December 2009 — Holiday present

Good things will soon come in a coffee-table sized package.

Next spring, a new do-it-yourself treehouse design and construction book is due out from Globe Pequot Press. Put together by longtime author Lon Levin and my friend, fellow professional treehouse builder Dan Wright of Tree Top Builders, the book “Knack Treehouses” promises to give readers with a sense of adventure and some basic carpentry skills a great start toward building that haven in the trees.

Another thing the book will include – alongside Dan’s advice and treehouses from legends such as industry pioneer Michael Garnier – is Peacemaker Treehouses’ own pirate ship treehouse. Lon contacted me while doing some research back in the early part of the year, and asked permission to use some shots and descriptions from the Horseheads, N.Y., project. I was honored, and more than happy to supply him with whatever he needed. Word from the publisher came this week that work on the book is nearing a conclusion, and publication is expected sometime early next spring.

Michael, no doubt, is used to the recognition, but for me – a student of the masters working on a business model that relies on low volume and high quality – it’s a special thrill to help spread the word about the craft.

Thanks to Lon and Dan, and I’ll see you all at the bookstore.

Adding a little ink

Treehouses are hard to keep quiet. Whether through word of mouth or mass media, people love to share the news of something that’s at once so loved and yet so uncommon.

Capt. Jack Bond smiles as he enters his treehouse and thousands of area homes on the cover of Elmira's Star-Gazette.

Since work started in Ithaca and Horseheads shortly after Peacemaker Treehouses was created, neighbors and passers-by have been stopping at the job sites for a closer look. In Ithaca, one man with deep roots in the neighborhood has taken to bringing visitors over for guided progress updates — with the blessing of the family, of course. In Horseheads, dog walkers and other curious folks used to stop along the street to watch construction and talk about the ship in the tree a few hundred feet away. The spring bloom put and end to that, for now, but community interest in the Bond’s pirate ship treehouse stayed strong all summer.

In late July and early August, that community interest reached a peak with a front-page story in the local Gannett newspaper. Veteran reporter and columnist Jim Pfiffer of the Elmira Star-Gazette wrote about the boy who will captain this tree-borne pirate ship, and the boy inside the journalist who wishes he had his own place in the trees. Jim captured the spirit nicely, and the July 30 publication in Gannett’s first newspaper triggered the busiest day for my Web site, www.peacemakertreehouses.com, and for this blog. A few days later, on Aug. 3, the Star-Gazette featured Jim’s column and some great photos on the cover of its Southern Finger Lakes free weekly publication. Web and blog activity spiked again.

To read Jim Pfiffer’s column, click here

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The only thing better than one front-page story, is two.

Thanks to Jim and the Star-Gazette for helping spread the word, and to all of you who’ve shared these projects with me through the Web site and this blog. Treehouses are almost as fun to write about as they are to build, and I’m happy to be able to offer some words and images to help take you all along for the ride.

Be well, and check back often as the Ithaca treehouse continues to grow, new projects develop and Peacemaker Treehouses continues to make the news.