Tulip Poplar Treehouse

Pete Nelson and his Treehouse Masters TV show was the inspiration for this backyard treehouse. But if it wasn’t for the towering tulip poplar that resides at the back of our Westover Hills property, that inspiration would have remained just that — a fun idea with no way to bring it to life. (Click here to read more about the treehouse in R Home Magazine.)

The tulip poplar that hosts my treehouse isn’t gigantic by tulip poplar standards — these trees are the tallest in the Eastern U.S., after all — but it is one of the largest in our neighborhood. It dwarfs our backyard. The first time I saw Nelson’s popular show on Animal Planet, I remember looking at the tree differently. Whoa, I thought, that isn’t just a massive tree. It’s a treehouse tree!

That was over five years ago. Since then the treehouse has hosted sleepovers, served as a podcast studio, and become my son’s remote learning office. And none of that would have been possible without the incredible specimen growing straight and true in my backyard.

Drive down the 5000 block of Evelyn Byrd Road if you want to check it out. It’s easy to see from the street!