Pete fell in love with treehouses as a child, after building a backyard tree fort with his dad at their home in New Jersey. Today, he has created hundreds of treehouses around the world with his design and build firm, Nelson Treehouse and Supply. Pete has also published six books on the art and science of treehouse-building, most recently Be in a Treehouse. He has also shared many of his builds with global audiences as the star of the hit Animal Planet television series Treehouse Masters. In all of these projects, Pete has endeavored to equip others with the information and inspiration to get out into nature and up in the trees in a safe, sustainable, and fun way.
The love of treehouses must be contagious, because Judy gets as excited about the arboreal structures as the rest of her family does. When she's not busy running Treehouse Point (with the help of an incredible staff), Judy loves to cook, play soccer, hike, drink tequila with her friends, and hang out with three dogs, a large cat, and a bunch of chickens. She married Pete more than 30 years ago and is loves being a mom to their three fantastic kids. Judy and Pete welcomed their first grandchild, Emily’s son, Douglas, to the treehouse life in January 2019!
Emily received her Bachelor’s in Sociology with honors from the University of Washington. She joined Nelson Treehouse in 2012, bringing with her years of experience in business management and administration, partnership development, marketing, and e-commerce.
Emily oversees operations of Nelson Treehouse projects and personnel and facilitates partnerships. She also founded and leads our online store for treehouse hardware, supplies, and lifestyle products.
When Emily isn't running all things related to the family business, she can often be found chatting loudly with Pete on her parents' front porch with her dog, ToastyRoastyMunchyBun, her husband, Patrick Willse and their two kids, Douglas and Sally.
After being refined at various educational institutions for the past few years, Henry, twin of Charlie, has officially busted onto the treehouse scene! A key member of the travel team and a night crew regular, Henry is quickly mastering building in the trees. Tasked with making all of the compostable toilets used in the treehouses, he is known for his signature Hank Tanks. When Henry is not busy swinging a hammer you can probably find him hucking a Frisbee out in the backyard or sporting a backpack and exploring the great Pacific Northwest.
Born into the world of treehouses, Charlie is Pete Nelson's son and one of the carpenters on our build crew. Growing up in, among, and dangling from trees, Charlie has enjoyed this unique perspective and thoroughly appreciates the effect treehouses have on the trees and on the people who interact with them. He has accumulated a broad set of treehouse building skills that he looks forward to passing on to future generations of treehouse builders, just as previous craftsmen have done with him. A trained guitar builder, he is also a recent graduate of a boat building program in Seattle.
Meet the whole Nelson Treehouse Crew, the people behind the magic you see.
Daryl was born in New England, then moved west with his family when he was 10. Growing up with a father who was a contractor, Daryl has been around building all of his life. While attending the University of Washington, Daryl met Pete through a mutual friend. More than 200 builds around the world later, Daryl lives and breathes treehouses. He also enjoys outdoor activities like snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking with his wife, Nicola (whom he met at treehouse workshop!), and their faithful dog, Rusty.
After 20 years of “ground house” building, Scott decided to take it to the trees! Born and raised not far from Fall City, Scott spent his childhood days in the woods constructing forts, rope swings, and hideouts. Now, many years later, he is feeling young again at Nelson Treehouse! As the son of an engineer, Scott is always looking for a creative way to find solutions. Scott's wife, Robyn, helped care for and teach the Nelson kids when she was a teenager, so things have truly come full circle. In his spare time, Scott can be found dodging the trees on his skis or backpacking among them with his son, Cedar.
Toby was introduced to woodworking in his father's shop and has been following that path in various forms ever since. He brings 25 years of building experience to Nelson Treehouse and Supply. Toby shares a love of gardening and the outdoors with his wife, Jennifer, and is kept on his toes by his son, Arrow, and daughter, June. Neko, Toby's trusty dog, often accompanies Toby to work.
Daniel received his bachelor’s in architecture with honors from Auburn University. He brings a decade of experience in both small-space vernacular design/build and long-term large-scale design projects like apartment buildings and high-rises.
