Half-Tree House, Sullivan County, New York Real Estate, Mid-Century Luxury NY Home, US Architecture Photos
Half-Tree House in Sullivan County
Apr 24, 2022
Design: Jacobschang Architecture
Location: Sullivan County, New York State, USA

Photos by Noah Kalina
Half-Tree House, New York State
This 360 sf. structure is located on a remote 60 acre, privately owned second-growth forest in Sullivan County, NY. It is sited on a steep, isolated area of the property with no vehicular access, no piped water and no electricity.

From the outset, the Half-Tree House project outlined two formidable directives: design a structure that can be constructed by amateur weekend builders & a limited construction budget.

The topography presented a difficult challenge. In an effort to minimize sitework (in this case, shovels by hand) and to eliminate the need for large footings, retaining walls and pumped concrete, the architecture is lifted above the ground and relies upon support from the trees. Sonotube footings anchor the upslope corners at grade while half of the weight of the structure is distributed, via Garnier Limbs, to two existing trees.
Engineered wood beams form the perimeter with standard nominal lumber for all intermediate framing. Three 8?x8? steel-tube pivot doors, the largest single expense, were fabricated offsite and installed, weatherstripped and fitted onsite with dual-insulated glass.

Exterior and interior boards were milled and kiln-dried from the Eastern Pines fell...