Today we’d like to introduce you to Marsha Conley.
Hi Marsha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As my husband and I approached retirement, we knew we needed an additional source of income. I owned a piece of land next to our home, and after being inspired by the HGTV show Treehouse Masters, we envisioned creating a treehouse bed and breakfast. With my husband’s carpentry skills and my background as an artist, we began designing what would become the Enchanted Forest Treehouse.
The idea took shape in 2018. I spent two years researching building codes, interviewing engineers, and clearing a dense 3.5-acre wooded lot overgrown with honeysuckle, vines, and underbrush. We worked closely with arborist Craig Small to select the trees that would serve as the structure’s foundation. Two potential sites emerged, but only one provided feasible access for utilities and roadwork. Once construction began, protecting the trees became our top priority. We fenced off the ground beneath their drip lines, prohibited machinery in the area, and used hydro-vacing for the electrical, plumbing, and septic lines. Extra precautions were taken to protect the root systems and ensure their health. Materials had to be carried up ladders by hand until the foundation was complete. Afterwards, we used boom trucks and cranes to deliver lumber and raise the platform.
We hired our treehouse engineer, Charles Greenwood, who designed and fabricated our tree attachment bolts (TABS). He is one of the original engineers of Treehouse Masters. He lives in Cave Junction, Oregon. We drove to his shop where he fabricated the TABS and gave us a lesson on drilling the trees and inserting the bolts. He also coordinated with a local steel fabricator to create the yokes and supports that, along with the platform deck, serve as the foundation for the treehouse.
Building a parking area and driveway required constructing a massive retaining wall. Following the engineer’s plan meant grading land, cutting through a pond, extending into a ravine, adding layers of rock backfill, and installing a drainage pipe. Over four years, we hand-carried every stone, mixed mortar using 60-pound bags, buckets of water, a hoe, and a wheelbarrow, and set each rock in place with hand tools. The result became one of our most-loved features—a whimsical stone landscape complete with a hobbit-house door and the ruins of a castle inhabited by wizards and fae.
Whenever trees had to be removed to clear the driveway, we saved the wood and brought in a portable sawmill to turn it into boards. Those boards became furniture, countertops, mantles, shelves, trim, and décor—returning the wood, and using it in the treehouse was a tribute to the trees themselves.
The treehouse itself took about a year and a half to build, with constant challenges from weather and the steep grade of the hillside. Tree bolts had to be drilled and placed in winter when the trees are dormant. The crane and boom trucks could not park on the hillside unless it was dry, or they risked sliding down the hill. That slowed down the delivery of construction supplies in the spring. We had friends, family, and neighbors help us when they could.
Halfway through the project, COVID hit. Supplies became scarce, prices skyrocketed, and subcontractors were nearly impossible to schedule.
During all of this, I was still working full-time as an RN Surgical Assistant. The medical world was overworked and stressed to the max.. The risk of bringing home a deadly disease and infecting my family was so scary! Also, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Her immunity was affected by the treatment. That increased the risk of transferring the disease to her, as I was her primary caregiver. It was an incredibly stressful time, but with so many of our resources already invested, we had no choice but to push forward.
In 2022, I made the difficult decision to retire from the operating room to focus fully on the business side of our dream, and to remove myself from a job that could literally kill my family. I focused my efforts on learning website development, QuickBooks, and social media management. I took classes through the Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Association, and SCORE. At 62, the business-learning curve was steep, but determination kept me moving.
In January 2023, we welcomed our first guest. Soon after, Tim Ezell filmed a feature on the treehouse, and that exposure opened the door to a steady flow of visitors. Since then, we’ve hosted countless wonderful people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons, or simply seeking an escape from everyday life. The artwork inside was originally all mine, designed to transport guests into a world of fantasy and fairy tales. Over the past two years, I’ve had the joy of connecting with many talented artists whose work now enriches the space. The décor shifts with the seasons, and each stay is personalized with handwritten notes, sweet treats, charcuterie boards, and breakfast packages.
The Enchanted Forest Treehouse has brought an unexpected and deeply appreciated improvement to our quality of life. It allows us to share in guests’ celebrations, offer comfort, and create a place for people to reconnect, relax, and rejuvenate. Knowing that my art can influence someone’s life in such a positive way has enriched my life more than words can describe. As the popularity of the treehouse continues to grow, I remain humbled and grateful. I still create art and cherish the opportunity to collaborate with other artists—networking with so many creative individuals has become one of the greatest joys of this entire adventure.
