“A world-class ski resort, Whistler, British Columbia, is known as the playground of the well-heeled with mansions to match. In stark contrast is builder Joel Allen’s egg-shaped treehouse suspended above a hemlock tree. A former software engineer, Allen designed this modest 200-square foot retreat to include loft sleeping quarters, an outdoor deck (with views of the snow-capped Tantalus range), and a work area tucked behind the stairs. Over the course of four summers, Allen built his getaway using $10,000 worth of castaway items collected via Craigslist. “People thought I had gone a little bit mad,” says Allen. “I was compulsively refreshing Craigslist every two minutes waiting for that next item to come up and grab it before anyone else.”
