whitefish montana treehouse

Staircase Featured in Hungry Horse News!

NOW THAT’S A TREEHOUSE

May 11, 2017 at 7:04 am | By Chris Peterson Hungry Horse News

John Colliander of West Glacier built the spiral staicase for this treehouse that will be featured on the DIY Network next week.

John Colliander of West Glacier built the spiral staicase for this treehouse that will be featured on the DIY Network next week.

A West Glacier man played a part in a treehouse project that will soon be featured on the DIY network show, “The Treehouse Guys.”

Builder John Colliander of Treeworks Log and Timberframe Construction, made the 18-foot wooden spiral staircase for a treehouse the show staffers built with homeowners Darin Robison and Kati O’Toole on their Dillon Road property.

Colliander began work on the staircase about a year ago, which is made of larch treads attached to an 80-plus-year-old Douglas fir Robison salvaged from his grandmother’s woods.

Colliander, 37, is a fourth-generation builder. He grew up in Polson and worked trail crew in Glacier National Park for several years before striking out on his own. Trail crews make do with what’s around them, and Colliander brings that style to his own work.

“In trail crew, we use nature to accomplish our building needs,” he said.

He designed the staircase using a freeware program from Google. The four-foot treads are hewn from his own small sawmill and attached to the Doug fir with 1-inch, 6 1/2-foot bolts.

He used a four-foot long drill bit to make the holes and crafted the mortise and tenon joints with a chainsaw.

The end result is a staircase that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings.

Colliander also milled the siding for the treehouse as well. It will be featured on the DIY network on May 15th at 9pm PST. and then as a re-run after that.

O’Toole said eventually the couple would like to have three treehouses on their property as vacation rentals.

“The treehouse has all the amenities of a luxury rental up the trees in your own private area,” O’Toole said.

The couple is still completing some of the interior and finish work and is in the process of getting the necessary county approvals for a water supply system for the structure. They hope to open by this fall, she said.

The house is supported by several Ponderosa pine trees as well as other timber beam supports.

Colliander, meanwhile, is onto his next project. He said he plans on spending the summer living in a tepee with his wife, Michele, and their sons Mason, 9, and Miles, 7, while he works on a home up the North Fork on a plot of land they recently purchased.

View more about the treehouse at: http://www.montanatreehouseretreat.com

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE IN HUNGRY HORSE NEWS

Montana Treehouse Retreat: January Construction Update

Winter is in full force at the Montana Treehouse Retreat! We are loving the fresh piles of snow and all that beauty comes with it. The treehouse looks it's best dressed in white.

Just yesterday, we had our second snowboard lesson with our 3 year old Rowan on the property. I have also been doing some xc skiing on our groomed trail to catch a little bit of vitamin D here and there to beat my cabin fever. Needless to say, there will be many winter activities to enjoy on site for our guests in their own private woods, as well as surrounding areas...Whitefish Mountain Resort anyone?

I've been asked several times when the treehouse will officially be available for rent. I wish I had a definitive answer! At this point, we are looking more towards end of summer or next fall. 

In the meantime, I thought I'd show you some updated pictures of the progress of the project. We have the spray foam insulation complete thanks to Taylor Insulation, stage one plumbing finished thanks to Mildren Pluming and electric wired and ready to hook up thanks to Ambient Electric.

Darin has also custom created and welded some additional beefy steel supports for under the treehouse to make sure that it is 100% safe, solid and sturdy.

Click Through updated construction pics below:

We have plumbed not one, but TWO bathrooms for our guests to enjoy as well as a full kitchen space which will even include a dishwasher! The treehouse will have all of the luxury amenities that you enjoy in the comforts of your own home...UP IN THE TREES. 

Darin is currently busy planing, sanding and staining boards to complete the interior finishing wall touches. Ceilings are done. We are chipping away as fast as we can! Stay tuned for more updates as we progress.

Would you like to take a walk with me on site?

Click the video below:

 

Looking forward to seeing you in the trees sooner than later and HAPPY NEW YEAR friends!

Kati