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says Crawford. “It’s all gone to engineering costs to bring
it to code. It’s such an unusual project, with nothing built
like it previously.”
Crawford expects the final costs of the Hemloft’s
resurrection (before maintenance and upkeep) to come in
at about $35,000. Recouping these costs while keeping
the Hemloft free and accessible was the biggest dilemma
for Crawford.
“I realized that if we charged for it, it would become
problematic,” he says. “But I knew it would be a draw, so
what I finally came upwithwas to put it next to a coffee
shopwhere people could come sit and enjoy it. We also
want to integrate it into some of our adventure tours.”
If all the permits go through, The Hemloft Cafe, as
Crawford plans to call it, will be perched along Callaghan
Creek, in the forest with
mountain views. “It’s going
to be in a much more
majestic spot than the original
location,” he says. “And once
it goes up, it will be structurally
sound, safe and to code.
Everything a treehouse probably
shouldn’t be, really.”
And even if the concept doesn’t break
even, Crawford has no regrets. “It’s just
great to preserve a piece of Whistler history,”
he says. “The child in you will always want to go
up into a treehouse, plus there are the aesthetics and
beauty and architectural value of it. Sometimes you have
to put your money where your dream is, blindly go for it
and hope for the best.”
"Sometimesyouhave toput yourmoneywhereyour dream is,
blindlygo for it andhope for thebest."–AllanCrawford
TheHemloft in its original home in theWhistlerwoods. KYLEGRAHAM
