Get ready to embark on a whimsical journey into the world of unconventional dwellings. Our next article features unique above-ground houses and treehouses, homes that offer a distinct connection with nature and a dash of fairy-tale charm. These enchanting structures blend seamlessly with their surroundings, often featuring design elements inspired by their natural settings.
Whether you’re curious about living in a treehouse or simply looking to infuse a bit of magic into your daily life, this piece will be sure to inspire. Don’t miss out on our tour of these intriguing and delightful fairy houses.
Above Ground House or Treehouse: Life in a Fairy House
House above ground: dream or reality? Are you afraid of heights? Then you might not like living 40 feet off the ground like this couple does in the tower they now call home. But look closely and you can see that these two built their own version of the prison tower (like from a fairy tale), which they called “Tree House, but without a tree.”
However, a few years ago, Dabney Tompkins and Alan Colley lived in the house of the so-called American dream. He was in Dallas, Texas. Big house, nice car and a well-paid job. But they felt something was missing and eventually decided to move to a smaller house in Portland, Oregon.
But everything changed when they learned about the US fire lookout stations, which, for one reason or another, fell into disrepair.
Fascinated by these empty towers, Tompkins and Alan Colley have decided to rent out these little houses for the weekend to anyone. But soon they decided to equip such a house for themselves.
“About a year and a half ago, we decided to quit our jobs and move here,” explains Tompkins.
“We were only going to do it in one year, because at first we thought that we would be too lonely, too “rustic”, too uncomfortable to live away from civilization. However, we were mistaken, because when we did move, we did not have to be bored for a single day. Friends, relatives, colleagues – absolutely everyone liked to come to visit us for a day or two.
The 388 square feet of tree house space includes a kitchen, a spacious living room and bedroom, and a staircase leading to a balcony.
It may seem to many that this is a very small house, however, it also has additional “living” areas, such as an outdoor terrace with panoramic views of the National Park (forest reserve) and a garden where they grow their own vegetables, fruits and herbs. So this couple doesn’t feel isolated at all.
The house is environmentally friendly, since almost all electricity is generated by solar panels. Of course, there are some features of life in such a house: traditionally, firemen did not have bathrooms, so the owners decided to make an extension on the first level, and put a shower outside, so to speak, “on deck” (approx. on the street).
But for a couple, such inconveniences, on the contrary, fascinate, because, according to them, they live close to nature and, as one of the owners says:
My favorite time of the year to shower is winter. Because when it snows, we willy-nilly have to walk a little barefoot on it. Then we turn on the hot water… and this combination of hot and cold, like Yin and Yang, are intertwined together.
In addition, while taking a bath, we can always admire the stars! A real fairy tale!