Our Members

Treehouse Village Ecohousing is comprised of 30 households, who have come to Bridgewater from across Canada and around the world to be part of this vibrant multigenerational community. Meet the members of our community!

Phil and Sue
We’ve been investigating Cohousing since 2021, when we first learned about the concept and Treehouse Village. We were taken with the idea of living lightly, and TVE checked all the boxes for us. We have been together for 39 years and share many hobbies, like bike riding, jigsaw puzzles and reading books. Phil likes to look for geocache, tinker with his Rubik’s Cubes and play board games. Sue sews and quilts and is interested in sustainable sewing and crafting. You’ll find her in the garden from May to October.
Andrew and Susan

From the first meeting, we knew we had found kindred spirits. Our passions include community, health, ecology and beauty and we see all those things coming together at Treehouse. Andrew likes to shape wood, glass and flour (not necessarily together). Susan is inspired by natural beauty and tries to recreate it on canvas, etc.

Sharon and Terry
Treehouse and its values align perfectly with our own. We enjoy living in a caring community with others who care about people and the Earth – Treehouse’s proximity to both urban conveniences and nature – the forest and the beaches – are an added bonus!
Shirley

I’m excited to be part of a community with shared meals and I love watching children play. I also love that I can downsize and still have access to common areas. I was born in Nova Scotia and have studied/worked most of my life in Halifax and Dartmouth. I started a business in photography when everything was shot on film and processed in a magical darkroom. I still work part time and love to shoot when I travel.

Wayne, Nelleke and Nina

We were looking for a place where our little daughter Nina could grow up in a loving, caring community with other children and adults around, like an extended family. We found our beautiful opportunity in Treehouse Village! Wayne works as a researcher and teacher in green energy and has been exploring co-housing communities for a few years. Nelleke is a linguist and a counselling therapist originally from the Netherlands, and Nina is doing a great job at growing.

Angie

Although I live in the Annapolis Valley, the South Shore has been calling. I very much look forward to living in an environmentally and socially conscious community where we will share many values, and have abundant opportunities for conversation over meals that I won’t often have to cook! All while living with a smaller footprint: on land with abundant space to roam and be creative on, and in a new home with features that on my own I could not afford, nor imagine.

Kathlyn
Why did I join Treehouse? It’s all about the size. My material needs are few. By joining Treehouse I can give back to the planet by living even more lightly. The bonus to intentional living is that I will be living in a neighbourhood with like-minded people, many of whom I will (or do) call friends. Living in harmony with shared goals and values. Priceless.
Allyson

Imagine! A home that contributes to living lightly on the Earth. A community who shares their talents, treasures, and time. A location with access to a thriving town and a forest, trails, and the ocean. I’m excited to move to Nova Scotia where I’ll continue to work remotely as a writer and where I’ll contribute to this wonderful, multigenerational Treehouse Village.

Heather, Etienne, Mila, Margot and Sacha
After years of living in different parts of the world, we were searching for a place to lay down some roots. We stumbled across Treehouse Village, and it immediately felt right. As a bilingual family, we’re excited to be part of a multilingual, multigenerational community where we can learn from and share life with our neighbours. We’re grateful to know that our children will grow up alongside other kids, who will feel like family.
Kathy and Clara

Adding up the years, we bring over 15 decades of lives lived in villages, towns and cities scattered across Canada, the US and Nepal. We heard about Treehouse, started exploring within a week and six months later moved to Bridgewater to keep our eyes on the construction of our new home, get to know Nova Scotia and delight in the company of nearby Treehouse folks. We think community is the only way to live. To Treehouse we bring an eclectic mix of theology, science, sociology, appreciation of all life’s ages plus enjoyment of cooking, reading, trees and oceans.

Anne

Born in the US, emigrated to Nova Scotia, became a Canadian citizen, and then ended up returning to the US. As I started to get serious about planning my return to Nova Scotia (where both my adult daughters live), cohousing came up on my radar, and not long after that, Treehouse Village came into focus. Living in a tight-knit community, sharing communal meals on a regular basis, energy efficient housing, a great location; it all seemed like a perfect dream.

Tania and Andy

For us, Treehouse Village is a chance to be part of a neighbourly caring community. We came across the Treehouse Village due to our daughter Caitlin and her family. After exploring the idea ourselves it seemed like an ideal solution, allowing us to downsize while living in an environmentally conscientious village surrounded by wonderful like-minded people. Not forgetting also we are closer to our adorable grandson Alfie. A win win.

Emma, Mike, Rosie, Tilly and Samuel
Treehouse Village is the opportunity to turn our ideal community into reality: environmentally conscious, backyard green space, walkability, multi-generational, with the hope of learning and sharing with our neighbours. We are both teachers, Mike at high school and Emma with a local non-profit as an entrepreneurship educator. We look forward to raising our family among friends in Treehouse Village.
Sunil, Therese, Zac and Henry
Cooperative and sustainable living has always been a dream of ours. We’ve done our time in the high-tech industry, and now we’re looking forward to a gentler, wiser, more fulfilling way of life. As a family, we’ve bounced around the world a bit, from the UK to France to Canada, and now we’re thrilled to have found a place to settle so near the sea, and with our own woodland too, in a country we have come to love. Our son, Zac, and golden retriever, Henry, are joining us, and Zac is looking forward to indulging his love of the outdoors. Best of all is the community of neighbours who are sharing this journey with us. We feel very grateful and will always acknowledge our privilege and good fortune. What an adventure life can be!
Monica

I have been a family physician for 33 years with a focus on youth and adult mental health since 2001. I’m now taking some training to become a therapist. I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, with my Canadian father, Syrian mother and brother.

