. In the Columbia River Gorge in Skamania County, Washington, stands two treehouses and a skate bowl. It also has a wood-fired hot tub for a perfect place to end the day after skating. Foster Huntington and friends started building the project in 2014 and took about a year to complete. Huntington used Craigslist, salvage yards and leaned on friends to source the building materials.

Photo: Courtesy of The Cinder Cone

24 / 49

The HemLoft

Joel Allen’s treehouse project, The HemLoft, didn’t necessarily begin as a project that would harness reclaimed/recycled material but it turned out that way after he sourced material from Craigslist to help complete the floor of his project. The HemLoft is located in Whistler, British Columbia and is now part of the Medicine Trail and a stop during guided hiking and snowshoe trips.

Get a look at some of the coolest camping gadgets that work perfect for hiking trips, too.

Photo: Courtesy of Joel Allen/The HemLoft

25 / 49

Bonbibi Treehouse

Treehouse Point in Fall City, Washington is a private event center and overnight retreat center that is unlike any other. The property features six treehouses, a lodge and two additional rooms. Nelson Treehouse and Supply is a sister company to Treehouse Point and constructed the structures.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse and Supply

26 / 49

Burl

A 40-foot bridge leads to Burl, a treehouse created as a honeymoon suite. It also features a stairway to a crow’s nest that’s almost 200 feet off the ground. The Nelsons feature their work on the Animal Planet show Treehouse Masters. The interior of the treehouse features antique decorations like an old scuba diver helmet.

Some of the best DIY projects come from repurposing old items. You won’t believe what an old piano looks like as a breakfast bar.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse and Supply

27 / 49

Nest

Nest at Treehouse Point is a cozy place that features a big window to look out at the woods and a porch area to enjoy the scenery from outside.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse and Supply

28 / 49

Temple of the Blue Moon

Temple of the Blue Moon was the first treehouse built by Pete Nelson at Treehouse Point and it’s charming. Visitors to the treehouse enter from the rope bridge and begin to notice the intricacies of the woodworking.

See some of the most beautiful woodworking creations that beginners can do.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse and Supply

29 / 49

Trillium

Trillium gives guests a 360-degree view of the woods through its 80 windows from a Western Red Cedar tree. Nelson builds its treehouses in a sustainable way to minimize the impact on the tree.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse and Supply

30 / 49

Upper Pond

Upper Pond overlooks a pond at Treehouse Point and is built on two trees. There is a small, curved deck to hear the songs of the birds during the day. Inside there’s a lofted bed and a bed on the floor with skylights above. An old pulley helps secure a rope swing near the ladder that leads to the front door of the treehouse.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse and Supply

31 / 49

Bangkok Treehouse

The Bangkok Treehouse provides a stunning view from its several rooms, which overlook the Chao Phraya River. There’s even an outdoor room and, of course, a lot of bamboo.

Photo: Courtesy of Trip Advisor

32 / 49

Kingston Treehouse

For the really adventurous there is the Kingston Treehouse in the Sabi Sand game reserve in South Africa. It is set in the African bush and visitors will get to experience the wildlife to the fullest while also in comfort. The treehouse features a full bathroom and shower while guests can sleep under the stars outside. Be prepared for your next outdoor adventure by learning these 16 camping hacks you wish you knew earlier.

33 / 49

Barefoot Treehouse

This treehouse from Barefoot Treehouses is constructed of recycled wood and uses harvested branches for its railing. The treehouse includes bundles of cedar rejected by the mill, which was supposed to be sold off as firewood.

Photo: Courtesy of Barefoot Treehouses

34 / 49
Julia Transue/Keepsake Photography

Sensational Spaceship

Talk about getting creative when it comes to working with recycled material. Jonathan Juhasz took an old grain silo he found on Craigslist to begin building this treehouse. He added in a repurposed galvanized steel water trough for the doorway and included fiberglass bench seating that he repurposed from a bowling alley. One of the cooler features is a slide, a perfect escape hatch for an emergency landing.

Repurposing items can be a rewarding task, especially if you can create some additional space doing it. Check out some creative solutions to more storage with 13 repurposed items.

