Ski Whitefish and Stay At The Montana Treehouse Retreat!

Book Your Winter Getaway at Montana Treehouse Retreat

Ski season is right around the corner in Northwestern Montana. We are scheduled to have our first significant snow with this week. Have you started dreaming up winter vacation plans? Why not have the ultimate winter vacation and pair a trip to Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort with a stay at The Montana Treehouse Retreat!

Birds eye view of The Montana Treehouse Retreat, PC: Great Northern Drones

Our luxury treehouse is just minutes from the top of Big Mountain and we would love have you stay with us! This double decker treehouse, outside of Whitefish is the perfect unforgettable weekend getaway. Our luxury treehouse is equipped with a full kitchen, dishwasher, 2 bathrooms, a full shower and sleeping quarters for up to 5 people. 

Enjoy a hot toddy on the deck or cozy up with a hot cup of coffee on your own private balcony overlooking your own private forest off of the master suite deck! 

There is no roughing it at the Montana Treehouse Retreat! You will also have your own private wooded property for an outdoor fire. There is plenty of space on the grounds for nature walks, cross country skiing and sledding for kids!

We look forward to having you stay with us this winter and can't wait to meet you!

To see more photos and read more about availability of our listing or BOOK A STAY visit our Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18627194

Contact owner Kati at: 406-890-9925 if you have any questions or would like help booking your stay!

Montana Treehouse Retreat Featured in Flathead Beacon

Castle in the Sky

Whitefish couple's new luxury treehouse retreat featured on DIY Network's television show

BY TRISTAN SCOTT // FLATHEAD BEACON//MAY 18, 2017 // PHOTOS: GREG LINDSTROM

Kati O’Toole and her husband, Darin Robison, have transformed their lofty dream into a reality with their new business venture at Montana Treehouse Retreat, a unique backyard escape that spirits guests into the treetops.

Literally.

Campers looking for an outdoor experience that transcends pitching a tent or renting a cabin in the wilderness will get a thrill out of the latest trend of lodging — a vacation rental in the sky.

Located on the couple’s wooded 7-acre property off Dillon Road near Whitefish, the retreat incorporates the growing popularity of custom luxury treehouse dwellings with the mountain allure of Montana.

Professional treehouse designers have capitalized on the trend by building everything from breweries to recording studios, but a rising number of backyard escapes are cropping up across the nation, advertised as guest rentals on the online hospitality service Airbnb.

The couple’s treehouse made its television debut on May 15 on the DIY Network’s show “The Treehouse Guys,” whose crew visited the Flathead Valley to help frame the structure, which spans four trees — three larches and a ponderosa.

In addition to showing the early construction of the treehouse, the segment also features local activities and amenities of the Flathead Valley, and will re-air next month.

From the moment that O’Toole and Robison purchased their property five years ago, they’ve entertained visions of building a treehouse in their expansively forested lot, but with a growing family, full-time jobs and a basket of home projects, they were short on time.

“We’ve always wanted to build a treehouse,” O’Toole said. “It’s been a dream for a long time. But never in our wildest dreams did we think it would look like this.”

Both fourth-generation Montanans with a passion for the outdoors, their passion project was sidelined as they worked to keep up with their 3-year-old son, Rowan, and newborn baby, Ry.

When a friend pointed them to a casting call for the television show, they navigated a series of lengthy interviews and were selected for an episode.

O’Toole and Robison applied for and received a conditional use permit for their property, with the county Board of Adjustment granting approval for up to three high-end treehouses available for nightly rental.

The build crew with the Treehouse Guys — B’fer Roth and his team of “tree muskateers” — completed the frame of the treehouse in about six weeks and provided their expertise, while Darin and a crew of friends and family helped build a giant log spiral staircase, milled the siding and interior paneling, and anchored the structure to the trees.

Because it’s not connected to the earth, the house moves with the trees during high winds and as the trees grow.

The 18-foot wooden spiral staircase leading up to the entrance of the treehouse wraps around an old Douglas fir that had been struck by lighting on Robison’s grandparents’ property. The top blew off in the wind, leaving a 60-foot stub that Robison thought was perfect for his treehouse.

“It was definitely the right one for the job,” he said.

The maximum size of a treehouse is determined by the number of trees available to serve as its foundation. A single large, healthy tree can support a 350- to 400-square-foot treehouse, according to the builders, while two or more trees can hold a 700- to 800-square-foot structure.

