The Story Behind Treehouses Yao Noi
Some places are carefully planned. Others take shape one idea at a time.
Hidden among the forests of Koh Yao Noi, Treehouses Yao Noi is the result of one man's lifelong fascination with building, creating and imagining something that simply didn't exist. What began as an unlikely dream became nearly a decade of craftsmanship, experimentation and determination - transforming a quiet piece of jungle into a collection of hand-built treehouses unlike anywhere else in Thailand.
This is the story behind them.
A Dream Long Before the Island
Long before there were treehouses hidden in the forests of Koh Yao Noi, there was simply a lifelong fascination with making things by hand.
For decades, Hubs worked as an artist, custom knife maker and motorcycle builder, always drawn to projects that demanded patience, creativity and craftsmanship rather than shortcuts. Every piece became an opportunity to experiment, solve problems and create something entirely original.
Yet one idea quietly stayed with him for almost fifty years.
Not a business.
Not a resort.
Just a vision of building treehouses unlike anything he had ever seen.
Eventually, that dream brought him to a quiet island in Phang Nga Bay, where imagination would finally give way to reality.
"There were never any grand plans. Only ideas waiting to be built."
Starting With Nothing
The dream was simple.
Building it was anything but.
When work began, there were no detailed blueprints, no large construction company and no guarantee that any of it would actually work. The site was little more than dense tropical vegetation, scattered ideas and a determination to somehow turn imagination into reality.
Communication brought its own challenge.
Hubs didn't speak Thai.
The local team didn't speak English.
Most days began with rough sketches drawn in the dirt, hand gestures, laughter and patience. Every solution was discovered together, one conversation at a time.
The project slowly found its rhythm.
Not because everything went to plan...
But because there was never a plan to begin with.
"Sometimes the only blueprint was the picture inside my head."
Building Without Blueprints
There were no architectural drawings to follow. Each treehouse evolved slowly, shaped by observation, experimentation and countless small decisions made on site. Every curve was adjusted by eye. Every structure changed as new ideas emerged. Nothing was copied. Nothing came from a template.
Sometimes the simplest tools became the most valuable. Broken kitchen knives carved texture into fresh cement. Aluminium foil created natural patterns. Plastic bags softened rough surfaces. Ordinary materials were used in extraordinary ways, helping transform concrete and steel into something that felt as though it had grown naturally from the forest itself.
"If something didn't exist... we simply had to invent it."
The Hands That Built It
Treehouses Yao Noi may have started with one person's dream,
but it could never have been built by one person alone.
Over the years, local craftsmen, builders, friends and families became part of the journey, solving problems together,
sharing ideas and celebrating each small milestone as another treehouse slowly came to life.
Many arrived as workers.
Most left as friends.
Their patience, humour and extraordinary skill can still be found throughout the property today - in every carved detail, every timber bridge and every hand-shaped curve that quietly blends into the surrounding forest.
The treehouses tell one story.
The people behind them tell another.
This story wouldn't exist without Yar, Tu, Pom, Noi and the many friends and families of Koh Yao Noi who shared their time,
skill and patience over the years.
"The greatest thing we built wasn't the treehouses. It was the friendships."
Every Detail Matters
As the treehouses slowly took shape, attention turned to the details that would give the place its character. Furniture was made by hand. Structures were shaped rather than built.Â
A lake was always part of the vision, and one was dug long before there was even a road to the property, let alone electricity. Once the lake existed, a bridge seemed natural.
Very little was chosen because it was easy.
Almost everything was chosen because it felt right.
Years later, visitors often notice the smallest details first - a carved handle, the texture of a wall, the curve of a staircase or the quiet way each bridge disappears into the trees. Those details were never accidental.
"The details are what make a place feel alive."
The Story Continues
Not every chapter of this story survived.
For years, thousands of photographs documented every stage of the build - from the very first clearing in the jungle to the final finishing touches inside each treehouse.
Then, somewhere on Koh Yao Noi, an old hard drive disappeared.
Despite countless searches, it was never found.
Many of those memories disappeared with it.
The photographs that remain are the ones you've seen throughout this page.
They're imperfect.
Sometimes blurred.
Rarely planned.
But perhaps that's exactly why they matter.
They capture the project as it really was - messy, uncertain, exhausting, joyful and completely genuine.
Today, the treehouses continue to evolve.
Small details are still being added.
New ideas still appear.
Old ones continue to change.
Like the jungle around them, this place has never really stopped growing.
Perhaps it never will.
"When I look around the treehouses now,
I don't see a finished project. I see a living place that keeps teaching us how to listen, how to slow down and how to build with more care than we thought we had."
– HUBS, FOUNDER OF TREEHOUSES YAO NOI
Hubs taking a break from building the treehouses.
If you've read this far, thank you for taking the time to understand how Treehouses Yao Noi came to be.
Every guest who walks across our bridge, sits beneath our roofs or wakes to the sounds of the forest becomes part of a story that is still being written.
We'd love to welcome you to the next chapter.