We converted an old trailer into a retro treehouse. It's super popular with our Airbnb guests — see inside.

• The Maxam family has seven Airbnb properties, including three popular treehouse rentals.
• Their treehouse rental is one of the most popular listings on Airbnb for unique spaces.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Patrice Maxam and Darrel Maxam in Atlanta Georgia, who own unique Airbnb properties. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When we first started our Airbnb business in 2015, we began by renting out bungalows and smaller spaces.

But after doing some research, and after staying in many Airbnbs ourselves, we decided to build our first treehouse rental.

We noticed treehouse Airbnbs were popular and they are timeless, too. They're unique and seem to command a higher price point.

So, we thought if we were going to have an Airbnb business, we needed to do something a bit more unique and different. Since then, raised structures or Airbnbs that aren't on the ground have become our niche.

Overall we have seven Airbnb properties located in New York and in Atlanta, and three of them are treehouses.

Renovating a Airbnb treehouse

In 2021, we put up what became our most popular treehouse, called Young Wild and Tree. It's a converted 1956 Spartan trailer with a 1957 retro vibe for the interior.

When renovating, one thing we had to tackle was the ceiling. It was Darrel who came up with the idea of styling the ceiling like a weave basket. Darrel and his assistant did that, the entire thing took them about two and a half weeks to do.

Another cool feature is the sticker wall, when we purchased the trailer it came with a broken window. So I thought, let's go with the vibe of broken glass.

Then, we decided to decorate it with Atlanta themed stickers. For example, we searched for stickers that represented LGBTQ, Black Lives Matter, and hip hop music, too.

Everytime a new sticker came in the mail, it would arrive in a brown envelope. We probably got close to 50 brown envelopes, and our kids would get excited each time. It felt like Christmas whenever we got to place a new sticker onto the window.

At first, we were simply trying to hide an imperfection and it ended up becoming a huge statement piece.

The challenges of an Airbnb treehouse

With every new Airbnb project there will always be hiccups and challenges. For example, sometimes, things take longer than planned, there are extra labor costs, or there is something new to figure out. We're always learning how to address those hiccups when they happen.

For example, the bathroom took a lot of brain power due to the plumbing. We wondered how we would run water into our treehouse. Eventually we decided to put the bathroom on the ground in a lower structure.

We also had to figure out how to build a staircase around a tree, or a curved object that would change in shape and size. We had to wrap our minds around the circumference and the radius of the tree and tap back into high school geometry class. It was tough but eventually we figured it out.

How to stand out on Airbnb

If you're interested in having an Airbnb of your own, we learned you should make it unique. Try to think, what will guests be excited about? Or why is your Airbnb different from the other Airbnbs on the market?

In our experience, guests also like it when you make the space feel homey, and personable.

You can do that by offering personalized things for your guests when they arrive. For example, we once realized it was our guests 73rd birthday, so to celebrate we asked for his favorite type of wine.

Then when he arrived in his unit, we made sure the wine was chilled. We also gave him a bouquet of flowers.

If you would like to have an Airbnb, realize it's the little details that matter and try to make your guests smile when they enter your space.

Future Airbnb projects

Back in 2020 before the pandemic, we purchased land in Belize and are planning on building an Airbnb there. The property is about an eighth of a mile away from the beach and has a good view of the ocean and the sunset.

We also have other places that we're dreaming of starting Airbnbs in, like Africa. We have really big international dreams and we look forward to growing our unique Airbnb business further.

If you have an Airbnb and would like to share your story, good or bad, email Alyshia Hull at ahull@insider.com.