O’Toole and Robison plan to begin renting their treehouse in November once they’ve completed the finishing touches, and construct two additional custom treehouses on their property in the coming years.

The two-story treehouse features all of the amenities including septic and sewer, a small kitchen on the lower level, as well as a living area and full bath. It rents for $500 a night, with a minimum of three nights and discounts available for weekly rentals.

O’Toole said she has already begun receiving inquiries, and predicts an uptick in interest following the airing of the show.

“It is a luxury experience. There’s nothing primitive about it,” O’Toole said. “It’s nicer than the home we live in and I think people are really going to enjoy staying here.”

For more information and to book a getaway, visit http://www.montanatreehouseretreat.com/ and to learn more about The Treehouse Guys check out http://www.diynetwork.com/shows/the-treehouse-guys.

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE IN FLATHEAD BEACON: http://flatheadbeacon.com/2017/05/18/castle-in-the-sky/

Montana Treehouse Retreat Featured in Daily Interlake

WHITEFISH COUPLE’S TREEHOUSE FEATURED ON DIY NETWORK

May 14, 2017 at 5:00 am | By LYNNETTE HINTZE Daily Inter Lake

Kati O’Toole, Darin Robison and their children Ry, 5 months, and Rowan, 3, outside their treehouse on Thursday near Whitefish. The treehouse retreat will be featured Tuesday, May 16, on the DIY Network. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake

Once upon a time, treehouses were relegated as play spaces for children.

Not so anymore.These days treehouses are trendy. They’re unique abodes for folks who want a slightly different lodging experience, and they range from rustic to upscale.

Treehouses also have their own television show now. The DIY Network’s “The Treehouse Guys” follows a team of builders and designers around the country as they create and build custom treehouses. Last year about this time, they spent six weeks near Whitefish framing a treehouse for Darin Robison and Kati O’Toole, who own Montana Treehouse Retreat off Dillon Road.

The show featuring the local treehouse airs at 9 p.m. Monday on the DIY Network. In addition to showing the construction of the treehouse, the segment will feature local activities and amenities of the Flathead Valley.

“We dreamed about building a treehouse,” O’Toole said.

The young couple thought it was an attainable goal that might take a while to achieve. Robison owns Ace Landscaping and O’Toole is a music producer for an online record studio based in Los Angeles. They have two sons, Rowan, 3, and Ry, 5 months, so life already was extremely busy when someone suggested they check out an advertisement in the Daily Inter Lake about the DIY Network looking for locals interested in being part of The Treehouse Guys show.

After a lengthy interview process, they made the cut and the project was set in motion.

The first order of business was to get a conditional-use permit to allow the treehouse on their property southeast of Whitefish. The county Board of Adjustment granted approval to develop their seven wooded acres with up to three high-end treehouses open to the public for nightly rental.

Once the treehouse build crew — B’fer Roth and his band of “tree muskateers” — had completed the frame, there was still much to be done. It’s been a collaborative project and a very positive experience, Robison said.

John Colliander of Treeworks Log and Timberframe Construction of West Glacier built the spiral log staircase that winds around a gigantic tree Robison harvested from his grandmother’s yard near Echo Lake. The root of that special tree will be turned into a countertop for the treehouse.

The couple’s fathers — Mike O’Toole of Polson and Ryan Robison of Columbia Falls — have helped out, as have Sean Donovan of Whitefish and Robison’s brother Dave. Bigfork architect John Robinson drew up the final plans for the unique, two-story treehouse.

Finish work will proceed over the summer, with a targeted opening date of Nov. 1.

Four living trees have been incorporated into the treehouse — two on the deck and two in the interior. The dwelling features a master bedroom loft on the upper level with half-bath and sliding glass door to a deck.

The lower level will have a small kitchen, living area and full bath.

It’s a one-of-a-kind dwelling that will rent for $500 a night.

“We’re thinking honeymoons,” special getaways for guests, O’Toole said.

Within the next five years or so the couple hope to build two more custom treehouses on their property.

Offering something out of the norm was always the plan.

“There are so many regular cabins for the rental market,” Robison said. “We wanted something unique.”

For more information about Montana Treehouse Retreat go to www.montanatreehouseretreat.com.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.

Link to original article: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/article/20170514/ARTICLE/170519928

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