Bamboo Treehouse

Bamboo Treehouse

This site features a vacation treehouse rental in Puerto Rico.

Nicknamed the "Sunset Hooch", this self-sufficient treehouse features a stove, cooler, 12 volt lighting, shower, solar hot water, and a flush toilet.

Notice that bamboo stilts are used to support the structure on a steep slope. Technically this is not a tree house, since bamboo is a grass, but the tropical design qualifies in my books.

One of the main advantages to this approach is that it is not necessary to climb stairs or ladders into the place. Instead, the elevated platform on a slope can be much more accessible via flat walkway, or suspension bridge, from the hillside above.

I like that the Sunset Hooch provides a good example of how geography is an important part of treehouse design. In this case, a steep slope that is normally unsuitable to build a traditional house on can be ultilized to great advantage: Steeply sloped land is cheaper to obtain, a hillside provides better views, and the elevation can provide a flat access walkway to your treehouse.