Architect Peter Nelson designed the 160-sq. ft. “mid-century decagon treehouse” at the Farmington, Pa., resort’s golf course, which serves as an observation area to watch black bears as they roam the property. The architect and his team used 20,000 pounds of oak trees and recycled materials to build the structure, which features walls of glass, a wrap-around deck, a fireplace, a handmade oak bar, and mission-style furniture.
A 160-sq. ft. treehouse designed by architect Peter Nelson at the historic Summit Inn Resort golf course in Farmington, Pa., will be featured this month on TV’s Animal Planet, the Seymour (Pa.) Tribune reported.
Nelson and his team, along with Summit Inn owner Karen Harris and her family, are included in the second season of the reality series Treehouse Masters. The local episode, which is titled Black Bear Bungalow, is set to air on January 17, the Tribune reported.
“Treehouses are about escape and getting away from it all—unplugging from everyday life and getting back to nature,” Nelson said.
The show follows the crew as they travel the U.S. building “arboreal” structures ranging from $50,000 to more than $300,000, the Tribune reported.
“My purpose is to show as much information, and they let me show what is that interaction between a living tree and our own creation,” said Nelson.
Using 20,000 pounds of material, including oak trees and recycled materials from the Summit Inn, Nelson and his crew spent about six weeks building the treehouse in Wharton Township. The structure was unveiled November 1 to Harris and her family, the Tribune reported.
Harris’ daughter, Kristi Leskinen, said as the third generation of the hotel family, she and her sister, Amanda Voithofer, thought the treehouse would be a great addition, the Tribune reported.
“Bringing something like this to a small (area) like Fayette County seemed really interesting and exciting,” said Leskinen.
Leskinen, a professional skier, said she learned about Nelson’s show through her sports agents and decided to contact him. The treehouse also will serve as an attraction to the hotel’s hiking and walking trails, the Tribune reported.
“We didn’t want just a treehouse, we wanted a treehouse that was going to capitalize on a spot with our views and add something to the property,” said Leskinen.
Nelson scoured more than 1,000 acres of the Summit Inn property until finding three oak trees in a clearing spaced apart at good distance for structural support. The spot was selected to best serve as an observation area where black bears could be watched as they roamed the property, the Tribune reported.
Nelson created “his first-ever mid-century decagon treehouse,” featuring walls of glass, a wrap-around deck and a bear-cam tracking system. Inside, the treehouse features a fireplace, handmade oak bar and mission-style furniture, the Tribune reported.
Nelson, owner of Nelson Treehouse and Supply, went from building homes 25 years ago to designing nearly 250 treehouses across the country, the Tribune reported.
“This is what I chose to do with my life. At first, it was how do I make a living doing this?” said Nelson. “Now, it’s how do I get enough information out to everyone?”
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