Daniel leads design on many of our corporate projects, such as the Alaskan mountain treehouse for Princess Cruises and the treetop workspaces on Microsoft’s corporate campus. His work has been published in Architectural Record, Metropolis, and Portfolio Design: Fourth Edition.
Daniel began his Nelson Treehouse journey as an intern in 2006. When he’s away from his desk, Daniel makes furniture and art, cooks, spends an irresponsible amount of time outside, and hangs with his brilliant wife, Sandy, his darling daughter, and grumpy hedgehog, Frenchy.
As a teenager on Boston’s South Shore, Sam worked as a carpenter building homes from frame to finish. At college in Vermont, he studied environmental economics with a focus in map-making and cartography. After graduating, he relocated to Utah to map Alta and the Cottonwood Canyons for the local government. As rewarding as this experience was, Sam missed the creativity of being a carpenter and sculpting the built environment.
To blend his passion for design with his environmental sensibility, Sam moved to Eugene and earned his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon. Now a licensed architect, Sam has been rooted in the Seattle area for more than a decade. Professionally he has worked in the single-family, multi-family, and retail markets, completing more than 50 projects in 15 states.
When away from work, Sam is probably out skiing, camping, or rafting with his wife & kids.
After a sunny five years of architecture school at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and Florence, Italy, Liz is excited to be back in the Northwest continuing her architecture journey amongst the trees. A love of art, travel, and the outdoors guides Liz’s path through life, and the treehouse world is the ideal new front for exploration.
Elaine grew up as the daughter of an electrical contractor - her family moved to the Pacific Northwest upon her father’s retirement from the Navy. Elaine has been married for over 30 years to her husband, who is in the construction industry. They have four children and one fantastic granddaughter. Elaine brings a strong background in office management and travel organization to Nelson Treehouse. She and her family (which includes dogs, cats, and horses) have resided in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley for nearly 35 years. Besides home, her favorite places to spend her time away from work are Makapu’u, Hawaii and Dungarvan, Ireland.
Candace was born and raised in Redlands, California where she developed her appreciation for architectural details. She attended Cal Poly Pomona for architecture school and CSU, Northridge for Historic Preservation. While in school, she got the opportunity to intern for Extreme Makeover Home Edition. After college, Candace worked on the Avenues of Art and Design in Hollywood as a Lighting Designer, for Armentrout Architects expanding the beautiful ESRI campus, emphasizing sustainable green space, and also as a Project Estimator in the hospitality design sector. She has also done contract design work for Facebook and Microsoft. Candace and her husband moved several times throughout the country due to the Navy until they settled in Washington as his last duty station. She is currently very involved in Local Government, writing and updating land use ordinance. Candace also sits on the Landmarks Commission and Design Review Committee for King County. In her spare time, she and her husband run a Nonprofit Youth Cycling Development Club and enjoy camping, hiking and cooking with their two young children.
Carley was born and raised in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley! From working at a kayak outfitter in Issaquah, to a skincare manufacturer in Carnation and now as the Marketing Manager for Nelson Treehouse, she thrives working alongside local businesses and sharing the brands story. In her free time, you can find Carley skiing, trail running and climbing with her husband Stephen. When they aren’t adventuring they love to spend time snuggled up in the tiny house they built with their dog Gia and cat Slick.
Bjorn was born and raised in Snoqualmie and loves living there since it’s the perfect place to get outside to ski, hike and river raft. He has a dual citizenship with Norway and his very proud of his heritage. Bjorn graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Studies and hopes to one day become a dam operator. When he’s not slinging treehouse hardware or getting outside, he enjoys going to live concerts and playing sports such as basketball, football, and soccer. “Go Hawks!” and “Up the Reds!” are some of his favorite mottos.
Caitlin grew up in Tri-Cities, Washington, located on the beautiful Columbia River, under the big
Washington sky. Watching her energetic parents excel in their fields of civil engineering and
medicine inspired her to attend Eastern Washington University, and she graduated with a
degree in Biochemistry. Steering away from academia and the laboratory, she decided to
explore other options that required attention to detail, perseverance, and problem-solving. She
is a lifelong learner and a jack of all trades, helping us out with Nelson Treehouse and Supply
bookkeeping. Maybe one day she’ll decide what she wants to be when she grows up, but until
then, she enjoys hiking with her dog, crafting projects of all kinds, and reading as many books as
she can.
