USA Houzz: An A-Frame Home Full of Treehouse Fun
Inspired by his childhood home, a building designer creates an A-frame timber cabin in the forest with a treehouse twist
Becky Harris
3 August 2022
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
The thrill of adventure experienced by kids in a treehouse inspired this cabin in the forest of South Carolina, USA. Perched among the trees in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the A-frame house includes an outdoor shower about nine metres off the ground, a crow’s-nest rooftop deck and a second-story cargo-net living area above the family room. Ben Creasman, the owner of this home and building design firm Owners Choice Construction, had lived in an A-frame house for a time as a child; it is those memories that informed much of this design.
Photos by Max Gudakov of True Cinema Entertainment.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a family cabin belonging to Ben Creasman, owner of building-design firm Owners Choice Construction, and it’s also a short-term rental property
Location: Greenville, USA
Size: 85 square metres with one bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms
Architect: Ross Kistler of Project Plus
Interior designer: Ashley Adams of OC Design and Staging
Creasman bought two acres of woodland property in Greenville, South Carolina. It only takes about eight minutes to drive to downtown Greenville from here. There are two other cabins on the property and Creasman built the A-frame as an accessory dwelling.
“My sister lives in England, so she stays on the property when she comes to visit,” he says. Even though it’s only about a five-minute drive from his house, Creasman and his family use this A-frame, sometimes for just a few hours to watch a sports game out on the screened-in porch. They also make it available for weekend rentals.
The 6 x 12-metre structure floats on large support posts and beams. The land beneath the house slopes, so on this side it’s up to six metres off the ground, and on the entry side it’s elevated about four metres. Creasman rendered preliminary plans on a tablet, then collaborated with local architect Ross Kistler, who completed the final plans. His in-house designer, Ashley Adams, did the interior design.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a family cabin belonging to Ben Creasman, owner of building-design firm Owners Choice Construction, and it’s also a short-term rental property
Location: Greenville, USA
Size: 85 square metres with one bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms
Architect: Ross Kistler of Project Plus
Interior designer: Ashley Adams of OC Design and Staging
Creasman bought two acres of woodland property in Greenville, South Carolina. It only takes about eight minutes to drive to downtown Greenville from here. There are two other cabins on the property and Creasman built the A-frame as an accessory dwelling.
“My sister lives in England, so she stays on the property when she comes to visit,” he says. Even though it’s only about a five-minute drive from his house, Creasman and his family use this A-frame, sometimes for just a few hours to watch a sports game out on the screened-in porch. They also make it available for weekend rentals.
The 6 x 12-metre structure floats on large support posts and beams. The land beneath the house slopes, so on this side it’s up to six metres off the ground, and on the entry side it’s elevated about four metres. Creasman rendered preliminary plans on a tablet, then collaborated with local architect Ross Kistler, who completed the final plans. His in-house designer, Ashley Adams, did the interior design.
The entry on the opposite side of the house opens up to the ‘great room’ and kitchenette, and immediately upon entering, one has the feeling of living up in the treetops. “I wanted this house to be fun and different,” says Creasman.
“I concentrated on the spatial layout, but I gave Ashley free rein on the finishes,” he says. She used a natural palette including several shades of green and botanical prints to tie the house to the outdoors.
“The exterior of the house is black, but inside we made it cosy, relaxing and bright,” says Adams.
“I concentrated on the spatial layout, but I gave Ashley free rein on the finishes,” he says. She used a natural palette including several shades of green and botanical prints to tie the house to the outdoors.
“The exterior of the house is black, but inside we made it cosy, relaxing and bright,” says Adams.
“The walls of the A-frame lead to other walls, so it was tricky to figure out what to do with paint,” says Adams. She used the same white throughout the house on most of the walls, then added the same tan hue to the trims and windows. Along the TV wall she used a botanical wallpaper as an accent.
The floors are covered in wide-plank engineered hardwood. “We considered using luxury vinyl tile, but using wood was so important for a real treehouse feel,” says Adams.
Love the idea of one firm managing both your design and construction? Find local building designers near you on Houzz
The floors are covered in wide-plank engineered hardwood. “We considered using luxury vinyl tile, but using wood was so important for a real treehouse feel,” says Adams.
Love the idea of one firm managing both your design and construction? Find local building designers near you on Houzz
One of the most playful elements in the house is the cargo netting perched over the living room. Creasman found the netting on a treehouse website. “It’s strong enough to hold several of our big crew members at once, and it’s comfortable for three people to use it like they’d use a hammock,” says Adams.
