Living up in the trees, hidden away behind the leaves as the world drops away was always a dream when I was a child.

For one man though, it became more than a dream when he found his new home on more than four acres of land. 

And suddenly a treehouse seemed like the perfect thing to do to help him quit his day job.

Will Sutherland found two trees overlooking a rock ledge when he first bought the property. Now he knew it would be the perfect spot to put his treehouse on. His goal – to use it as an Airbnb. 

But first – he had to build it. That process took more than 6.5 months.

“I carried up every piece of wood, every piece of floor, the roof trusses, the floor trusses, and the big quad beam. I also sourced a bunch of cedar logs from a friend who was having a house built. I have a sawmill at my house so that I could mill all the cedar for the siding,” Sutherland said.

It wasn’t Sutherland’s first attempt at hosting an Airbnb. He had previously turned an old school bus into a liveable space for guests to rent. The only downside – no bathroom. Guests would use the bathroom in his main house, that he shares with his wife, Sabrina.

So when he first told Sabrina about his treehouse plans, her only request was, “As long as you build another bathroom for guests, I’m all for it.”

The brand-new outhouse. Photo by Jam Press

“Sabrina helped me with some of the details, like the floor finishing and trimming some boards. She was by my side every day when she got home from working,” he said.

While tiny, the treehouse boasts a bedroom loft, as well as a queen-size bed below. There is a hotplate, water tank and heat and air conditioning. And yes, he also built an outdoor bathroom for guests.

Guests use a staircase to get to the front door. The treehouse is built on the rock ledge, leaving it nearly 18 feet off the ground. Sutherland built an emergency ladder that guests can use to get down safely and quickly, if needed.

Sutherland told reporters at Business Insider that his earnings from renting out the Airbnb treehouse for the first year was more than $30,000.

The exterior of the treehouse, top, and the interior. Photos by Jam Press

He said he charges between $160 and $250 per night. His listing gets thousands of views, and is often completely booked for months at a time.

Between the treehouse and renovated school bus, Sutherland has managed to earn enough money to leave his day-job behind.

“I now have a lot more time to help friends and family with projects and to daydream about new things I want to make. I also get to see them come to fruition sooner than I used to with my full-time job,” he said.

“It’s an honest, good business – good for the guests, good for the hosts, good for the community.”

Sources: My Positive Outlooks | Mirror