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The Treeframe Cabin
The Treeframe is an A-frame lifted thirteen feet off the forest floor and held among four evergreens in Index, Washington. Raising it changes what an A-frame is. The familiar triangle becomes a treehouse, and its glass front looks out to the North Fork of the Skykomish River, the forest and the Cascade foothills.
It is the work of Nick Pietsch, a geologist who has spent more than fifteen years turning one family cabin on this riverbank into seven, each built to a different idea. Here the idea is height, with privacy to match: ten acres of untouched forest stand behind the cabin.
The cabin has appeared on A&E's Living Smaller, and Sunset named Index Cabins a winner in its 2026 Travel Awards. The Seattle Times, HeraldNet and TravelAwaits have covered the property as well.
The Space
You climb to it. A flight of stairs leaves the ground and arrives at a deck among the trees, and the cabin beyond is one room under one roof.
Two sloping planes meet at the ridge and everything else is fitted beneath them: the living area below, the bed in a loft where the pitch narrows. At about 455 square feet there is no space for a corridor or a spare wall, so the triangle does the organizing.
The front of the frame is all window, cut into triangles that follow the roofline. Skylights open the slope above the bed. From the loft the glazing holds the river, the mountains and the forest in a single view, which is what Nick Pietsch designed it to do.
Practical: a king bed in the loft and a sofa bed below, a kitchen, a propane fireplace, a heated bathroom floor and a private hot tub on the deck. Forest trails start behind the cabin, a path leads to the river, and a shared sauna and cold plunge stand near the water.
Who It's For
Couples who want to sleep in the trees. The bed sits in a loft under the roof, thirteen feet above the ground.
People who love small buildings. At about 455 square feet, this is a study in how much one triangle can hold.
Hikers and climbers who want a base near the Index Town Wall. Forest trails and the river start at the foot of the stairs, and the town of Index is a fifth of a mile away.
Why Locèlle Loves It
- A treehouse that is also architecture. A complete A-frame raised among four evergreens, not a platform with a view.
- Windows that follow the frame. Custom triangular glazing makes the front of the cabin its view.
- One room, one roof. At about 455 square feet, the structure is the interior.
- A geologist's eye. Nick Pietsch designs every cabin himself, and stone runs through his work, including pieces he makes by hand.
- Privacy by position. Other cabins share the property, yet ten acres of untouched forest lie behind this one.
- Published and awarded. Featured on A&E's Living Smaller, with a Sunset Travel Awards win for Index Cabins in 2026.
- Book Direct. Locèlle introduces you directly to the hosts, so you can book with them without added platform fees.
Designed by Nick Pietsch.
An A-frame in the canopy
The Treeframe is small by design. What it gives back is height: a room among the trunks and a wall of glass toward the river valley.
Nick Pietsch
Every detail tells a story.
Discover how this home was designed, curated, and brought to life—inside and out.
Where you’ll be
Index
,
Washington
,
United States
Neighborhood highlights
The Skykomish and the Index Town Wall. The cabin stands above the south bank of the North Fork of the Skykomish River, near the Index Town Wall, a 1,000-foot granite cliff known to climbers. Stevens Pass is about 20 minutes away for skiing, and the trails to Lake Serene and Heybrook Ridge are close by.
The town of Index. Index is a fifth of a mile down the road, close enough to walk, bike or run. Seattle is about an hour away. The town's general store keeps limited hours, so arrive stocked or use the cabin's grocery service.
A small building with a long view
