The Nest Treehouse, created by ArtisTree (Credit: Shannon Vandivier)
“What do you dream of being when you grow up?” Do you remember your answer? Astronaut, pilot, super hero, author, dancer, veterinarian, musician or maybe a ship captain?
One man in Austin stayed true to his word. His head and heart are comfortable in the clouds, literally. His childhood dream led him into a successful career that allows him to sweep people off their feet, and into the air. Will Beilharz builds treehouses.
Will Beilharz: Building Upon Dreams
Will Beilharz, builder of treehouses through ArtisTree (Credit: Tiny House Giant Journey)
Will Beilharz’s infectious smile and relaxed demeanor reflect the personality of someone pursuing a childhood dream. The fact that he learned to use a chainsaw before mastering Algebra reveals his motivation: the outdoors.
He’s an architect who pulls at nostalgia’s heartstrings. The structures he builds through his company, ArtisTree, have firm roots with suspended platforms, allowing inhabitants the opportunity to dangle their feet and twiddle their thumbs, while being in the realm of feathered friends and sparkling fire flies.
ArtisTree Custom Treetop Architecture
Exterior of Juniper and Willow treehouse (Credit: Shannon Vandivier)
Inside the Juniper and Willow Treehouse
(Credit: Judy Rae Merhar)
If you’re curious and want to tiptoe into a day-in-the-life of a treehouse, you need only make the 30-minute scenic drive to Spicewood, TX.
In addition to overnight accommodations in four ArtisTree-designed treehouses, this is where you’ll find the 88 acres where Beilharz spent most of his youth, living in a yurt along with his parents and three siblings. It’s now home to a popular outdoor recreational company, Cypress Valley Canopy Tours.
Who needs a playground with plastic jungle gyms and concrete-lined pools when your home’s surroundings consist of majestic cypress trees, sturdy for climbing, and a tranquil ravine to cool limbs? This recipe for outdoor utopia is enhanced when an assortment of creatures are dashed in, like great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, foxes and squirrels. The forest is magical and alive, the perfect place to satiate and nourish childhood spirits.
ArtisTree Custom Treetop Architecture prides itself on working with nature, not against it. The majority of the materials used are repurposed and native to the area. No project is too big, or small. Beilharz’s projects exceed everything you would envision possible 30+ feet above the ground. The company calls Texas Hill Country home, but their treehouses branch out beyond Hill Country; they recently finished a treehouse in far-off Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Kitchen and dining area in The Nest Treehouse (Credit: Shannon Vandivier)
ArtisTree’s designs rekindle the sense of wonder that was a standard accessory in childhood, and their structures have the capability to unearth hopes and dreams forgotten, while trying so hard to stay grounded in adulthood. At ArtisTree, it’s not only okay to hug a tree, but to live in one, too!
Learn more at artistreehomes.com.
@judymerhar wants to know:
What do you want to be when you grow up?
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What a gorgeous article! Please tell me you got to climb up in one while researching this piece. How did you hear about ArtisTree?
Leah, I did! I toured four treehouses. I discovered ArtisTree while writing an article on Cypress Valley Canopy Tours.
Will is a very gifted man who also understands the liability and business issues of his work, allowing him to work with municipalities, private organizations and vendors. A world wide adventurer, charismatic but disciplined craftsman. I am envious, but lucky to count him as a recently acquired friend.
Lee, thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the grand and well written article. Following Will’s current relocation to California, I am envious of his free spirit . . . and his achievements.