Photo: Courtesy of Julia Transue/Keepsake Photography

35 / 49

Broken Head Bodhi Treehouse

Situated in the rainforest of Australia is this incredible treehouse that’s really as big as a cabin. It’s three-stories tall, has 1 ½ baths and provides an ocean view.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb

36 / 49

Silver Maple Treehouse

Rocks from a local mountain make up the base of this treehouse in Washington. Meanwhile, inside petrified wood serves as a sink basin. Just below the treehouse is a base of nets for children to play and the adults can watch through a floor window.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

37 / 49

Bird Barn Treehouse

Reclaimed windows and live edge cedar siding combined with a love for birdhouses all helped to develop the Bird Barn treehouse Nelson Treehouse built. The treehouse has a pod separate from the main structure and it provides a cozy getaway. The main part of the treehouse has a screen-in porch before entering the interior space, where reclaimed doors serve as an awesome wall feature. Find a wall feature the fits your house with these 15 stunning wall accents.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

38 / 49

Shaq Speakeasy

It was a slam dunk for Nelson Treehouse and Supply when it came to designing a treehouse for former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. They custom designed it so there is a 9-foot tall door, an extra-long staircase and 10-foot tall walls on the main level. The second level of the decagon appears like a lighthouse, which is perfect to use as a calling for people to use Shaq’s treehouse for the card room and bar that it is. Shaq’s treehouse man cave is certainly unique but so are these 15 man cave spaces, especially the one with stadium seating.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

39 / 49

Grace Vanderwaal Treehouse

When Grace Vanderwaal won $1 million on America’s Got Talent two years ago as a 12-year-old she said she wanted to be on the Nelson’s Treehouse Masters show. That dream came true, too. A year later, the Nelsons came up with a treehouse that has two pods connected with a bouncy cable bridge. The pods are for Grace and her sister. Her sister’s pod includes salvaged windows in its design.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

40 / 49

Bass Pro Shop Treehouse

The reclaimed materials pop out with this treehouse Nelson Treehouse designed for Bass Pro Shops and the Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. Reclaimed barn wood was used for the siding and dozens of birdhouses are attached. Breakaway from a basic birdhouse and see 16 seriously cool birdhouses.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

41 / 49

Magical Maine Treehouse

This “magical” treehouse used reclaimed wood for its exterior paneling and the interior includes more reclaimed wood, like a cedar trunk for a dining table support. A bedroom also uses reclaimed wood for its walls. Its turret design makes it feel a little regal and elegant, just like these 50 extremely remote castles.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

42 / 49

Far Out Hideout

Reclaimed wood siding and a reused, rusted steel roof make this treehouse a “far out” delight. Dream nets are cast along the treehouse where people can lounge on especially lazy days.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

43 / 49

Glamping Out

Each view of this Nelson Treehouse creation draws your attention to something different. Maybe the spacious deck grabs your eye first but look a little closer. There are two decks. The second one rests underneath the treehouse. There’s also a really cool suspension bridge, not to mention the repurposed items sprinkled in like a rhododendron branch as a door handle to the screen porch.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

44 / 49

Nelson Family Treehouse

Pete Nelson repurposed an old treehouse, the Bird Blind, to create this treehouse for his daughter Emily and her husband, Patrick.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

45 / 49

Catskills Glasshouse Treehouse

People in glass houses, right? No one would want to throw a stone at this masterpiece by Nelson Treehouse. Settled in the Catskills, this treehouse uses salvaged windows all around for a simulating visual experience. Some of the windows came from street corners and there even some panes of stained glass. It might seem like a task to have to clean all those windows but it wouldn’t be if you knew the tricks to cleaning windows that the pros won’t tell you.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

46 / 49

Tennessee Riverbank Treehouse

A corrugated metal roof with a rustic patina blends in perfectly for this treehouse in Tennessee. The treehouse overlooks a river and includes a screened-in porch.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

47 / 49

Charlie’s Treehouse at Treehouse Resort and Spa

Nelson Treehouse and Supply used a platform previously built to begin work on a treehouse for Pete’s son, Charlie, for the Treehouse Resort and Spa. The stairway and railing standout because of the use of tree branches and inside the rope lights serve as a unique charm.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

48 / 49

Ski Lodge Treehouse

Ski lodge and treehouse combine in one space with this Nelson Treehouse and Supply creation. What especially ties it together is the dual-sided fireplace that people can enjoy inside or outside. Lounge chairs made of old skis fit the theme as well. A chair lift swinging from the bottom of the treehouse really drives it home.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse

49 / 49

Sky Pirate Hangout

Walk the plank to experience this sky pirate hangout Nelson Treehouse and Supply created last summer. The nautical theme is complete with an old ship wheel on the deck and a lifesaver that hangs from the tree. The deck railing has natural branches to support it. The entire deck has the appearance of a ship with its shape.

If you’ve got a deck project coming up, check out these tips to know what you’re getting into.

Photo: Courtesy of Nelson Treehouse