Portfolio

Seth Quest / Build Portfolio

Design. Prototype. Build.

Spyglass · Onera · Monarch Treehouse / ArtisTree · near Austin, Texas · 2021–2022

seth@sethquest.com · sethquest.com

Inside the Spyglass rib frame, in the shop
Inside the Spyglass rib frame, in the shop

01 · Spyglass · ArtisTree

From laser model to full-scale rib

Foreman on Spyglass, ArtisTree’s most iconic treehouse. Every treehouse before it had been handmade. I brought in CNC: structural rib parts were prototyped on a laser cutter, then built full scale from CNC-cut components.

Laser-cut rib model, showing nesting
Laser-cut rib model, showing nesting
Rib pattern drawing
Rib pattern drawing
CNC-cut parts picked up for assembly
CNC-cut parts picked up for assembly
Full-scale rib in the shop
Full-scale rib in the shop
Rib layout on the shop floor
Rib layout on the shop floor

01 · Spyglass

Inside the rib frame

Up on the staging, framing the ribs in the shop.

Inside the rib frame

01 · Spyglass · Workshop

The workshop I built

Set up for the Spyglass build: workbenches, a tool wall, and racks for tools and materials.

Tool wall and benches
Tool wall and benches
Shop floor, looking through
Shop floor, looking through
Storage racks
Storage racks
Workbenches
Workbenches

01 · Spyglass · From the build clips

Framing the ribs

Full-scale ribs going up on the trailer frame in the shop.

01 · Spyglass · From the build clips

Steel base plates

Marking, welding and drill work on steel base plates.

Stills from build clips

Steel base plates
Steel base plates
Steel base plates
Steel base plates
Steel base plates

01 · Spyglass

MEP

Mechanical, electrical, plumbing

Rinnai tankless water heater, the exterior mechanical system.
Rinnai tankless water heater, the exterior mechanical system.
Breaker panel by the team's master electrician; I assisted.
Breaker panel by the team's master electrician; I assisted.
PEX hot and cold lines laid out.
PEX hot and cold lines laid out.
Same lines closed in behind ZIP panel.
Same lines closed in behind ZIP panel.

01 · Spyglass

Cladding and details

Thermory cladding going on in the shop, over a black weather barrier.

Thermory cladding install
Thermory cladding install
Cladding nearly complete
Cladding nearly complete
Assembly detail: galvanized steel, HDPE, Thermory cladding, and self-tapping metal finish screws.
Assembly detail: galvanized steel, HDPE, Thermory cladding, and self-tapping metal finish screws.
Custom ladder we built to wrap the side of Spyglass.
Custom ladder we built to wrap the side of Spyglass.

01 · Spyglass

Custom bent steel porch beams

Custom-bent steel structural beams for the exterior porch.
Custom-bent steel structural beams for the exterior porch.
Picking up the beams from the metal bending shop.
Picking up the beams from the metal bending shop.

01 · Spyglass

Moving and setting on site

Spyglass on its trailer at Onera
Spyglass on its trailer at Onera
Setting Spyglass onto its steel base
Setting Spyglass onto its steel base
Spyglass in the shop, ribs sheathed
Spyglass in the shop, ribs sheathed
Finished, seen from the same end
Finished, seen from the same end

01 · Spyglass

Installed

Spyglass, installed among the trees
Spyglass, installed among the trees
Spyglass, on its steel legs
Spyglass, on its steel legs

01 · Spyglass

Spyglass, finished

Spyglass, finished

01 · Spyglass · Finished

Inside and out

Interior
Interior
Front, on steel legs
Front, on steel legs
Deck with cedar hot tub
Deck with cedar hot tub

02 · Onera · ArtisTree · 2021–2022

Seven homes in ten months

Glamping development near Austin, Texas. Co-foreman on two shipping container homes, the Monarch and Spyglass treehouses, a geodesic dome, a cocoon and a safari tent, all with plumbing and AC. Hands-on framing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing and installation.

Shipping container home
Shipping container home
Geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
Safari tent
Safari tent
Cocoon, glass front
Cocoon, glass front

02 · Onera

Foundations and framing

Container home, concrete pour
Container home, concrete pour
Cocoon, concrete piers
Cocoon, concrete piers
Container home, interior wall framing
Container home, interior wall framing

02 · Onera

Structure and assembly

Geodesic dome, telehandler on site
Geodesic dome, telehandler on site
Dome interior, at the oculus
Dome interior, at the oculus
Container home, metal fabrication
Container home, metal fabrication

02 · Onera · Container homes

Catching a problem early

The containers arrived with fiberglass insulation, a condensation and mold risk in Texas with AC running. It came out within the hour, and the team switched to closed-cell spray foam.

Inside a container, respirator on
Inside a container, respirator on
Container home, interior during build-out
Container home, interior during build-out

02 · Onera

The crew

The Onera crew
The Onera crew

03 · Project

Monarch Treehouse

The Monarch Treehouse, inspired by the monarch butterfly, has millions of views on social media.

ArtisTree · Onera, near Austin, Texas

Monarch Treehouse

03 · Monarch Treehouse

Frame up in days, not months

I helped build it and identified Vulkstrut, a prefab system of CNC-made light-gauge steel, so the frame went up in days, not months. That mattered on a treehouse, where everything takes substantially longer above the ground.

Monarch, siding
Monarch, siding

03 · Monarch Treehouse

Monarch, finished

Exterior
Exterior
Exterior, stairs and deck
Exterior, stairs and deck
Bedroom
Bedroom

Seth Quest / Design. Prototype. Build.

seth@sethquest.com · sethquest.com