Figuring out how to secure it was a bit tricky: while three sides are secured to beams, the window wall posed a challenge. Creasman found a six-millimetre coated steel cable to secure the netting along that wall. He hung more netting on the open side on the left for safety.
Figuring out how to secure it was a bit tricky: while three sides are secured to beams, the window wall posed a challenge. Creasman found a six-millimetre coated steel cable to secure the netting along that wall. He hung more netting on the open side on the left for safety.
The great room opens to a beautiful uncovered deck that measures 3.6 x 6 metres. To keep within budget while maintaining an open view of the forest, Creasman used wire for the balustrade railings. All the decks on the house are Trex composite decking.
To the left of the A-frame section is a two-story structure that has a screened-in porch on the main level, with the primary suite above it. “I thought about wrapping the deck to connect to the screened-in porch, but I loved the idea of being able to look straight down from the bedroom to the ground below,” says Creasman.
The kitchenette has everything you would expect in a cooking space, except for a stove. Not installing a stove meant Creasman could classify this as a kitchenette rather than a kitchen. In turn, that meant the cabin could be classified as an accessory dwelling.
“We didn’t want this to be a place where people would camp out for a long time. It’s more of a weekend getaway place. And there are so many excellent restaurants in Greenville that our guests like to go out to eat or have take-out delivered,” he says.
The kitchenette does have a full-sized fridge, integrated dishwasher, microwave and sink. Adams found an inexpensive, readymade wood-topped island to separate the kitchenette from the so-called great room. She used vertical tongue-and-groove panelling to add texture to the wall. The open shelving makes it easy to find everyday essentials. The large pantry cabinet on the right contains a coffee station and the microwave.
“We didn’t want this to be a place where people would camp out for a long time. It’s more of a weekend getaway place. And there are so many excellent restaurants in Greenville that our guests like to go out to eat or have take-out delivered,” he says.
The kitchenette does have a full-sized fridge, integrated dishwasher, microwave and sink. Adams found an inexpensive, readymade wood-topped island to separate the kitchenette from the so-called great room. She used vertical tongue-and-groove panelling to add texture to the wall. The open shelving makes it easy to find everyday essentials. The large pantry cabinet on the right contains a coffee station and the microwave.
Adams used various shades of green paint as an accent throughout the house to create a cohesive feel. Gold, champagne and brass finishes, as well as the timber shelf, warm up the interior scheme.
The entrance to the screened-in porch is located past the kitchenette’s pantry cabinet. The porch measures approximately six metres square and extends from the front of the house to the back, with spaces for relaxing and dining. Adams chose an outdoor rug to anchor the living space. An outdoor heater keeps things toasty on colder days, while two ceiling fans create a breeze when it’s hot.
There’s also a big TV out here. “After renters check out on Sundays, we like to go over to the cabin and watch sports out here,” says Creasman. “We turned on the heater and had a great time watching March Madness,” he says of a popular basketball tournament held in the USA.
There’s also a big TV out here. “After renters check out on Sundays, we like to go over to the cabin and watch sports out here,” says Creasman. “We turned on the heater and had a great time watching March Madness,” he says of a popular basketball tournament held in the USA.
“The powder room is really small with the stairs above it,” says Adams. “I wanted to create the most dramatic feel in here. It’s super dark and moody. There are double doors that open to it that are usually left open, so I swapped the toilet and the vanity on the original plans to create a focal point with the vanity.”
Adams sourced an inexpensive 600-millimetre vanity online to save money. The brass-and-green wall sconces are the icing on the cake.
Adams sourced an inexpensive 600-millimetre vanity online to save money. The brass-and-green wall sconces are the icing on the cake.
A tiger print wallpaper is a fun surprise and the trees in the pattern are right in keeping with the treehouse feel. “When Ashley came to me with the tiger wallpaper, she thought I would say, ‘What the heck is that?’” says Creasman. “But I said, ‘That is awesome!’”
“Because we had so many white walls, I used colour to catch the eye and draw people to different spaces,” says Adams. “In addition to doing this with trims, I used green paint on the staircase railing. These little details kept us from having only all-white walls.”
At the top of the stairs is a loft area, where bunks are tucked into an alcove. “My wife was against this at first because she thought it should be a romantic getaway house for just a couple,” says Creasman. “But these beds make it more versatile for a group of four.”
Adams repeated the tongue-and-groove panelling and green paint around the bunks. She also added a reading light over each bed.
At the top of the stairs is a loft area, where bunks are tucked into an alcove. “My wife was against this at first because she thought it should be a romantic getaway house for just a couple,” says Creasman. “But these beds make it more versatile for a group of four.”
