PAIR OF TREE HOUSES

After seeing these photos of a cool tree-house, said to be costing over $300,000, you will not be surprised to learn that two of these luxury tree houses are being built for Hogwart’s author, J.K. Rowling and her three children, ages 18, 9 and 7, in Edinburgh.

There are two giant 2-story tree houses with spiral staircases, turreted roofs, secret tunnels, trapdoors, nature boxes, fireman’s pole, spiral staircase, stainless steel slide, lanterns, cedar roofs and balconies.  The structures will be built on wooden stilts and will be connected by a rope bridge.  They will be 40’ high and cost just under a half million dollars.  On the exterior there will be a perch, perhaps for an owl and a “nature box” built into the cedar shingle covered roof for birds to nest in.

The timber used to build the tree houses will be built with timber from sustainably managed forests.  She has also gotten permission to build a summer house of stone, will add a greenhouse, summer cottage and “garden room” folly with 30’ conical tower and chimney.

Several trees have been removed, and a line of tall conifer trees will screen the house from the roadway.  Residents of the area have complained about the structure being out of character with and have a negative effect on the conservation area.  The multi-million dollar author purchased a one-million pound 1970’ style property next door so she could enlarge the garden.  She bought the 17^th C. mansion she lives in for about $2,500,000 two and a half years ago.