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Brownstone Owner Mulls Renting Out Backyard Treehouse Through Airbnb

By James Fanelli | November 11, 2014 7:41am
 Gennaro Brooks-Church has built an eco-friendly treehouse in the backyard of his Carroll Gardens brownstone. He said he's "semi-seriously" considering renting it out on Airbnb.
Eco-Friendly Contractor Builds Treehouse in Backyard
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CARROLL GARDENS — Gennaro Brooks-Church just finished building what will likely make his three children the envy of every kid on their Brooklyn block — an epic treehouse in the backyard of their brownstone.

In fact Brooks-Church, an eco-friendly designer and contractor, thinks that the leafy retreat will be such a hit with people of all ages that he's even toying with the idea of renting it out next summer for overnight stays.

"We are semi-seriously contemplating using Airbnb," the 43-year-old said, noting that he'd have to make sure it were legal first.

"I think people would enjoy it, the experience of coming to Brooklyn and staying in a tree. But I'm pretty mindful of staying within the law. I don't have any desire to buck the system."

 The owner of a Carroll Gardens brownstone plans on putting up an eco-friendly tree house this summer in his backyard.
Eco-Friendly Builder Plans Tree House
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DNAinfo New York reported in July that Brooks-Church, the owner of contracting firm Eco Brooklyn, was about to break ground on the treehouse. His plan was to repurpose thrown-out material into a hideout for his three children behind the family's Carroll Garden brownstone.

The finished product — a dark wooden two-story structure that rises among knotted vines and deciduous trees known as Trees of Heaven — makes good on that goal.

The wood is the discarded remains of a water tower that Brooks-Church found in a dumpster. The treehouse's floors and windows are made from glass that an advertising firm had thrown out.

Two horizontal tree trunks serve as planks leading from the backyard to the treehouse's first floor, which is raised above the ground. An old metal railing from a roof has been transformed into a ladder connecting the first and second floors.

"The main thing I'm so proud of ... is that all this beautiful stuff is from a dumpster," Brooks-Church said. "It's kind of beautiful and tragic at the same time."

Brooks-Church has made a career out of going green. His firm gets materials for its jobs by salvaging bricks, joists and other debris that construction crews less focused on conservation have tossed aside.

His own brownstone, which doubles as a showroom for Eco Brooklyn, is made from recycled material. One stairwell is furnished from an old fire escape.

"At this point, we're like advanced garbage pickers," Brooks-Church said of his firm. "We gather stuff and say that would be good for one floor, that would be good for a treehouse."

Brooks-Church's treehouse is the latest addition to an already tricked-out backyard. A few years ago, he built a 5-foot-5-inch-deep natural pool that's filtered by fish and gravel. The backyard is also home to raspberry bushes and an apiary to harvest honey.

Brooks-Church said his girlfriend wants him to build a natural jacuzzi next to the treehouse that's heated by solar thermal energy. He also plans on adding an outdoor shower and a trampoline.

He sees the treehouse as an ideal place to relax during the summer months. The shaded first floor has a bench to kick back on. He plans on installing a hammock on the second floor and having a river surrounded by flora run underneath the first floor.

He said the treehouse will stay extra cool because of its green roof, which is covered in soil with creeping juniper and wild flowers growing out of it. He also designed it to have good cross-ventilation.

Brooks-Church said he did everything architecture schools tell students not to do when he started constructing the tree house. For one, he didn't have a design before he began. He just built it organically. 

He said he's not 100-percent happy with the design, but his most important critics have given him high praise.

"The kids love it. They can't wait for the summer to have sleepovers," he said.