A B.C. man spent years searching for a property he loved and could afford before settling for an unlikely solution: a treehouse.
Geoff de Ruiter, 31, bought a half-acre of land on B.C.'s Pender Island, one of the Southern Gulf Islands located between Vancouver Island and Washington.
He bought the land for $35,000, and then spent a year designing and building a 165-square-foot treehouse.
He picked the sturdiest tree on his lot, a Western red cedar, and enlisted a group of friends to help him build the treehouse.
In total, he spent $8,000 on the house.
He used treehouse bolts that hold up to 4,000 pounds each. Each wall is also supported by thick cables that attach the home to other trees.
"The first night I slept in the treehouse, I had a dream that the entire treehouse collapsed forward, or down the hillside because of a big wind storm that came in," de Ruiter told CTV Vancouver Island on Friday.
"That's a healthy fear because it makes you make sure that it's safe and secure."
De Ruiter said the home shakes when strong wind gusts blow through the trees, but he feels it's a safe place to live.
The tiny home features a closet-sized washroom, a loft, a bed, a mini-fridge and a water reservoir. De Ruiter runs a single power line from a neighbour's home to his treehouse for $20 per month.
He showers at a marina and pub, located about a 15-minute walk from his home.
With a report from CTV Vancouver Island's Joe Perkins
