About

Our Story

In the summer of 2008, we decided we wanted a handier way to enjoy the river on which our farm sits. We thought a yurt might work, but the river floods once or twice a year, often unexpectedly, and we weren't keen on packing the yurt in and out. Yes, we know that's the thing about a yurt.

But then we were struck by the idea of setting the "yurt" above the floodline.
We are carpenters here, so we made it of leftover building materials. We started with the platform.
We put a tent on the platform for the first season, then built the house and the suspension bridge.

In 2012, we booked a room in Brooklyn, NY, through Airbnb. It was a fantastic experience, but when we jumped aboard by listing the treehouse, we expected no one would come. We are hours from cities in a non-touristy area. The treehouse has no electricity, and, of greater concern to many, no plumbing. Of even greater concern? No wifi.
You need to carry your stuff a kilometre on a footpath. In winter, you need to build a fire in the woodstove and keep it going in the night.

What we didn't count on was the fact that there are lots of people like us: hikers/canoeists who look for time off the grid, who understand how to function sustainably there, who enjoy being self-sufficient.
Our best guests are leave-no-trace campers who leave the place as they found it, who pack out what they packed in, who use the firewood frugally, who respect the wildlife, and who don't mind what the weather throws at them.

T H E T E A M

Your hosts

The primary host

Lawrene is an actor and copywriter. Her work takes her to Toronto often, but not every day. She helped build the treehouse, manages the bookings and communication, cuts and stacks the firewood, trims the grass, maintains the trail, cleans, launders, and restocks between guests.

The carpenter

Harry is the reason the treehouse, its porch, its bridge, and the outhouse are soundly built. He has worked as a master carpenter for over 50 years. He does repairs as needed, trims the grass, maintains the trail, and manages the beehives down the road. Ask him if you wish to buy a little honey to take home!

View On Airbnb River Treehouse on the Sydenham

Perhaps to cheer us up in the pandemic during yet another lockdown, Airbnb put together host highlight reels.
Here is ours: Treehouse Highlight Reel
The most interesting part of it for us was the number: as of April 2021 we had hosted 763 guests. That's a lot for a little treehouse in a non-touristy spot!