BC Bucket List: You can vacay in this dreamy "designer treehouse" (VIDEOS/PHOTOS)

If you didn’t have a treehouse growing up, you can make up for lost time as an adult by booking a getaway at “The Birdhouse,” where it says it was made for “relaxation, seclusion, and to connect with nature.”

This incredible designer treehouse is located in Chilliwack on a private acre of land surrounded by forest and mountains.

Ben Meeres, the builder and co-owner of Meeres Construction Group, told the Daily Hive that The Birdhouse was a passion project he completed and furnished last year.

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Ben said he’s learned almost everything he knows about building from his father, Joe, the founder of the company.

“[Joe] has been building custom homes in Chilliwack for 40 years this year, and I entered the company right out of high school in 2008,” Ben said.

After custom building homes for most of his adult life, which Ben said he loves and appreciates, he always wanted to build something for himself.

“I’ve always loved treehouses and always wanted to design, build, own my own, and I had the right land and trees for it, so I saved and planned and researched until I finally pulled the trigger.”

 

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The Birdhouse is located on Ben’s 10-acre property, and it has its own private, fenced plot as well as a separate, long, winding driveway that leads to the campfire area and parking lot for two vehicles.

When you make your way inside, you’ll find a cozy kitchen with cookware, dishes and cutlery, a small fridge, a cooktop, a French press, and a kettle.

Beside the kitchen is a loveseat that can be pulled out as a small bed for a child.

This treehouse has a flushing toilet, electricity, WiFi, and running water.

When you go to bed at night, you’ll climb up the ladder to find a mattress and bedding, where you can watch the stars through the branches because there’s a pair of skylights installed, and at the foot of your bed, you’ll see there’s a TV if you’d like to stream some movies.

Outside the back of the treehouse, there’s a cedar deck and chairs with a beautiful view of the mountains and forest — your morning coffee just got a little sweeter.

“I just love the compact design of it in general. It still pumps me up that I fit a kitchen, ‘living room,’ foyer, powder room, bedroom (loft) and dining area all into a 160-square-foot bedroom,” Ben said, which is the equivalent of a small bedroom in a regular house.

This treehouse has some unique additions, including a cable bridge and an outdoor shower, which Ben adds is frost-proof so it can be used all year long.

“The outdoor shower is an experience that I think most should try,” Ben said. You’ll find it when you cross the bridge and go down the gravel path.

The Birdhouse is tiny, he said, and it’s recommended for two people or a small family at a time.

“It never gets old hearing people’s compliments in the reviews and the guestbook,” Ben said.

“I put my heart into it for a long time, and so it’s super rewarding hearing that other people seem to love it as much as I do,” he said.

While the treehouse itself is so unique, Ben said what he usually hears most about has nothing to do with the structure. “It’s the stars at night and the quiet during the day.”

“I’ve been on this mountain my whole life, so I sometimes take it for granted, but people go nuts over the stargazing and how peaceful and quiet it is. It’s great,” he said.

While you have the private acre to yourself at The Birdhouse, you might run into a neighbour or two when you’re outside, such as deer, cattle, rabbits, coyotes and a lot of birds, he said.

Ben said The Birdhouse has been steadily booked. “That’s been another cool part, is providing a place that’s close by but also super different and peaceful for people to get away during this stressful time.”

You’re being reminded, if you book the treehouse during the winter (November appears to be the soonest you can book on Airbnb), to pack your snow tires and to only use the fire pit when there is no fire ban in place!

Don’t forget your flip flops for the shower!