My family moved to Ottawa in 1976, after the war broke out. I have been living and working in Montreal for the past 20 years. I’m looking forward to moving to Bridgewater as I’m drawn to a smaller city and a community that is environmentally conscious, with many opportunities for sharing.

Kathy
I imagine looking out the window to see a friend with whom to share a chat and a cup of tea, working together, learning from each other, and sharing tasks. I look forward to hosting visits from my grandchildren where they can join in the play in the woods, and finally, reducing my ecological footprint while sharing life’s ups and downs with some lovely people. I am a Waldorf teacher and I hope to learn how to transform education for a charitable organization that I began which built and operates a school in Madagascar.
Katy and Michael

We are doubling up with our new experiences, by leaping into both intergenerational and collaborative community living! Katy and Michael share appreciation and anticipation of the practicalities and enjoyments we imagine living at Treehouse will bring to us.

Bastian, Emily, Cora and Marlo

Burned out by the hectic and ever-changing social environment in a big city, we were looking to find community in smaller-scale environment with more trees than concrete. We looked into intentional communities and narrowed down the list of possible regions to the East Coast of Canada. Lo and behold Nova Scotia had to offer one of a very special kind: Treehouse Village. We love to be surrounded by bilingual and multi-generational people who share the same values but also challenge us to look beyond our own thinking bubbles. We are excited to explore the great outdoors of Canada and embark on many new adventures with our kids and new neighbours.

Pati

I learned when I lived in student housing that I liked running into people I knew and stopping for a chat – or longer. Living in community offered me the best of both worlds – privacy when I wanted it, and someone usually in the common room when I wanted company. Over the last 30 years or so our culture seems to have turned toward making appointments even for a phone call, and I found myself yearning for community. Being older and more careful, I searched for a community with high commitment to Sociocracy and compassionate communication.

Cate, Leon and Dylan

We are the “burning souls” of Treehouse Village Ecohousing. It has been our long-time dream to live in cohousing, and we are so excited to realize this in the town we have come to love. Leon is a municipal sustainability planner, Cate is an environmental educator and community developer, and Dylan is a robot designer.

Diana, Valentin and Emilia
Our hearts beat with gratitude and joy knowing that Treehouse Village is the materialisation of the future we have been longing for. An intentional community galvanised by mutual understanding, growing trust, shared values, and vision on living lightly. Here we can co-create a healthy environment and weave meaningful connections with our neighbours.
Bob and Susan
We first learned about cohousing many years ago. We have been following the steady and inspiring progress of Treehouse Village, and are finally members of Treehouse as of Fall 2022. Currently, we live in St Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, and enjoy our two sons, their partners and three grandchildren, music making, gardening, kayaking and the incredible beauty of Nova Scotia. We are delighted to be part of a strong and inspiring community as we move into the future.
Katherine

My retirement from being a university professor coincided with the sustained increase in Treehouse development work. Now that the Village is built and I am living in it, I am curious to see how my retirement will take shape. Living in our intentional community, built together, in a walkable town and close to the ocean, and very close to my daughter and son-in-law’s farm offers me many options! You will likely find me in the gym, on the water, in the garden, on the farm, writing or painting.

Máel
I first learned about cohousing in 2005. Fast forward, or not, to 2020 I learned about Treehouse. As I thought ahead to retirement, both Nova Scotia and a multi-generational and intentional community with a focus on sustainability were incredibly appealing. The opportunity to limit my impact on the earth through shared ownership/limited consumption of goods was a plus. A walkable town within a reasonable distance of a city and beaches within 20 minutes? Ideal! Treehouse also appeared to be composed of those who share my values and goals. I once shared the thought, “These are my people.” I could not have predicted the degree to which that would be realized. It’s certainly been an adventure. I now look forward to spending time with my neighbours and further building community together.
Scott and Becky
We recently moved back to Canada after living in California for seven years. Our Treehouse ‘family’ of neighbours has helped us get settled and feel at home here in Bridgewater. We enjoy exploring the nature that is at our door. In looking for a place to live community was one of the most important things – that and awareness of climate change and how that might affect housing options. We love living in a multi-age community where we have fun together.
Meg and Matt

We are excited to be part of this dynamic community with friends living next door. Matt works in sports analytics and Meg works as a leadership coach and trainer for change-makers. With remote work allowing us to live anywhere, we could not think of a better home than Treehouse Village. We look forward to slack-lining in the woods, adventures around the South Shore, and meals and board games with neighbours.

Caitlin, David and Alfie

We stumbled across Treehouse Village by happy accident in February 2019, just before our son Alfie was born, and we are ecstatic to have found such a warm, generous and supportive community in which to raise him. David is currently forging a career between environmental advocacy and green building, Caitlin recently complete an MA in Cultural Anthropology at Dalhousie, and Alfie is, frankly, adorable.