Elizabeth was born and raised in Kirkland, WA, as the eldest of two brothers. She is a rising sophomore at The University of Texas at Austin, where she is majoring in Advertising with a minor in Sports Media. Elizabeth is thrilled to be joining the Nelson Treehouse team this summer as an intern, especially because she grew up watching Treehouse Masters. In her free time, she enjoys watching hockey, reading, and spending time with her cat, Bowie.
Macie was born and raised in coastal Connecticut and spent a lot of time in the woods growing up. She grew up building things with her parents and curated a sense of technical know-how and creativity for DIY projects. If she can do it herself, she will. She currently lives in Chicago with her dog, Levi, and is working on her graduate degree in Engineering Design Innovation at Northwestern University. She enjoys vintage cars, bouldering, exploring old buildings, and making things. She hopes to live in a treehouse someday with a restored FJ60.
After finishing school in North Carolina, Dylan drifted to the West Coast, where he joined forces with the Nelson crew. Since then he's been roaming the country with a tool belt and an upbeat attitude, living the happy life of a treehouser. Thanks to his previous experiences in technical theater and mechanical fabrication, Dylan approaches treehouse building with powerfully creative perspective. And he can move things with his mind.
Patrick hails from tropical Cleveland and brings years of construction experience to the Nelson team. Patrick's first construction job entailed transforming a tired old building in his hometown of Rocky River into an artful brewpub. He went on to build skate ramps and run his own residential construction business specializing in outdoor living spaces. Patrick got hooked on the treehouse life by building a treehouse for his nieces and nephews. After meeting Pete at a local treehouse build in Ohio, Patrick relocated to the Pacific Northwest and joined the Nelson team. In addition to a dream job, Nelson Treehouse & Supply supplied Patrick with his dream bride: chief of staff Emily Nelson! Patrick and Emily welcomed their son, Douglas, to the treehouse life in January 2019!
Ian Franks's most memorable childhood moments were spent building forts on his family's wooded lot just 15 miles from Fall City. Following his graduation from at the Evergreen State College in 2003, Ian decided he'd be happiest working with his hands. A heck of a fine woodworker, Ian has also done timber framing and straw-bale and cobb construction. A team member since 2012, Ian is known for his keen attention to detail and creative problem solving. When Ian is not building, he is likely coaching or playing rugby, his lifelong love.
Adam joined the Nelson team after taking a three-year (non)vacation building cell phone towers in Hawaii. Needless to say, Adam is not afraid of heights. An expert climber and exclusive member of Brothers Cage (members being John and Adam), he has quickly become a key asset of our travel team. A skilled pool player, Adam enjoys finding the local pool hall near all of our builds to play locals and dazzle them with his mad skills and sultry smile.
Rolf is a Swiss-born, Southern-scribed migrant who has set seed in the cedar forests of the NW and is pursuing the crafts of wood. Rolf is happiest spending time with his family, drawing, sawing, milling wood, and building. These labors keep him breathing with a smile.
Max grew up in Michigan and studied engineering in college. During this time, he learned that he really wanted to work with his hands in the great outdoors! He has a lifelong fondness for legos, tinkering with little projects, building forts in the woods, traveling and outdoor adventure pursuits. Max has been known to just "hit the road" - living out of a variety of vehicles seeking a diverse set of occupations. Max's work background is in trail + bridge building in national parks, farming, home remodeling/carpentry and sea kayak expedition guiding in the San Juan Islands. His hobbies include climbing/mountaineering/skiing/hiking the epic Cascade Mountains and volcanoes with his equally adventurous and awesome wife Sammy. They love rambling around the country in their off grid camper van that we designed and built out and lived full time in for a couple years, hanging out with our dog-child Gatsby!
Jake wants you to know that he can “seriously do anything.” That’s a pretty accurate statement, seeing as he does everything from leading tours at Treehouse Point to packing orders for our treehouse supplies store to hauling lumber and driving forklifts. Jake grew up near our treehouse HQ and moved to Colorado to study at CU Boulder (and sharpen his skills on the ski slopes). Jake's happy to be back in the PNW and when he’s not doing anything and everything for work, he can be found skiing, golfing, or playing softball.
