Dave Herrle tells the origin story of his treehouse the best: “After a few too many glasses of wine on New Year’s Eve, I promised my soon-to-be wife that I would build her a treehouse on our property,” he wrote on his website, Herrle Custom Carpentry. True to his word, Herrle got up the next morning and got to work building the tiny escape. It was important to the couple that they keep the overall costs low, the construction time as short as possible, and that they used only local and salvaged materials. With these parameters in mind, Herrle was able to build the 11’ x 14’-foot house in Westbrook, Connecticut for only $4,000 and completed the build in just six weeks.
Now, the newlyweds have what they call the Wee House Tree House, which features a loft bedroom, small kitchen, and wrap-around balcony decked out with a BBQ and outdoor furnishings. While this space isn’t the couple’s full-time residence—they have another home on the property—it is their very own private retreat in the trees.