The Healy Tree House

Watch a clip about the Healy Tree House from Designing Idaho

Throw out the rule books. Don't even think four square walls. Nestled along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille is a hobbit house in a tree. Everywhere you look, from every angle, you see creativity on display.

"I did the floor plan," says Deanne Healy," Jim did the structure. We had these three wonderful trees, and so basically it was situating each floor a little bit differently to make room for the rooms that we wanted."

"The first floor turns thirteen times in order to get around the trees," says Jim Healy. "We had a constant battle with people wanting us to be more conventional. If we wanted to be conventional, we would have built a square house on the ground somewhere."

The Healys have slept eight people comfortably in their tree house; the building is heated, has a kitchen, a bathroom, and a king size bed. "The most unique thing is we're in a cold climate, and this is a year-round house," says Deanne Healy.

"This was a chance to give us a non-traditional house, that broke all the traditions, all the rules, and made it fun to do," says Jim Healy. "No matter how you describe your tree house, they don't anticipate it's really a house up in the trees. They expect it to be a child's platform with a wooden ladder going up to it."

The Healys say their house has a special feel to it. "You're cradled," says Deanne. " Everyone who's slept here says the same thing. You feel like you're in a nest and you're cradled. You're surrounded by nature, and you're just grounded."