The history of tree houses

Frode's versatile interest in nature was the background and origin of the idea for Norway's first treetop cabins

Frode came up with the idea for Tretopphytter as nature experiences in Norwegian nature in the early 2000s. After some trial and error, a lot of climbing, nailing, and daring construction attempts, The Pine Hutwas built as Norway's first tree house , and was approved for overnight stays! There was a lot of media coverage and interest from guests. Today, it is the third and modernized version of The Pine Hut welcomes our guests! 

The Larch Hut was built according to architectural drawings and landowner Veldre almenning became co-owner. It was larger than The Pine Hut and had a solar cell, shower and biodo. Master builder and friend Steinar Kråbøl played an important role in the process. In order to cater for families with young children and prams and guests with mobility challenges, the The Spruce Hut The Spruce Hut was built with a 35 meter long airy wooden ramp instead of stairs. 

The Sky Hut became our first hut with sky windows, where you could lie in beds on the second floor and look at the starry sky. The program "The Sky Hut" with Dorte Skappel was broadcast on TV2 over several Saturday evenings. 

The Birch Hut was the next project - also with skylights. It was given a larger veranda, two sliding doors and a lighter touch. 

The Climbing Hut on Helgøya was built together with Pete Nelson and his team from Treehouse Masters in the US, and resulted in a 50-minute documentary on Animal Planet.

May 2022 was our seventh treetop cabin ... The View Nest - was ready for testing. This cabin is very different from our other treetop cabins! It's built in a single pine tree, has a roof terrace, electricity and underfloor heating, and not least, it can be rotated! You can go to bed at sunset and wake up at sunrise. The cabin can be rotated according to the desired view, light conditions and wind direction. We believe this is the first rotatable treetop cabin in the world!

Wooden cabins are complicated to design and costly to build. The wear and tear from wind and weather results in extensive maintenance requirements. Treetop cabins are not permanent buildings and have a limited lifespan. This means that at the end of their useful life, the cabins will be dismantled. Nature gets the trees and the area back - and we thank you very much for the loan!