TreeHouse | Austin Woman Magazine

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Austin-based alternative home-improvement store encourages smart and sustainable living / By Molly Keith / Photo by Caleb Kerr

In the lighting section of TreeHouse, there?s a sign nailed next to a cluster of offbeat lamps that reads, ?Let there be light! Just don?t forget to turn them off when you leave!?

The home-improvement store, a local Austin business, isn?t trying to be Mom. Instead, it?s being what Jason Ballard, co-founder and vice president of sustainability and product stewardship for the store, calls ?smart,? striving to provide not only green and recycled products, but also to educate homeowners on the benefits of using supplies that meet high standards of health, sustainability and performance. The alternative home-improvement company adheres to its corporate credo with the philosophy of helping create Austin companies that encourage responsible communities and educating the people within.

?A lot of homeowners have a lack of awareness about what we bring into our homes,? Ballard says. ?Many products are toxic and inefficient.?

He adds that the biggest mistake he sees homeowners make is ineffectively valuing a product. With this mindset, Ballard and his co-founders created a store that focuses on the value and longevity of every variety of home-improvement product, such as lighting, flooring, insulation, building materials, and kitchen and bath goods. But why build the TreeHouse in Austin?

?Austin is the birthplace of green building,? Ballard says, paying homage to the city?s penchant for environmentally conscious businesses.

Charming kitchen displays are the highlight of TreeHouse. With crystal cabinets, eco-friendly polished countertops, luxurious Kohler sinks and maple wood flooring that is natural, renewable and durable, customers are going to look for excuses to stay busy in the cookery.

In addition to inside-the-home products like kitchen sets and funky lamps, TreeHouse also offers outdoor specialties like organic chicken coops and feed mills. Many products are made locally and all are designed to consider the well-being of the environment.

?TreeHouse is different due to the thoroughness with which we curate our products,? Ballard says. ?We?re attentive.?

TreeHouse is located in the Westgate Shopping Center at 4477 S. Lamar Blvd. Visit treehouseonline.com, or call 512.861.0712 for more information.

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