Texas man lists six-story treehouse made out of shipping containers on AirBnb for $330 a night

A Texas man has built a six-story treehouse using four shipping containers – and it’s available to rent on Airbnb for $330 a night. 

Steve Taylor, an engineer who lives in Ladonia, spent a year and half building the 1,400-square-foot treehouse he’s dubbed ‘Air Castle.’

Inspired by shipping containers his family uses on their farm, he built the treehouse for personal use and then decided to turn it into a business. 

The treehouse, which boasts two bedrooms, one bathroom, five balconies, a full kitchen and a hot tub, ‘has all the amenities of home and many that only exist in your dreams,’ according to the Airbnb listing.

Inspired by shipping containers his family uses on their farm, he built the treehouse for personal use and then decided to turn it into a business

The treehouse, which boasts two bedrooms, one bathroom, five balconies, a full kitchen and a hot tub (pictured), ‘has all the amenities of home and many that only exist in your dreams’

Taylor wrote on his website that he got the idea to start a treehouse business after he built a 1,400-square-foot, two-story treehouse for personal use.

‘We have a personal treehouse that we built — it’s a traditional treehouse supported by four trees,’ Taylor told Insider. 

‘We actually haven’t finished it yet because this property became available. So I kind of got distracted from my own treehouse to start this treehouse business.’ 

He added that when he tells people he has a treehouse business, ‘this doesn’t come to mind. People think it’s on a small scale,’ Taylor told Insider. 

‘But when I say it’s a two-bedroom, one-bath, with a 400-square-foot living room, a hot tub, and a full kitchen, it kind of catches people off guard.’

One of the bathrooms in the shipping container 1,400-square-foot, two-story treehouse

The treehouse has a modern farmhouse style interior, 20-foot windows, a balcony next to the kitchen and a ‘crow’s nest 50 feet in the air,’ according to the listing

The treehouse has a modern farmhouse style interior, 20-foot windows, a balcony next to the kitchen and a ‘crow’s nest 50 feet in the air,’ according to the listing. 

He told the insider that the treehouse – which is sky high with 85 staircase steps — including the 20-foot-tall spiral staircase outdoors —  is still safe in high winds. 

‘This treehouse is welded to the ground, to 150,000 pounds of concrete plus the tree,’ Taylor said. ‘I would feel more safe in the treehouse than I would in our house in a high-wind situation.’ 

Taylor makes clear that the unique ‘nature’ of the treehouse will make for a unforgettable experience. 

‘Watch birds and squirrels feed 20 [feet] off the ground from the comfort of power recliners,’ the listing reads. 

‘Swing in a hammock 40 [feet] off the ground fully surrounded by extra tall railings. In the evening, start a fire in the covered fire pit and let nature and the crackle of the fire relax you.’

Taylor reveals on his website the inspiration for the name of his first treehouse.  

‘When daydreaming on the farm as a kid about his future as an engineer, his father asked him if he was building Air Castles,’ he wrote.

‘Never before has a daydream come to life with a treehouse that provides much more room and amenities than seen in most dreams.’

He told the insider that the treehouse – which is sky high with 85 staircase steps — including the 20-foot-tall spiral staircase outdoors — is still safe in high winds

The living room has massive windows and the listing says: ‘Watch birds and squirrels feed 20 [feet] off the ground from the comfort of power recliners’

There are two bedrooms and one bathroom in the treehouse which is secluded in the woods

Taylor and his wife, Nancy, have been operating the treehouse rental since May 2021 and ‘Air Castle’ currently has a five-star rating on Airbnb, based on 176 reviews. 

The treehouse is in a secluded wooded area about an hour and fifteen minutes away from Dallas by car, but it hasn’t stopped visitors from coming. 

‘We’ve been surprised by the number of people who have come just for the treehouse,’ Taylor told the Insider. 

‘They’re not traveling through on a trip, they’re flying in from California, from Seattle, from Florida, to this small Texas town with 600 people for a destination getaway.’

While Taylor tells the Insider that another treehouse built out of shipping containers is unlikely in his future plans, he has been acquiring property in the area as a new lake is under development nearby.

There will be updates about future rentals on his website Highpoint Treehouses, which is also on Instagram with more than 7,000 followers. 

The treehouse is located in Ladonia in the area of North Texas. Visitors can book a minimum stay of two nights for $330 per night.