Flowertown Charm Off-Grid Treehouse This primitive off-grid 100% sustainable treehouse located on 23 private wooded acres in WNC, is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, adventure seekers, nature lovers, and hopeless romantics + dog parents! If the long range mountain views weren't enough already…the treehouse is powered by solar, heated with the cutest tiny wood stove, water collected right from the mountain, exhilarating outdoor shower, and the coolest homebiogas toilet with a view! Along with hand-crafted woodwork from local lumber or right from the property itself, adorable kitchenette, custom copper finishes, and plush organic linens. This treehouse makes glamping feel luxurious and romantic. This is not the typical vacation rental, it is an experience of living off-grid, so read more to see why! But let's talk location first...because it's just as magical!
The treehouse is located on 23 private acres in Canton, NC, right on the border of Waynesville, NC, just west of Asheville. The elevation is 3100 and climbs to 3700 to the top of the ridge the property goes up to, and the property is all sloped. There are a few nature trails started, with plans to add more. Down the street is the Ten Acre Farm which sells produce they grow and has yummy homemade pizza & donuts on most Saturdays when in season, and Jukebox Junction is a vintage diner also down the road. Waynesville is super close and is the quintessential Hallmark mountain town with amazing shops, restaurants, and breweries, and everything you need for your stay.
Enjoy hiking? Well perfect because there are hundreds of trails nearby because the treehouse is equidistant to not 1, not 2, but 3 Blue Ridge Parkway entrances and is in the Pisgah National Forest. The highest point along the entire route of the Blue Ridge Parkway is located near us as well at Richland Balsam. In addition the treehouse is on a scenic byway which connects to another scenic byway. That makes the drive just breathtaking, going by farms and forest and runs along the Pigeon River which also offers tubing and amazing fly fishing. If that's not enough we are close to Asheville, Maggie Valley, Hendersonville, and Brevard.
But the treehouse is also perfect if you don't want to see another person, or do anything at all...just relax! It is pretty secluded and tucked away. We made it so you don't have to go anywhere or see anyone if you don't want to.
Interior & Sustainability
We wanted the treehouse to feel a little more romantic and thoughtful than your typical off grid getaway...Let's face it, you don't think "glamourous" when you hear the words "off grid". Well we want to change that! We put a lot of thought and design into making the treehouse feel cozy, magical, and plush, but also focusing on earth friendly and sustainable materials! Every single thing in the treehouse is there with purpose, and mostly that is because it's either sutainably made, environmentally friendly, or made from wood from the property itself. Each item has a story. We wanted folks to see that things they use everyday at home, could be more sustainably made and less wasteful.
The treehouse has an organic Queen mattress and pillows from Happsy Sleep that is sustainably made. 100% organic cotton luxurious bedding from Seeds Concept imported from Portugal, in addition to their plushy towels! The kitchen countertop, fireplace mantle, interior walls, pantry doors, exterior walls, bar stools, cedar rocking chairs, are all made from local wood or wood right from our property.
The ceiling, bed drawers, pantry door frame, and headboard are all made from centuries old barn-wood from our neighbors barn she let us salvage. She's the one with the donkey, Molly, and large pasture of cows you pass coming in.
We use environmentally friendly cleaning products, soaps, as well as sustainably made toilet paper and paper towels, and Ecologie reusable paper towels.
Kitchenette
The kitchen has a 2 propane burner cooktop, and a beautiful copper sink from Sinkology for most of your cooking needs. There is a fold down dish drying rack to clean dishes, and we provide the dishes as well. There are pots and pans for cooking, and kitchen knives, and a teapot for hot water. There's a pour over coffee maker and filters. We also provide a Rugged Road Cooler to keep your food items and drinks cool for your stay, all you need is ice! There is also an outdoor grill. Everything you need to make a yummy off grid meal! In the winter when the plumbing is shut down, we provide 5 gallon water jugs.
The Nitty Gritty
We built this beauty with our own blood, sweat, and tears to be the perfect vacay spot for us and our dogs. But so many friends and acquaintances grew interest in it, so we decided to share it with other folks like us! But there will be wildlife, bugs, a steep hill to walk up and carry your belongings + stairs, and it is off-grid and rural, so it's not for everyone! If you have some physical limitations, can't live without a hairdryer or internet, or handle a bug and their friends, it's not for you...also check out our F.A.Q section for more insight...
