Jonathan Fairoaks lives in a tree house that he designed and built! In fact, as a tree house architect (建筑师), Jonathan has built more than 380 tree houses across the United States.
Jonathan's love of tree-house living began when he was a kid. He started climbing trees when he was 10 years old, and he became an arborist in high school. she built his first tree house and lived in it while he was in college.
"It was delightful-like being on a ship because it moved with the wind, " Jonathan says. "It was the most fun I'd ever had. "
Designing special tree houses may sound difficult, but Jonathan says it's not true. "I let the trees decide the designs, " he says. "Hardwoods such as oak make the best trees for houses一but I did once build a wonderful tree house in an apple tree.
As an arborist, Jonathan tries to never harm the trees. He attaches man- made limbs(树的主枝) to the tree to support the tree house.
"The tree grows over the man-made limbs, and they become part of the tree, " Jonathan says.
One feature of Jonathan's tree houses is the swings(秋千). "Swings are a great way to enjoy the trees." he explains. For example, he puts up monkey swings for kids tree houses.
Jonathan also likes tree houses that have views of streams or rivers and include windows that are made of pieces of colored glass.
"Let your imagination run wild," he says. "Walk in the woods and learn the different trees. Spend time climbing and learn how to do it safely. "
Jonathan also encourages his customers to give their tree houses names. One of his customers named his own tree house "Ups and Downs".
