Driftwood Treehouses
Driftwood Treehouses is a very new business making environmentally friendly tree houses, playhouses, elevated platforms and garden rooms. It was started at the end of 2009 by Lee Bollard but is already enjoying plenty of success.
The principle of the business is simple: there is no point making something designed to encourage people to spend more time outdoors, enjoying nature, if in making it you are damaging the environment.
Driftwood Treehouses are made using local and sustainable timber, predominantly from coppiced chestnut from Wilderness Woods in Hadlow, East Sussex, as well as reclaimed or recycled wood. Any new timber is bought from local merchants with an FSC stamp.
Lee studied fine art sculpture at the University of Brighton and after graduating with a first, worked for a tree house company two years. But he wanted to make his own designs and knew he could make them in an environmentally friendly way.
He says: “everybody said I was mad trying to start a new business in the middle of a recession, but I thought if you can get things going now then they can only get better.”
The big challenge has been competing against larger, more well established companies. But through showing customers his bespoke designs, personal service and real passion for making tree houses in an eco friendly way, he has managed to win them over.
Currently, Lee is working on a winter tree house as well as ones with grass roofs. He says: “We’re always looking for better ways to make things and constantly searching for new materials. We’re always wanting to develop and evolve. The main point of a tree house is that it’s fun, but all these other elements happen at the same time. As well as creating an awareness of nature and natural materials, it shows you can make things in a way that is good for the environment.”
Driftwood Treehouses is a Brighton based company that make eco friendly playhouses and treehouses.
They use locally sourced materials to make bespoke garden woodwork designs.
The idea is to create one-off designs that look great and encourage children to have fun playing outside while at the same time being eco friendly.
Why have an ugly plastic playhouse when you can have one of these stunning log cabins made from coppiced chestnut poles from a wood in Sussex.
We have a fantastic playhouse in our garden courtesy of Lee Bollard of Driftwood Treehouses. Lee designed the house with the help of our 4yr old daughter! It is designed to fit in with the envisonment unlike most children’s outdoor playthings! It is made entirely of locally sourced wood & encourages the whole family to spend time outside together. We are priveleged to have our own cottage made of logs in our garden & it has enabled our chidren to play outside in all weathers as it changes from being a rocket to a beauty parlour in seconds!! A fantastic creation with all round benefits. Well done & thank you to Driftwood Treehouses!