Located right on Miller Bay in Poulsbo, this waterfront home has all the high-priced usuals, like 5,405 square feet of space, a private dock, a walk-in wine cellar, and a guesthouse. These are amenities most of us can only aspire to, but they’re not particularly unique in the greater Seattle area’s luxury market. It does, however, have something that sets it apart: an exceptional tree house.

It’s called “owl house,” presumably because its facade looks somewhat like an owl’s face. Two round windows sit on either side of a beak-yellow door, each topped with a supercilium-like shade. (That’s what an owl eyebrow is called.)

A compass inlay decorates the hardwood floor just inside the front door; there's a matching one at the entrance to the main house. Exposed-grain tongue-in-groove walls are accented by forest green–stained wainscoting. In one corner, a green wood stove is perfect for warming your hands or making a cup of tea—but you don’t need to haul in any water for it, because the place is plumbed (and powered!), too. That convenient touch also enables a real toilet, so there’s no need to sprint back in the house when you’re trying to commune with the trees.

Porthole windows surround the tree house on all sides. On the slanted back wall—which gives the room a cool shape—built-in cabinets and shelves keep everything level, and both windows on either side have their own bench below. A hefty skylight brings in extra sun. There’s a little loft, too, complete with its own window and skylight.

The tree house is one of a few outbuildings on this property, and it does have a couple of cool neighbors: a log cabin bunkhouse and an ice cream parlor. The cabin has a wall of windows and a double glass door facing the water, two different alcoves with bunk beds and walled-off lofts on both sides, and a stone fireplace. The ice cream parlor is a little less rustic, despite hiding just behind a garage door—it’s modeled after a 1950s hangout, with pink and checkerboard tile and vintage signage.

The main house, built in 1961, has been heavily remodeled, but still has some midcentury goodies like tongue-in-groove ceilings and wide stone fireplaces. Between that and the guesthouse, built in 1981, it has five bedrooms and five and a half baths. With all the living accommodations here, you could start a commune—you'd just have to fight over who got the tree house.

Listing Fast Facts

21330 Miller Bay Road NE, Poulsbo
Size: 6,955 square feet, 8 bedroom/7 bath (all together)
List Date: 7/29/2023
List Price: $6,498,000
Listing Agent: Amy McFarland, Compass