We only have 2 direct neighbors, you pass them as you enter our driveway. They are about .25 mile from the treehouse itself so it's very private. The view is towards the National Forest so you will barely see any houses if at all, unless it's in the winter time when foliage is less dense. But because we overlook a valley, sound does echo, so you may hear folks occasionally. You are in the country and woods so you will hear roosters, gunshots, lawn mowers, our neighbors donkey, dogs, and livestock. But also a lot of wildlife; owls, coyotes, birds, squirrels, and sometimes things you haven't heard before...
The solar works for lights, charging cell phones or small electronics, our water pump, and UV light to sanitize our spring water, but it cannot handle anything larger than that. The solar may not work on cloudy days, so keep that in mind. LEASE NO HAIR DRYERS OR SIMILAR APPLIANCES.
The homebiogas toilet works like a marine toilet, it flushes but with a hand pump. It pumps into a giant composting septic bladder bag, that composts human and organic waste, then capturing methane gas that compost creates, which can be used later for cooking or heating gas. IT SOUNDS WEIRD WE KNOW! Cooking with your poop! But it is an amazing complete system with no waste. For the toilet we provide a bidet (not in winter) as well to rinse because toilet paper cannot be flushed as it doesn't break down in the bladder. There is a diaper genie trashcan, you can throw your toilet paper into. You rinse with bidet, and dry your tush with a little tp, throw it away, easy peasy. If I can do anyone can! I am as girly as girly girls come. You've got this.
Our water comes from 2 sources. A seasonal fresh water mountain spring located on our property that we have piped into our 750 gallon water catchment containers. And also our gutter system that funnels into the same containers. We then have a water filtration system under the house that cleans the water of particles and taste, and a UV light that kills any bacteria in the water. The water is then safe to use. However we shut the plumbing down in the cabin during the winter, so we provide water jugs in the winter months.
Wildlife
We definitely have some wildlife since we have 23 acres of raw woodlands and are surrounded by miles and miles of the wooded areas of Cold Mountain Game Lands, Pisgah National Forest, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. We have personally seen at the treehouse; white tailed deer, black bears, coyotes, bobcats, owls, squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, raccoons, possums, and soooo many birds!
With that in mind, please take safety serious! If you own a gun, please feel free to bring it for protection! If not, you can get bear spray, or a fog horn, if wildlife makes you uneasy. It is important to put up your food and trash! We cannot emphasize this enough. We provide a cooler for your food to seal up inside the treehouse or in your car. And we have a large trash bin down the hill by the parking that locks to deter bears. We also encourage guests to take their trash to the local dump 5 minutes away if their trash is stinky or building up. Just be cautious of your surroundings, and make your presence known. Winter or Severe Weather
We do shut down the running water during the winter to prevent the pipes from freezing, typically Nov-March. We will provide guests with 5 gallon drinking water jugs with a dispenser to use, and the toilet still has water to flush. However the bidet, kitchen faucet, bathtub, and shower will not be running. Most guests wouldn't be showering in the cold anyway, we suggest just bringing some bathing wipes (glampers love the scrubbz brand) they leave you feeling very fresh and clean! And for hot water guests can heat up water very quickly in a kettle on the cooktop. All part of a true off-grid experience!
Our driveway and the area in general may be impassible during winter weather and we recommend snow tires, snow chains, and/or 4x4 during the winter months due to ice. Please purchase the travel insurance at checkout if you will be booking a stay with us during the winter in case you cannot make the trip due to weather related issues. If you are worried about any other weather related events, we suggest you purchase the travel insurance at checkout on our website.
What's Nearby?
* Waynesville (8 miles)
* Canton (8 miles)
* Ten Acre Farm (2.4 miles)
* The Coffee Container (3 miles)
* Jukebox Junction Restaurant (3 miles)
* Asheville (26 miles)
* Ingles Grocery Store Waynesville (9 miles)
* Publix Grocery Store Waynesville (10 miles)
* Pigeon River Outfitters Tubing (8.5 miles)
* Lake Logan (4 miles)
* Starbust Swimming Hole (7 miles)
* Blue Ridge Parkway via 215 (15 miles)
* Blue
