In 2015, a Connecticut carpenter and his wife bought 5 acres in upstate New York for $27,000; he built three cabins, and the rentals generated more than $2.1 million

Pic credit: Evergreen cabins

When Chris Broomfield, 51, a Connecticut carpenter, and his wife bought 5 acres of land in upstate New York, he already knew what he was going to do with the property. They bought the land in 2015 for $27,000. Eight years later, the rental cabins he built on that land had generated more than $2.1 million in revenue! Something that began as a weekend project to give his children a financial head start became a thriving hospitality business, a million-dollar business serving Airbnb guests across the region.

How a carpenter built a cabin empire

Chris Broomfield had spent decades doing carpentry contracting work. But there was a problem with passing that legacy forward. “Carpentry is a knowledge- and experience-based [business],” he told CNBC Make It. “I couldn’t really hand that down to my kids. So I needed to build something that at least would give them a head start on something to borrow against or something that creates additional income.” That’s how it began.In 2015, he bought a five-acre property in Remsen, New York. The land was close to the place where he grew up. His brother also had a property nearby. He saw potential in those rolling hills and the property’s proximity to the lake. He thought multiple short-term rental cabins could bring visitors.Broomfield began commuting eight hours every weekend from his Connecticut home to build an A-frame cabin largely by himself.“I always knew it was going to be an Airbnb property. I knew I was going to put multiple cabins on it. I chose this property because it was close to the lake. It was very wooded, and it had rolling hills. I saw its potential with multiple cabins,” he said.Three years into the process, he had completed a one-bedroom structure that would become his flagship property. The build cost roughly $90,000, though he hired outside help for specialised tasks such as drilling the well and handling electrical work. Broomfield’s wife inspired a feature that guests couldn’t stop photographing: a motorised king bed that slides out into the woods, letting renters sleep under the open sky. Along with it came a full kitchen, fireplace, fire pit and multiple decks. They listed the cabin for $60 a night on Airbnb. When demand spiked, the price went up to between $380 and $700 a night. By 2024, the A-frame was pulling in $119,337 annually, with 2025 projections near $143,500.“The process was amazing for me. I loved being up here. 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,” Broomfield told the publication.

More cabins

Once the A-frame cabin went viral, Broomfield moved quickly into his next project: a treehouse cabin. This time, he hired a team rather than doing it alone. Thirteen weeks later, in November 2019, the treehouse was finished. The treehouse, sitting 14 feet up, quickly grabbed attention. Guests had to cross a suspension bridge to reach it. Two bedrooms, a private pond with a dock, a covered porch and a living room overlooking a waterfall attracted families. In 2024, it generated $151,966 in revenue and ranked in Airbnb’s top 10% by ratings and reviews.Broomfield knew this was his true calling. He started building more. In 2021, he completed the Birch Falls Spa Cabin, a studio featuring an 18-foot indoor waterfall, massage bed and soaker jet tub. The $160,000 structure brought in $120,227 that year.The monthly operating costs for the three cabins are about $8,000 in payroll and staff costs. Property taxes add $18,000 annually. Utilities run $700 a month. Against those expenses, Broomfield now pulls in roughly $400,000 a year! By September 2025, the cabins had earned him $2.1 million since the first one was listed for rent in 2018.

Broomfield has no plans to stop. Two more cabins were built: Tiny house, and 2-story container cabin. “There’s always going to be something that is going to be pushing me to do the next thing. I can’t sit back and do nothing. My family is a huge part of my inspiration and my drive; eventually, they are going to be the ones owning this,” he told the outlet. What started as a head start for his kids now became a family business. “The legacy of Evergreen is, I don’t really have a plan for it [but] I do know that it is going to inspire and help people. My kids are going to be a part of that.”Now, Broomfield’s day-to-day consists of overseeing his staff, designing new cabins and developing future plans for Evergreen Cabins.Since retiring, Broomfield says it’s important for him to keep busy and keep building for his family.