 Not for political reasons, you understand, and not because they've all finally snapped, thrown off their shackles and run wild in the local woodlands.
Indeed, no. Rest assured. You're unlikely to encounter feral executives swinging from sycamores or chest-thumping Tarzans in National Trust treetops. Whoops and shrieks are not shattering the still Home County's air and the coo of the indigenous pigeon is still audible on a cool summer's evening.
What you are likely to encounter, should you venture into some of the country's finest gardens and grounds, is a new enthusiasm for upmarket, bespoke tree houses. Just about everyone, after all, has a conservatory or a summer house, but how many of us can boast of a designer bolt hole high among the branches?
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Atavistic Urges
The appeal of a treehouse hardly needs much elaboration. If you didn't have one as a child you probably dreamt of one, and if you did it will surely bring back happy memories of long, carefree days spent camped out in a mature Oak, Beech or a commodious Horse Chestnut.
 Add to that the compelling examples from literature and fantasy everything from Winnie the Pooh and the Swiss Family Robinson to Tarzan & Jane and Tolkein's "Town in the Trees" and you have the makings of every marketing man's dream: a product so rooted in our subconscious yearning for escape that the powerful emotional appeal makes it well-nigh irresistible.
This, in short, was a market ripe for the plucking, so it's surprising that it took so long for someone to come up with the goods. But in Britain, at least, top notch treehouses are a relatively recent arrival and the market is still, more or less, dominated by one company: PearTree, a Scottish-based outfit which has come up with some truly breath-taking constructions.
PearTree set up shop back in 1997 under the capable direction of John Andrew Harris, a man whose fascination with treehouses began as a child and was revived many years later when he built one for his own children.
He still builds treehouses for kids, delightful hideaways secluded in the branches, but he also constructs amazing one-off retreats for romantic adults keen to escape the daily grind and chill out in an arboreal sanctuary far from the maddening crowd.
 At the bottom end of the market Peartree will build you a drink's deck for about £3,650 while a decent children's treehouse will set you back about £6,000. But for those who want to make a more serious statement it may be necessary to remortgage the house. A large adult treehouse capable of accommodating 30 or more will cost anywhere from £40,000-£60,000.
It doesn't stop there. John says the company has built treehouses with Agas and log burning stoves, treehouses with hot and cold running, treehouses which spread expansively between five or six trunks and one enormous construction which is framed around a small forest of some 24 well-rooted supports.
At the moment, he adds, he's about to build a real cracker. "We've been commissioned to build a treehouse in the Midlands. It will have three levels, three floors and will include a roof of beaten copper shaped liked a church spire. The roof alone will cost £30,000 and the whole project will be finished to the highest possible standards. A crystal chandelier will form a centrepiece. The final bill will be somewhere in the region of £170,000".
Quite what the new owner will use this extravagant creation for remains to be seen. But thus far Peartree's efforts have been put to a wide range of uses, everything from play areas and offices to havens of rest and repose. They've even been used as dining rooms for exclusive parties and informal entertainment.
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As this makes clear, treehouses may be a lot of fun but the business is far from child's play. The company now has surveyors all over the country who will drop by to view your prospective site and an army of 30 builders constructing six treehouses a week.
"Every job is different," John points out. "As with every tree, every project is totally unique. Our method is to build within and around the tree only removing branches when absolutely necessary. Our ambition is to build the treehouse without harming the tree in any way and taking into account future growth".
Peartree will construct a treehouse or deck, using a combination of hard and soft timbers, in just about any tree which is fit and strong, showing no signs of rot and which is not too young or too old. However, for safety reasons they recommend using deep-rooted tress such as Oak, Ash, Chestnut, Lime, Beech, Apple and Pear rather than more shallow species such as Elm, sycamore and Silver Birch.
Planning permission is generally not needed but some of the larger and more extravagant efforts will certainly have to be cleared with the local authority. PearTree urge prospective owners to consider proximity to neighbouring property and point out that common sense dictates that they don't build too near a road for fear of distracting drivers.
That said, if you have the tree they have the technology. Thus far the company has built around 400 treehouses, and business is clearly booming. A treehouse can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to construct but you may have to wait a couple of months for the crew to get down to work.
"If we did a consultation tomorrow," says John, "we could come up with a design matching the owner's requirements and the nature of the tree but at present we're very busy. It would probably be August before we could make a start. We're very fully booked".
The company operates all over the UK and has also (sorry!) branched out into Europe. John reckons they're now the largest treehouse company in the world. They may well be. Acorns, as we all know, make mighty Oaks.
All images are from PearTree. Thumbnail image is John Andrew Harris.
Links:
For more information on PearTree visit their beautifully designed website
PearTree.Tel: 01560 600111.
International Association of Arboculture Lots of information on treecare and a good list of handy links.
Michael O'Flynn
© Find A Property 2000-2007
