Treehouse Oasis

Welcome to this real life Treehouse. We were delighted to work with these ambitious clients, who’s love for the environment and sustainability aligned perfectly with our own. The owners wanted to prove that they could build a spacious and beautiful home without damaging the environment. We designed a home that would not require a single tree to be removed, with a bespoke structural design that would work around the root systems, and would be built with low embodied carbon materials.

The clients did not wish to disturb the trees, but still wanted to be close enough to reach out and touch them.⁠ We worked closely with the surveyors, the structural engineers and an arborist to make this possible. The L shape of the plan is a result of stepping between the trees, while giving maximum south exposure to increase solar gains and creating beautiful westerly views of the Sechelt inlet. The minimum amount of concrete is used in the foundation, just to protect from soil sliding down the steep slope, and the rest of the home is placed on steel piles which were carefully placed between the roots of the trees. This allowed us to get as close as possible to the trees, which provide privacy and natural shading.
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The house uses Fire smart materials externally, with low embodied carbon timber frame and insulation, with triple glazed windows, to keep the home and occupants safe. Thanks to the incredible skill and attention to detail of the team at Lincoln Construction, the home managed to achieve a phenomenal air tightness of 0.28 ACH50. 

Building Design – GNAR Inc
Builder – Lincoln Construction
Engineer – Allester Engineering
Completed Date – Summer 2024