We continue to do all the daily work, making breakfast, cleaning, laundry, and personally great each guest. I like to add a personal touch to their visit. Some guests are considered friends. Some have already returned two or three times. This gives me the confidence that we are doing something right here, and it rewards all the struggles. The business is a success, and we are scheduling approximately 3 months in advance.
In a personal note, last year, my oldest daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. My husband suffered a stroke and lost sensation and movement on his right side. Currently, both daughters are in remission, and my husband has regained 80% of the use of his right side. We are in our 60s now and will continue to host and operate the bed and breakfast. We have a great support system in our family and good friends. We also have our guests who bring us happiness.
Thank you for sharing our story and bringing awareness to Enchanted Forest Treehouse!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Most of our challenges are described in Our Story, but one of the biggest obstacles we faced was hiring a Missouri engineer to sign off on the work completed by our engineer in Oregon. I made more than twenty calls before finally finding someone willing to take on the project. Cochran Engineering in Union, Missouri, agreed to provide a floor plan and collaborate with Charles Greenwood. One of their engineers, Nathan, worked with me for a year to develop a design. We used scaled drawings of the trees to create a floor plan that would fit naturally into and around the massive branches of two 100-year-old oak trees.
However, at our final meeting—just before submitting the plan to the building department—the senior engineer, who was required to sign off on the design, looked around the room and asked, “Why am I here? And whose idea was it to put a house this size into trees?” That was the moment I realized they were not the right fit for our project, and I fired them.
I then partnered with a draftsman who worked alongside another engineer in St. Louis. Together, they completed the plans, and with their work—combined with the engineering provided by Charles Greenwood—I was finally able to submit everything to the building department and secure the necessary permits.
Lastly, I have to mention the constant challenges created by evolving technology—endless updates, new platforms, and the influence of politics.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve always been driven by a deep love for art. Back in the 1980s, I shared a studio where I sold charcoal drawings, painted signs, sandblasted carved glass, and even taught drawing lessons—all long before computers reshaped the creative world. As technology progressed and I started a family, I chose a different path and entered the medical field.
What followed was 15 years of college, countless hours of continuing education, and the licensing that allowed me to rise to the top of my profession in the operating room. Over 42 years, I served at Missouri Baptist, St. Joseph Hospital, and—most recently—spent three decades at Mercy in Washington, Missouri. I trained new staff and medical students in surgical procedures and specialized in vascular, orthopedics, laparoscopy, urology, gynecology, and plastics. But as politics began to disrupt the profession, the stress and unsafe practices became impossible to ignore. The relentless call hours layered on top of full-time work pushed me to my limits and ultimately motivated me to make a change.
The change was to retire from being an RN Surgical assistant and open a treehouse bed and breakfast. This allowed me to use my artistic talents and design and decorate it with art from myself and local artisans. I am enjoying networking with other artists and collecting their art to enhance the fairytale theme of the business.
I miss the operating room and the colleagues who became like family, but not the overwhelming stress. What I’m most proud of is having the courage to seek a better quality of life—creating a plan, following through, and now enjoying the rewards of that decision. It’s never too late to find your happiness; sometimes you just have to be brave enough to look for it and believe it is attainable.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Know what you want.
Ask “What do I have to do to get it?”
Educate yourself
Be willing to do the tasks.
Follow through.
Overcome the obstacles.
ALWAYS BE OPEN TO LEARNING FROM EVERYONE THAT SURROUNDS YOU! SEEK EDUCATION! SURROUND YOURSELF WITH AT LEAST 5 PEOPLE WHO ARE SMARTER THAN YOU. THEY WILL ALWAYS CHALLENGE YOU TO BECOME A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF. LET THE REWARDS GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF.
Pricing:
- $350.00 WEEKDAYS
- $385.00 WEEKENDS WITH 2 NNGHT MIN
- $60-$65 breakfast options
- $20 Ultimate Fairytale Quest
- $60 charcuterie board
Contact Info:
- Website: https://enchantedforesttreehouse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enchantedforesttreehouse/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enchantedforesttreehouse/
- Other: www.visitmo.com › articles › plan-a-missouri-getaway
