The DIY Network has begun filming the construction of a new treehouse at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) for an upcoming episode of “The Treehouse Guys,” a show where a team of construction experts and artists build creative and complex treehouses and other outdoor projects. 

“The Treehouse Guys” cast member and treehouse designer Michael Garnier is heading up this local treehouse project, which is being built among the branches of an oak tree on the banks of the Suwannee River inside the SOSMP in Northern Suwannee County. Garnier, who runs a private Oregon-based treehouse business called Out ‘n’ About, previously built a treehouse at the park in 1998, a project unrelated to the show.

“He actually picked out the tree they’re working on now when he was here years ago,” said Robin White, SOSMP community liaison.

Garnier’s initial plan for the treehouse places the first floor at 27 feet high, the uppermost peaks of the house at almost 40 feet high, and the total area between 320 and 360 square feet.

“We’re not going to cut any branches,” Garnier said. “So we have to consider how we’re going to deal with them inside the house. You have to think about water or bugs getting in.”

The creative design of the treehouse flows during construction when presented with issues like the branches; or in Garnier’s words, “the tree dictates the design.”

When finished, the treehouse will have two floors, a custom spiral staircase, bedroom, bathroom and small living area. It will be available to rent to guests looking for a lofty retreat with a locally styled artistic interior, according to White.

“It will be ‘majestically eclectic,’” she said.

“The Treehouse Guys” crew got to work last week and hope to have the project completed by the end of March under their $70,000 budget. The first floor platform is already starting to take shape, and the next step in the process once the floor is complete is a stress test. The stress test will determine how much weight the treehouse can hold and will be completed using large barrels filled with 32,000 gallons of water.

According to Suwannee River Water Management District documents, the treehouse will be constructed above the 100-year flood elevation level and will not impede the flow of the Suwannee River during flood stage. The TV show had to obtain special permitting from the SRWMD because the treehouse is being built within a 75-foot buffer of the river, and according to White, the SOSMP will be restoring the surrounding land with vegetation and restricting traffic to the site to preserve the area.

A scheduled airing date for the show has not been announced.