The Gazebo Treehouse
Design/Build: Wild Tree Woodworks
Orcas Island, Washington
There are few places in the Pacific Northwest that are more desirable to spend time than Orcas Island. So when Catherine reached out to us to build her a treehouse on her property, the crew and their families were ready to pack their bags.
The design quickly took shape based on Catherine’s vision. She was hoping for an open air structure for children and adults alike, to gather and take in the outdoors, to be protected and yet still feel the elements, and to be in the canopy watching the trees move around them. Her long family history with boats contributed to subtle design choices, such as a partial roof covering, a bow and stern configuration, and a ship's wheel for the children to guide their adventure.
Another important design influence for Catherine was to keep the build a representation of Orcas Island. It was important for her to source as many of the materials as locally as we could. We were able to find a sawyer who lived less than a mile away who was able to mill all the wood for the project, including hand-splitting all the shakes for the roof. The only lumber we had to bring in from off-island was the glulam beams and the ships ladder which we built in our shop. The joinery and rough-sawn lumber is what makes this project stand out. It is always inspiring for us to be able to work with local materials and to manage our environmental impact.
