Have you ever driven past a piece of empty land and thought, “Someone should really do something cool with that”? Most of us keep driving. Chris Broomfield actually stopped the car, bought the dirt, and turned it into a small empire of the most booked cabins you’ve probably wish-listed yourself.
Back in 2015 he was just another fifty-year-old carpenter with callused hands, a pickup truck, and a growing worry that his lifelong trade wouldn’t leave much for his kids. Knowledge doesn’t fit in a will, he figured. So he went looking for something tangible—something they could inherit, borrow against, or simply run one day.
Five wooded acres in Remsen, upstate New York, popped up for $27,000. Close to a lake, rolling hills, the kind of place you can still hear yourself think. He and his wife signed the papers and the adventure started.
From Raw Land to Six-Figure Rentals: The Real Story
Most people would have slapped a mobile home on the lot and called it a day. Chris had bigger, wilder ideas.
Cabin #1 – The A-Frame That Went Viral
For three straight years he drove four hours each way from Connecticut every single weekend. Twelve-hour build days, then back home to keep the contracting business running. Exhausting? Absolutely. But he was building exactly what he wanted—no client changes, no budget compromises.
The result was a one-bedroom A-frame that looks like it fell out of a design magazine. Full kitchen, fireplace, multiple decks, and the feature everyone loses their mind over: a king bed on tracks that slides right out into the forest so guests can sleep under the stars with zero bugs. His wife gets full credit for that genius touch.
Total build cost came in around $90,000—mostly sweat equity. When he listed it on Airbnb in 2018 the starting price was a humble $60 a night. Today, thanks to dynamic pricing and nonstop five-star reviews, it floats between $380 and $700. Last year alone it brought in $119,000, and 2025 is tracking for $143,000.
“I loved being able to build anything that I wanted to build. Something that came from my mind and not a blueprint. The free rein was really enjoyable.”
That first cabin hit Airbnb’s “most wish-listed” list in the entire state of New York and hasn’t left since. Superhost status came fast. The phone started blowing up.
Cabin #2 – The Treehouse Everyone Talks About
With proof the model worked, Chris didn’t waste time. He brought in a small crew and thirteen weeks later the treehouse was ready—14 feet off the ground, suspension bridge entrance, private pond, waterfall views from the primary bedroom. Build cost: about $175,000.
He wanted something that would scream “family adventure.” Mission accomplished. It’s now in the top 10% of homes on the platform nationwide for ratings and reliability. 2024 revenue: $152,000. Not bad for a treehouse.
Cabin #3 – The Spa Cabin Romance Machine
By 2021 he was fully in the groove. The third build became the Birch Falls Spa Cabin—a studio designed for couples who want to disappear from the world. The star of the show is an 18-foot indoor waterfall you can sit beside while getting a massage or soaking in the jetted tub. Another $160,000 later and it was open for business.
Guests leave reviews that basically read like love letters. Revenue last year hit $120,000 and it’s on pace to do the same again.
The Numbers Ten Years In
Let’s put this in perspective. Total land + construction costs across all three cabins sit right around $445,000. Since the first listing went live in 2018 the property has generated $2.1 million in gross revenue. Today the three cabins together pull in roughly $400,000 a year for Chris and his family.
Monthly operating costs? About $700 in utilities, $8,000 in cleaning, maintenance, and staff payroll, plus $18,000 annual property taxes. Still leaves a very healthy profit margin.
In 2021 he hung up his contractor tool belt for good. Retirement, but the kind where you still wake up excited.
- Total investment: ~$472,000 (land + builds + incidentals)
- Total revenue to date: $2.1 million
- Current annual revenue: ~$400,000
- Time to build wealth asset while working full-time: under 7 years
What Most People Get Wrong About This Kind of Project
I’ve watched dozens of “land to rental” stories over the years, and honestly, most crash and burn because of three mistakes Chris avoided completely.
- Trying to copy instead of create. He didn’t build “another” cabin. He built experiences people screenshot and send to their group chats.
- Underestimating the marketing power of uniqueness. A sliding bed into the woods? A treehouse with its own waterfall? Those aren’t amenities—they’re Instagram magnets.
- Waiting until they can “afford” to quit their job. He built the entire first cabin on weekends while running his original business. Momentum beats perfect timing every time.
In my opinion the sliding bed alone has probably paid for half the land by now just through shares and saves.
Lessons Anyone Can Steal (Even If You Never Swing a Hammer)
You don’t need to be a carpenter to copy the playbook. The principles are universal.
- Buy undervalued raw land in a proven getaway area.
- Create something so distinctive people talk about it offline.
- Start small, prove the model, then scale with other people’s money (refinancing) or faster crews.
- Let guest photos do 90% of your marketing.
- Build something your future family can step into without a learning curve of decades.
Chris now spends his days sketching the next cabins, managing a small team, and dreaming about the day his kids take over Evergreen Cabins. He says he can’t sit still—there’s always a next project pulling him forward.
“My family is a huge part of my inspiration and my drive; eventually, they are going to be the ones owning this.”
That, right there, feels like the real win. Not just the money—though $400k a year in mostly passive income is nothing to sneeze at—but the fact he built something durable, beautiful, and profitable that will outlive him.
So next time you drive past a forgotten piece of land, maybe slow down a little. Someone did, and now families make memories there every weekend while the bank account grows on autopilot.
Pretty solid definition of winning at life, if you ask me.