Adams repeated the tongue-and-groove panelling and green paint around the bunks. She also added a reading light over each bed.
Another staircase is located across from the bunk bed alcove. This photo also provides a view of the cargo-net relaxation zone.
Browse more brilliant living areas in country-style homes
Browse more brilliant living areas in country-style homes
A skylight that also functions as a door provides access to the crow’s-nest rooftop deck. “This is such a great spot to do yoga in the morning or have a glass of wine at night,” says Adams. “It’s such a fun feature that makes you feel like a kid again.”
The amazing primary suite looks out on the tree canopy, with a serious drop below it.
“I wanted to make the room feel taller,” says Adams. “So I used a custom wood headboard and dramatic botanical drapes to draw the eye up.” The shade of green she used in here has more blue tones in it than the greens elsewhere in the house. It’s a soothing hue for a bedroom.
“I wanted to make the room feel taller,” says Adams. “So I used a custom wood headboard and dramatic botanical drapes to draw the eye up.” The shade of green she used in here has more blue tones in it than the greens elsewhere in the house. It’s a soothing hue for a bedroom.
The sliding barn door to the bathroom plays off the timber headboard. The shower is to the left. The tower on the right is for linen storage, and just past it is a separate toilet.
“I wanted the room to feel like a spa with an outdoorsy scheme that would be soothing and fun,” says Adams. A brick-tile floor brings in warm terracotta hues, and another botanical wallpaper print in warm tones plays off the terracotta.
The designer mixed metals on the hardware, tapware and lighting and added two rattan-wrapped mirrors over the vanity for a natural texture. “I didn’t want anything to be matchy-matchy in here,” she says. Instead, she created ties between the finishes. For example, the drawer handles are wrapped in rattan to pick up on the mirror frames.
“I wanted the room to feel like a spa with an outdoorsy scheme that would be soothing and fun,” says Adams. A brick-tile floor brings in warm terracotta hues, and another botanical wallpaper print in warm tones plays off the terracotta.
The designer mixed metals on the hardware, tapware and lighting and added two rattan-wrapped mirrors over the vanity for a natural texture. “I didn’t want anything to be matchy-matchy in here,” she says. Instead, she created ties between the finishes. For example, the drawer handles are wrapped in rattan to pick up on the mirror frames.
The shower is the most spa-like element in the bathroom, with its large size, full bench and mosaic tile floor. The fun comes in through that glass door at the back. “The door leads out to the outdoor shower. I wanted people to see something is happening past that door, and used the star tile pattern to draw them out there,” says Adams.
Adams chose a simple elongated subway tile with watercolour-like tones for the shower, orientating it vertically in a grid to draw the eye up.
“In the past, materials like shiplap and subway tiles have been oriented horizontally,” she says. “Placing it vertically makes it more modern and it makes the shower feel tall.”
She repeated the floor tiles in the shower niche for an accent. And the colours in the accent tiles play off the outdoor shower’s star-patterned tiling.
“In the past, materials like shiplap and subway tiles have been oriented horizontally,” she says. “Placing it vertically makes it more modern and it makes the shower feel tall.”
She repeated the floor tiles in the shower niche for an accent. And the colours in the accent tiles play off the outdoor shower’s star-patterned tiling.
Creasman strategically placed the windows in the outdoor shower so that people could enjoy the outdoor views while still having privacy. He screened all the openings to protect against mosquitos and other bugs.
This is the entry side of the house. “Ben didn’t want windows on this side, because after the leaves fall you can see one of the other cabins,” says Adams. “This way it feels more private, and on the ‘great room’ side, you cannot see any other houses.”
An entry porch leads to the front door. The swooped roofline adds a special touch to the exterior. Creasman chose paintable HardiePlank siding and vinyl windows from Andersen Windows & Doors’ 100 series. “These came in black, so they provided a sleek look with the black siding,” he says. Through the glass entry door, all the magical treehouse delights await.
Your turn
Which rooms in this weekend getaway would we find you relaxing in? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see another creative design? Don’t miss this Texas Houzz: An Architect’s Sustainable, Palm Springs-Style Home
Your turn
Which rooms in this weekend getaway would we find you relaxing in? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Keen to see another creative design? Don’t miss this Texas Houzz: An Architect’s Sustainable, Palm Springs-Style Home
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This is quite possibly my favourite Houzz article ever. Everything about it is beautiful, from the design simplicity to the interiors with their earthy colours. Love it!
One question: what brand & colour is the kitchen joinery paint please? Love it!
It's amazing it's amazing, give me a lot of inspiration, sunshine I love it