JP grew up in Muskegon, Michigan and after high school started framing houses as a winter job. His can-do attitude, enthusiasm and great work ethic made him a star employee and he has been building ever since! In his free time, JP loves taking hikes with his pup - Belle - and playing disc golf, ultimate frisbee, watching sports and cornhole. But more than building treehouses, JP enjoys hanging out with family and friends.
Michael grew up on the east coast in Scituate Harbor where the grass is green and the air is crisp. He went on to study studied biology/pre-med in college but after graduation began to gravitate towards more creative work. Eventually he found himself obsessed with anything related to woodworking or carpentry. Michael started out with sanding farm tables for an event rental company which evolved in to learning scenic carpentry to build custom installations for events. Before joining the Nelson Treehouse team, Michael worked for 6 years doing home remodels and focused on finish work. Quite the renaissance man, Michael enjoys fishing (including spearfishing!), diving, mountain biking, traveling, bombing hills on a longboard, writing music, building furniture & making art installations
Justin grew up in AZ flying Hot Air Balloons with his dad and enjoying all things outdoors. In fact, that is really where he fell in love with the thrill of exposure. Ever seeking adventure, Justin started rock climbing in AZ and moved to Alaska after high school where he worked as an expedition mountaineer guide all over SE Alaska and the Yukon. He then joined a local Alaska crew designing and constructing Log/Timber Frame buildings and other custom reclaimed wood fixtures. He also has experience designing and building zip line courses. In his free time, he enjoys fly fishing, disk golf, climbing, mountain biking and gardening.
Amos is from a small town in Western Massachusetts. He lucked into his first carpentry job just after graduating from Colorado College and has been in the industry off and on for 5 years. When Amos was a kid, someone gifted his family a copy of Treehouses of the World by Pete Nelson. He remembers getting lost in it repeatedly, leafing through it with friends, picking their favorite treehouses, dreaming of what it would be like to live in them. Fast forward in time and he is thriving living the treehouse building life for Nelson Treehouse.
Frank grew up in a small town in Connecticut gaining an appreciation for craftsmanship & nature at an early age. After attending a technical highschool for carpentry, he went on to receive an associates degree in Building Construction & Cabinetmaking at NEIT in Rhode Island. After several years honing his skills in cabinetry & high end millwork shops, his desire to travel finally got the best of him & he purchased an RV, filled it with tools, & began traveling the country visiting National Parks & building as he went. Filled with inspiration, he quickly began implementing more artistry into his builds which eventually led him to begin building unique structures, as well as art installations at music festivals around the country & Burning Man. Frank recently joined the Nelson crew to grow his skillset & build alongside other skilled carpenters who take pride in their trade & have fun while creating something beautiful. When he's not building, you can find him in the woods appreciating various textures, playing his drum kit, or in the kitchen baking.
Andrew grew up in Buffalo, NY, and studied engineering in college, but quickly discovered that his true passion was crafting unique structures in the trees! He joined Nelson Treehouse after six years of building treehouses around the Northeast and Rocky Mountains. Andrew has a background guiding canoe trips around Ontario, crafting custom-built skis, and spent years living out of his self-built camper van. When he's not building, Andrew can be found skiing and mountain biking around Colorado or jamming out to his favorite band, Phish.
Justin, born and raised in North Bend, WA, with a brief stay in Phoenix, Oregon, has always been an outdoors enthusiast. He enjoys fishing, hunting, and car camping with his family, as well as foraging for mushrooms and huckleberries. Justin’s family includes his 12-year-old daughter, Brienna, who shares his passion for hunting, his youngest daughter, Jaclynn, and his high school sweetheart, Rebecca. He recently transitioned from a welding career to work at Old Woods Mill and is also busy restoring his grandpa's '79 F250 4WD truck. When he's not working, you'll find him playing games with his family, hunting and perfecting his skills as a wild game chef, known for dishes like tenderloin with mushroom sauce and homemade pastrami.
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