Job title: Treehouse designer

Companies that hire them: Only a few companies in the country have contractor and insurance licenses that are specific to treehouse construction. These select firms include TreeHouse Workshop in Seattle and the nonprofit Forever Young Treehouses in Burlington, Vermont, which builds wheelchair-accessible structures.

How to find out about openings: Log on to the website of TreeHouse Workshop or Forever Young Treehouses or attend the World Treehouse Association Conference, which is open to anyone. The 10th annual meeting was held last October in Oregon.

How much you might earn: $85 to $200 per hour.

Useful skills: A tree-hugging personality helps, but carpentry skills are essential.

Number of jobs in the U.S.: Exact numbers are hard to find, but the few treehouse builders out there typically have one or two designers on staff.

Some people have their heads in the clouds. Pete Nelson has his in the trees. As a professional treehouse designer, the 44-year-old Nelson has spent the last 20 years designing and building custom fantasy retreats in backyards and woodlands from Connecticut to California.

“I had all the normal treehouse dreams as a kid,” he says. But he didn’t consider turning his childhood fascination into a profession until he encountered a treehouse as an adult. “It was 10 feet off the ground, as tight as could be, but romantic and beautiful,” says Nelson, who spent the first part of his career building traditional homes. That treehouse visit also inspired him to write two books, Treehouses of the World and Treehouses: The Art and Craft of Living Out on a Limb.

By 1997, he was again focusing on tree-based architecture. Together with his friend Jake Jacob, who worked for a company that reclaimed wood for the timber-framing industry, Nelson started TreeHouse Workshop, a contractor that held treehouse-specific insurance licenses. It’s a specialized niche, Nelson admits; he only has six to 10 clients per year. The going rate for a basic kids’ treehouse is $20,000, excluding travel costs. Add a kitchenette, toilet, or stairs and you enter the $100,000 range. Nelson’s most expensive project rang in at $365,000. What made it so costly? The two structures used high-end materials and contained intricate woodworking detail. “And that one didn’t even have a kitchen,” Nelson says. His wealthy clients continue to outdo each other with such frills as cable, flat-screen televisions, and leather couches. “I’ll do the high-end ones, but they lose their flavor,” Nelson says. “We’re not trying to outdo the trees.”

In his backyard, Nelson has three treehouses of his own, but his ideal treehouse is simpler than the ones his clients prefer. All he wants is a covered porch, an outdoor deck, and a cozy reading chair surrounded by windows. As for amenities, he could take them or leave them, he says: “I’m not big on toilets, but my wife wouldn’t feel comfortable if she didn’t have a place to whiz at night.”

Typical project

Step 1: The client contacts Nelson, expressing interest in building a treehouse. Most clients locate him through his  website.

Step 2: Nelson consults with clients to create a wish list of such treehouse amenities as bridges and hanging lanterns.

Step 3: Nelson “interviews” the tree and surveys the surrounding land. While oaks provide the strongest foundation, Nelson has worked with many types of trees, including firs and cedars.

Step 4: Nelson presents a concept drawing and budget estimate.

Step 5: Once the client decides it’s a go, the house usually takes three to four weeks to build.