Rico Castillero had to put his architecture degree on the back burner after he graduated in 2006. Entering the workforce as the economy was crashing pushed him to pivot to travel photography, and then remodeling and managing short-term rentals. In both of those roles, he found himself staying in small, cool homes and experiencing unique hospitality spaces—and inspiration for a glamping concept struck.

“I was obsessed with the design side of creating a space that was a disconnect zone; a way to spend more time immersed in a beautiful landscape,” says Castillero. He was also keen to create a unit that could theoretically be moved away to another property in the future—and the sweet spot in terms of size turned out to be sub-200 square feet.

Though he looked into modifying a shipping container, it worked out to be more practical to build a custom 10-by-10-by-20-foot steel frame instead. “It ticked my proportions box,” says Castillero. “I liked the idea of two squares.”

He added a sloped roof to accommodate the leaves and pine needles that regularly fall from the tree canopy, although this impacted the interior floor plan. “On the short side, it would be too short for most people to stand, so we needed to figure out what uses could happen there that would make sense,” he says.

That side of the cabin is where the toilet, desk, and woodstove all live; it’s also where you lay your head on the built-in bed. On the side with the high ceiling, you’ll find a compact but highly functional kitchenette and a luxurious shower.

Design in place, it was time to start the actual building—and Castillero was going to need a helping hand. “Although I like to have my hands in all aspects of things, I knew I couldn’t do it completely by myself,” he says. A new acquaintance, interior designer and stager Duane Reed, was interested in partnering on the project, and so the two jumped in together—and in the process of building the cabin, built a rich, beautiful friendship.

The pair did everything but the plumbing with their own two hands. “To say it was a learning experience was an understatement,” laughs Castillero. Even a few years working in construction didn’t prepare him for the intensive DIY project—particularly as a he has a bit of a perfectionist streak. “If we messed something up, we redid it,” he says. “It was hard, but rewarding.”

Over the course of two years, Reed and Castillero would come out and work for a couple of days at a time, whenever they could find time around life’s other obligations and roadblocks: work, family, the pandemic, Oregon fires, personal renovations, and adoptions carried on.

But while the duo were excited about the idea of eventually having a little hideaway (they’d even eventually call it the Woodlands Hideout) to stay in one day, the build itself was a joy. “I started realizing, the best part of this is the process. This is the good bit!” says Castillero. “I was flooded with a beautiful montage of my friend, who’s now my best friend, building this thing in the woods, problem solving, taking each other’s input and advice, and talking about life stuff, having lunch, navigating the changing things in our world, and doing it together. It was a profound experience.”

He likens it to building a tree fort in the woods—though with adult-level resources and tools, of course. “It’s one thing to design something and have someone build it, but oh man, when your blood, sweat, and tears are in it, it’s next level,” he says.

The Woodlands Hideout is now available to rent on Airbnb.

Related Reading:

10 Cabins, Campers, and Trailers We Dreamed of Escaping to in 2021

A Filmmaker Builds a Rustic Off-Grid Cabin Deep in a Canadian Forest for $64K

Project Credits:

Architectural Designer: Rico Castillero, Further Society / @stay.further

Cobuilder: Duane Reed, Arbor and Co. / @arborand.co

Furniture Sponsor: Floyd Home / @floyddetroit

Plumbing Fixtures: Vigo Industries / @vigoindustries

Appliances: Balmuda / @balmuda_usa