X

An Oregon fire-lookout home

Ever dream of quitting city life for a little cottage on the coast? A cabin in the woods? How about a 388-square-foot home in the forest t...

chamberlainj

The fire lookout home sits 40 feet tall. (Tom Hanny / Zillow)

Ever dream of quitting city life for a little cottage on the coast? A cabin in the woods? How about a 388-square-foot home in the forest that sits 40 feet high?Fascinated by a book about fire lookouts (still widely staffed by U.S. Forest Service in the northwest until the 1960s—before satellites), then-Portland, OR residents Dabney Tompkins and Alan Colley called a ranger district to look into the possibility of renting one.

They rented a couple before deciding to buy 160 acres in the Umpqua National Forest and build their own. Working with a local builder and engineer, their home—with 360-degree views above the treetops—was completed in 2010.

1 /8

2 /8

3 /8

4 /8

5 /8

6 /8

7 /8

8 /8

What started as a weekend getaway is now a full-time dwelling for Dabney and Alan. Read more about their off-the-grid living (the well-used kitchen, the outhouse, the hammock tree, the spring-fed hot tub) here and tour their home in the video below.

Tom Hanny / Zillow