I Constructed an Airbnb Treehouse and Made Sufficient to Stop My Job

• Will Sutherland owns a treehouse Airbnb on his property. It took him about six months to construct.
• When he first obtained the concept, he thought it might be a pipe dream he’d by no means be capable of do. 
• Now, he makes $30,000 per yr renting it out and will get to observe visitors make recollections in it.

This as-told-to essay is predicated on a transcribed dialog with Will Sutherland, who owns a treehouse Airbnb. It has been edited for size and readability.

Even earlier than I purchased my home, I had the concept of constructing a treehouse on the four-acre property. After I walked across the web site for the primary time, I noticed two bushes sitting over a rock ledge and needed to place a treehouse there. On the time, it was a pipe dream that I by no means thought I’d truly be capable of do.

I constructed the treehouse on my own, and it took me about 6 and a half months

I carried up every bit of wooden, every bit of flooring, the roof trusses, the ground trusses, and the large quad beam. I additionally sourced a bunch of cedar logs from a pal who was having a home constructed. I’ve a sawmill at my home, so I used to be in a position to mill all of the cedar for the siding. 

After I informed my now spouse, Sabrina, that I used to be constructing a treehouse to lease on Airbnb, she stated: “So long as you construct one other lavatory for visitors, I am all for it.” For years, our visitors in our Airbnb skoolie — a transformed faculty bus — had been utilizing the lavatory in our home. It was a mandatory inconvenience because the skoolie did not have a bathroom or bathe.

After I constructed the treehouse, I additionally constructed a bathhouse with a bathe and a bathroom on the identical time. Now all of our visitors use the bathhouse.

Sabrina helped me with a number of the particulars, like the ground ending and trimming some boards. She was by my facet day-after-day when she obtained residence from working as an arboretum specialist on the Virginia State Arboretum.

The treehouse is small however has a lofted bed room so as to add sq. footage

It is like a bunk mattress and is nice for teenagers. There’s additionally a primary queen mattress within the treehouse too. There is not any operating water, however I do have a five-gallon water tank for hand washing and brushing tooth. There’s additionally a hotplate so visitors can warmth up the water, a window unit air conditioner, and an electrical heater. 

I constructed a staircase in entrance, which is sort of steep, and an emergency exit within the again that is extra of a ladder to get into the treehouse. Because it sits on a rock ledge, the entrance of the treehouse is about 18 ft from the bottom, and the again is about 14 ft. 

The primary yr, I earned $30,000 from the treehouse rental

The treehouse will get hundreds of views per thirty days on Airbnb, and I am booked for months out. The nightly worth for the treehouse fluctuates between $160 and $250 an evening, relying on the time of the yr. 

With the skoolie and the treehouse, I began sufficient cash from Airbnb to stop my job. I now have much more time to assist family and friends with tasks, and to daydream about new issues I need to make. I additionally get to see them come to fruition ahead of I used to with my full-time job. 

Since I am now within the enterprise of internet hosting individuals, I’ve needed to change how I am going about my day. I can not be exterior utilizing the chainsaw or operating my sawmill when there are individuals making an attempt to learn a ebook on the porch of the treehouse. As soon as I see visitors depart, I will shortly mow the grass.

We principally dwell in a little bit miniature group right here, flanked by our bus visitors and treehouse visitors on a regular basis.

I really feel fulfilled seeing visitors create high quality recollections on the treehouse, and earnings from Airbnb has enabled me to do business from home which has given me extra high quality time to spend with my family and friends.