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In Leoberto Leal, Farmer Builds House Alone on Top of a Centennial Fig Tree, Works at Night, Uses Low-Cost Wood, Avoids Nails to Protect the Tree, and Sees the Site Become a Sought-After Tourist Spot.
When a farmer builds a house alone 11 meters up in the branches of a centennial fig tree, he doesn’t just raise a tree house. He brings to life a childhood dream that many have only seen in movies and transforms a piece of the countryside in Santa Catarina into a destination for curious visitors, families, and enchanted children. That’s what Silvino did in the locality of Vargem dos Bugres, in Leoberto Leal, in Greater Florianópolis, when he decided that the huge tree in the middle of the property deserved to become a real house.
More than the construction itself, what catches attention is the path to get there. While most people can only imagine a little house in a tree, the farmer builds a house alone literally in the time he had left after a full day of work in the fields.
Without a ready project, without a manual and without detailed models on how to do it, he combined intuition, planning, and many sleepless nights to erect a spacious wooden structure with a porch, bathroom, and postcard views.
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From Childhood Fantasy to Real Tree House
The tree house is part of the imagination of almost everyone. Silvino recounts that he always wanted a space like those seen in movies and cartoons, where children climb, play, and invent stories. When he bought the property in Vargem dos Bugres and saw the huge fig tree in the middle of the land, the idea began to take shape.
He designed the project himself, looking at examples of tree houses online and adapting everything to the reality of the centennial fig tree he had at home.
The farmer builds a house alone at about 11 meters high, respecting the main branches and taking advantage of the canopy to create a spacious area among the leaves.
To get up there, one must face a ladder with about 35 steps, but the view at the end of the climb makes every step worth it.
Planning, Doubt, and the Challenge of Starting
Silvino admits that, at the beginning, he had no idea where to start. He watched videos that showed completed houses, but almost none explained the step-by-step of the construction. Several times, sitting and looking at the tree, he wondered how to take the plan off the paper.
The first step was to erect the ladder, using two large, heavy wooden pieces. Once that part was ready, he felt that the project finally had a concrete beginning.
From there, the farmer builds a house alone step by step, always looking for ways to keep the structure stable without harming the fig tree.
He himself acknowledges that looking from below seems easy, but starting was the hardest part of the entire project.
Night at the Construction Site, Day in the Fields
During the day, Silvino continued to work in tobacco farming. The routine in the fields took up practically all of commercial hours. The night shift was left for the tree house.
And that’s how the farmer builds a house alone at a time when most people are resting.
At that time, there was still no electricity available at the site where the house would be built. To get around the problem, Silvino ran an extension cord and improvised enough lighting to cut wood, assemble pieces, and fix the structure high up in the fig tree.
His wife, Bel, watched everything from below, always worried about the risk. She is afraid of heights and says that many times she preferred not to look, fearing to see her husband in a dangerous situation high in the tree.
On several nights, she felt the strange silence, without any noise from machines or tools, and would go outside to check if everything was okay.
Silvino, for his part, says there was no safety whatsoever, no harness, no platform, just the certainty that he needed to finish what he had started. He even thought that if it was his time to die, he would fall from there, but he decided to keep going anyway.
Wood, Chains, and Steel Cables to Protect the Centennial Fig Tree
One of the most remarkable points of the project is how the structure has been attached to the tree. From the beginning, Silvino’s concern was not to hurt the fig tree.
That’s why the farmer builds a house alone using eucalyptus wood to reduce costs and, instead of nails directly in the trunk, two large chains and three steel cables that embrace the tree and support the floor and walls.
He explains that he avoided cutting green branches. The only cut was made on a dry branch, still leaving a visible piece to show that it was part of the dead tree, not a healthy branch removed for construction. This reinforces the idea that the house was planned to coexist with the fig tree, not to replace it.
Inside, the space is larger than many people imagine. The house has a bathroom, a living area, and a generous porch facing the surrounding landscape.
Today, it has electricity, allowing the place to be used at different times of the day, whether to rest or to receive visitors.
When Construction Scales Up and Becomes a Tourist Attraction
The farmer’s original plan was to build an even larger house. However, during construction, he realized that half of the fig tree did not have strong enough branches to support a safe enlargement. The project was adapted, but without losing its charm.
Over time, the story that a farmer builds a house alone in a centennial fig tree began to spread throughout the region.
Neighborhood children began to visit frequently, and gradually, people from other cities started to appear.
The tree house became a tourist spot in Leoberto Leal, attracting visitors from municipalities such as Brusque and Botuverá, who head towards the locality of Vargem dos Bugres and ask locals for directions to the famous tree house.
Silvino says he never built it with the intention of attracting attention. The idea was simply to fulfill an old dream. Even so, he admits that he feels happy when someone arrives to see the structure.
The door is almost always open, and if the family is home, visitors are welcome to climb the stairs and see the view from the top.
No Rent, but Plans to Expand the Dream
Many people ask if he intends to rent the house for lodging. The answer is no. The farmer builds a house alone for personal fulfillment and to receive visitors, not to turn the space into a guesthouse.
What he plans to do, however, is to take advantage of the flow of tourists to set up a small service structure, like a bar in the yard, where newcomers can have a beer or a soda.
The excitement with the result is so great that Silvino is already considering repeating the experience. There is another fig tree on the property, and he dreams of building a second tree house, always respecting the health of the plant and using similar solutions to the first construction, with chains and steel cables instead of nails.
The current house was inaugurated in style. The couple made a point of sleeping in it to test everything. On one of the first nights, relatives from Brusque filled the main house, and to accommodate everyone, Silvino and Bel spent the night in the tree house.
After that, their children and nephews also wanted to sleep up there. The farmer guarantees that the structure is sturdy and jokes that the sensation is to be in an even more stable house than many built on the ground.
Farmer Builds House Alone and Proves That Childhood Dreams Have No Expiration Date
In the end, Silvino’s story shows that the label of “child’s play” doesn’t have to be a sentence of abandonment.
When a farmer builds a house alone in a centennial fig tree, facing fear, height, sleepless nights, and lack of manuals, he sends a silent message to those who have set aside their dreams over time.
Old dreams can become concrete projects, as long as someone is willing to start, even without having all the answers.
The tree house in Leoberto Leal has become a backdrop for photos, a meeting point for families, and a calling card for a small town that is now also remembered for an improbable construction.
More than a curious address, it is a reminder that creativity, courage, and perseverance still drive a lot in the interior of Brazil.
And you, after knowing the story of a farmer who builds a house alone high in a centennial fig tree, what childhood dream is still waiting for its chance to come true?
Que orgulho conhecer uma história tão real…e linda …
Perfeito ! Parabéns o senhor é um verdadeiro arquiteto! Lindo demais 😍! Um dia vou conseguir conhecer essa casa ! Deus abençoe o Senhor e todos!
Meus parabéns seu Silvino, fiquei até maia motivada a fazer a minha, pois tenho esse sonho também.