Tree House

Treetop House — A Quiet Transformation

Some houses whisper before they speak. This one sat high in the trees at the end of a long gravel drive, humble and handmade, its structure softened by years of neglect and weather. Inside, rooms were small and divided; outside, the forest pressed close. But the bones were honest, and the site even more so — a pool tucked into the hillside, glimpses of sky beyond the canopy, and views that begged to be revealed.

A young couple had originally set out to build a new home. Then this listing appeared. “There was real value here,” the builder recalls. “Privacy, land, a pool already in place. It made more sense to invest in a transformation than to start over.” What followed was not a renovation so much as a reimagining.

Back to the Studs, Forward with Intention

The house was taken back to the studs and reconfigured for modern living. A new primary suite was created upstairs with a dedicated bath and a second bedroom close by — a more intuitive and flexible arrangement for contemporary family life. Walls that once felt pinched and awkward were removed, while new, larger openings framed fresh views outward.

“We wanted the house to breathe,” the builder says. “The views were there, but the old plan never asked you to look at them.”

Light, Texture, and the Art of Editing

Material decisions leaned toward subtlety. The original floors, once yellowed and uneven, were refinished in a soft whitewashed tone. Ceilings were clad in white stained shiplap, adding quiet texture and elongating the modest proportions of the rooms. A new kitchen, oriented toward the pool and rear yard, now opens to morning light and social flow. “It didn’t need to be flashy,” the designer notes. “It just needed to feel calm and intentional.”

Large windows and new glass doors turned the exterior from something glimpsed to something participated in. The house no longer sits in the woods; it engages them.

Space Reclaimed, Life Expanded

Perhaps the greatest shift occurred on the lower level. Once an overlooked basement, it became an entirely new layer of living — a bedroom, office, and lounge area — all opening directly to the hillside and tree-filtered views beyond. “It was free square footage just waiting to be invited into the home,” the builder explains. Full-height windows and doors reoriented the house vertically, creating a sense of connection across levels.

A Home Made Personal

Every finish was customized for the clients: cabinetry, color palette, fixtures, even the alignment of sightlines between rooms. “They weren’t looking for a showpiece,” says the designer. “They wanted a home that felt deeply theirs.”

Today, the house feels both quiet and lifted — a treetop retreat that honors its handmade beginnings while embracing a new chapter of comfort, light, and flow.