Calling all tree-huggers: We have found your god. Now that Julia Butterfly Hill has given up arbor squatting, nature-lovers will be excited to hear of Corbin Dunn, a totally awesome dude who resided in a tree house for five years and then got a wife and a job working on the iPhone.
How did this design mastermind carry out such a herculean feat as the building of a tree house, which we thought went out of fashion when the 1950s ended? And why would a female person want anything to do with it?
Keep reading for the answers to these and other questions we've wanted answered since we were 6.
First, don't try to build it alone."When I was 14 years old, my friend, Chris Howland, helped me build some basic walls and a roof on it," Dunn tells Asylum. "It was more of something to do and play around in. In high school, we would hang out in it with friends. I went away to aviation college in Arizona for '96–'98, and during the summers I would stay in the tree house at home."
Once the initial work is done, it's time to get serious or head back to solid ground.
"I wanted my own place to stay, and the old tree house didn't fare well in the winter," says Dunn, so he opted to build a new, year-round tree condo. When he completed the project in 1999, his parents were moving to Hawaii and leaving their property, where the tree house sits, behind. Dunn chose to go back to college and live in his new creation instead of "their old, empty house."
Wire the place for modern technology and check Asylum.com twice a day.
The house was wired for electricity and water, and did have a shower and toilet. "I only showered in it for about a year-and-a-half," Dunn recalls, "As the small water heater limited my showers to about four minutes at most, and the shower didn't drain well." He was only able to obtain dial-up, though, so he sought out a job where he could enjoy the modern essentials of an office.
Make sure to go out and stretch your legs once a year.
Louise, Dunn's then-girlfriend, loved mountain unicycling, which is as wild as it sounds. She got him so hooked on this unusual sport that he bested everyone in sight and is currently the Unicycle Marathon World Champion, having conquered a 27-mile race in January at the world championships in New Zealand.
When it's time to give it up, shave your mountain man beard, head back to the mainstream, get a move on.Louise stuck it out in the tree house as long as she could, but the slightly musty smell and tiny bed eventually wore on her. The lovers signed a lease on a traditional ground house in nearby Los Gatos, which was close to both of their places of employment. Then, five years ago, he got married and landed a new gig at Apple, ultimately helping to tweak the first version of the iPhone. In other words, not everyone who does this will end up going crazy and chopping up a hotel with an ax.
Get out while you can. Tree houses eventually fall down, you know.
As Dunn explains on his Web site, "A few weeks ago we got a lot of rain and wind. That was probably the pushing factor that made it fall out." He adds that the main reason it failed is that, well, he's no designer. He believes the project was flawed from the beginning and could only expect to last 10 years. "I started building it when I was 20, and moved in when I was 21. In a few short months, I'll be 31."
(The design was fatally flawed in four ways. If you're seriously interested in building one of these, check out Dunn's breakdown of what happened.)




































Comments:
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Wednesday 17 March
By Doug Beebe
Interesting subject, however, journalistically, it's not good when you don't mention "where". Remember who, what, where, when from college? You mention late in the article about nearby Los Gatos. New Mexico?
The internet has opened up tremendous opportunities for writers. I guess I should be grateful for at least a byline.
Reply
Wednesday 17 March
By Dawn
DOUG,
I agree, the article was missing a little more info.... what did he do with the parent's house while he was living in the tree house? How did it work as far as utility companies, they can be real stickler about codes. This "code casuality" leads me to believe this was in another country just as you commented. I just don't think anyone is learning to correctly write anymore...
everyone is getting dumber and dumber..perhaps there is some huge diabolic plan being carried out...now I'm begining to sound creepy and cat lady-esque...sorry about that..Take Care- Dawn :-)
Wednesday 17 March
By Courtney
He [Corbin] may not have wished to have the location disclosed.
I never really cared 'where' this took place. It's not a huge deal. It doesn't even exist anymore! Stop being so jeoulous that someone else has a job doing what we wish we could do, and go find a job doing it if it's that important to you!
P.S.~ This was written to be interesting, not informative!
Wednesday 17 March
By Joe
Los Gatos is in California.
Wednesday 17 March
By lklauschie
Dawn: Your ignorance is showing.New Mexico is NOT another country. It is a state in the USA and has been since 1912. Albuquerque, NM is host to the world's most photographed event - the Albuquerque Kodak International Balloon Festival.
Wednesday 24 March
By corbin
I'll gladly answer your questions:
Where - the treehouse (what is left of it) is in Santa Cruz, CA. Los Gatos CA is where I live now. I now have a second treehouse/platform that I built and got married on. http://www.corbinstreehouse.com/blog/2009/08/video-corbin-and-louises-wedding/
Wednesday 17 March
By Keith J. Mohrhoff
If he HAD been living there, he probably would've been more on top of maintenance issues and corrected the problems before the structure failed.
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Wednesday 17 March
By fred
this story is knarley,rock on aol.i want to quit my job and sit home and read articles like this everyday.my favorite aol article was yesterdays 10 surprising minimum wage jobs.i was assuming it was somewhat accurate till i noticed my profession on the list.kinda strange considering i make about 75k a year,and almost everbody i know in my line of work is between 50k and 80k.thats why i like these aol articles,thier just plain stupid,made up nonsense.
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Wednesday 17 March
By sagoth
Dear Lord, thank you for this paradise living. Oh yeah...please give me the strength to climb those dreaded stairs daily!! lol
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Wednesday 17 March
By sam edwards
i've lived in my "self constructed" treehouse complete with boat and airplane bedrooms, submarine bath and shower and helicopter sunroom for almost 20 years. it is sometimes a challenge and not always conducive to long term relationships, but i couldn't live anywhere else (samstreehouse.com)
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Wednesday 17 March
By yaaah69
just another spoiled yuppie. Who cares about his tree house .The rest of us left the trees amillion years ago. Los Gatos , is in Calif. There is a Las Lunes in New Mexico. What a waste od words!!! This story was....ciao
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Wednesday 24 March
By corbin
Hi yaaah69,
That's too bad you feel that way. I did finally sell my Porsche once I moved out of the treehouse. I was trying to ditch the spoiled yuppie image.
corbin
Wednesday 17 March
By Cyndy
This was really cool.... you are a most unique guy.... your kids will love you! Be blessed..
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Wednesday 17 March
By vickie
this was a generic tree house ...I have seen beautiful ones....he wasn't really dedicated to it and his materials were alittle"not so good"...but...he tried....and someday he might just build a better one......
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Wednesday 17 March
By Belladonna
I see the photo after the structure failed.....tell me did he clean up that mess or just leave it there to rott? What happened tp leave the woods as you found them?
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Wednesday 17 March
By Dave Mason
So, your conclusion is that he just left it there... based on what? It's one thing to ask, it's another thing to ask, then assume, and finally to attack.
Wednesday 24 March
By corbin
yes...of course it was cleaned up :)
The treehouse part is still left up in the trees; eventually I will take it down and scavenge the materials for building more stuff.
Wednesday 17 March
By chris
Wait a sec....Isn't he exploiting the tree and infringing on its rights as a life form??? I think Greenpeace and the ACLU need to get involved.
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Wednesday 17 March
By Dave Mason
Trees are not people, sadly, but our conservative Supreme Court has made sure to recognize that corporations are people. Who's side would you rather be on?
Wednesday 17 March
By Hottie
Was the tree informed of its rights?