探秘世界上最高的树屋_高清图集--By Tammy Hughes,2 April 2012

The world's tallest treehouse, located in Crossville, Tennessee, makes the Swiss Family Robinsons look like a bunch of amateurs - but that might be because it was commissioned by God.

The 1960 Disney film about a family shipwrecked on an island, features an impressive treehouse complete with its own water mill.

But the Robinson's home pales in significance next to this structure, which took builder Horace Burgess 11 years to build.

Ten stories: The tree house in Crossville Tennessee, the tallest in the world and it has taken 11 years for builder Horace Burgess to finish

Envious: The vast, cavernous, interior is large enough to make the likes of even Swiss Family Robinson envious. That family, from a 1960s Disney movie, built a splendid tree house while trapped on an island

Horace, who lives in the 10 story wooden house, said he begun the build in 1993 after he received a vision from God, who said he would never run out of materials if he built it.

The enormous treehouse is a whopping 10,000 square feet but only cost Horace a reasonable $12,000 thanks to his thrifty use of recycled materials.

Inside there are spiral staircases, a sanctuary, a choir loft, a basketball court, and countless rooms, walkways and balconies.

These photos were taken by photographer Tom Whetton, 63, on March 15, this year.

He said: 'The treehouse is incredibly impressive.

'You can't really appreciate the scale until you are standing next to it but it is absolutely huge.

'I was told that the whole thing is supported by just six trees and that Horace used 258,000 nails to put everything together.

'This house is every kids dream. Even I wanted to go inside and explore.'

More like tree mansion: The builder, Horace Burgess, calls this 10,000-square-foot structure

Wonders inside: The tree house features a spiral staircases, a sanctuary, a choir loft, a basketball court and countless rooms, walkways and balconies

The view: In rural Crossville, Tennessee, Mr Burgess built his tree house as a testament to God

Hard work: The entire house took more than 268,000 nails to build -- ad a lot of elbow grease

Dream house: Tom Whetton, the photographer who snapped pictures of the place, said the house is the sort of place every kid dreams about exploring

Church service: The tree house is meant as a testament to God's glory. And it also offers a space for worship

Competition: The Swiss Family Robinson, from a 1960 Disney film, lived in a somewhat less elaborate structure