SANFORD, Maine — Peter Valcourt's company name is called Purposely Lost, and that is the meaning behind his latest build in Springvale.
"The whole idea behind it is just get away from the rat race of life," said Valcourt.
Tucked down a dirt road, uphill from a quiet, 20-acre, trout-stocked pond, and up a narrow spiral staircase is a 400-square-foot hideaway complete with a full kitchen and bathroom. Designed to utilize the space to its fullest, many things in the treehouse have dual utility; the living room doubles as a dining room, the windowsills in the bedroom serve as nightstand tables, and recessed into the ceiling is a projector and screen. Valcourt and his out-of-state business partner wanted guests to feel off the grid but still have the option to watch television or use wi-fi. Even the parking lot doubles as a leach field.
For the last decade, Valcourt had been working as a property manager and converting condos in Portland. But high city prices and the red-tape of construction regulations pushed him to look elsewhere.
"We were trying to think of something outside of the box," said Valcourt.
The treehouse, with its wrap-around deck, is powered by solar and produces as much electricity as it uses. To lessen the carbon footprint and add to the rustic vibe, the roads are kept unpaved, few trees were torn down during building and there is no lawn.
The developers have more plans in the work. They want to build two more treehouses and two hobbit homes, built into the earth. Each home will sit on 3-acre lots and have a private path to a dock on the pond. Valcourt said he hopes to begin building another treehouse and hobbit home by August 2020.