$500 a day: the world’s most expensive tree house?

Photo credit: JS Select

The oceanfront tree house was built by the couple in Anna Maria Island for about $20,000, explains Yahoo! Homes, with the permission of Holmes Beach.

“One day in April 2011, Richard went to the city’s building department to request permission to build a tree house on our beachfront pine tree,” explains the couple’s website - called, appropriately enough, CoolTreeHouse.com.

“Mr. S, the building official, conferred with other building officers in the department in front of Richard. He then smiled and gave Richard the verbal permission ‘go ahead, no permit is required, just makes it safe so no one falls out.’”

Now, though, the official they spoke to have left the department and the new official says a permit is required to keep the property. But because it violates “a number of codes”, reports Yahoo! Homes, they cannot have one.

Safety issues, costal zoning concerns and hurricanes have combined with local bureaucracy to turn their treetop getaway into a nightmare.

Speaking to the Anna Maria Island Sun, the inspector said that “he thought Hazen was proposing building a simple deck in the tree, and said he wished he had asked to see a rendering of what turned into a three-level project with glass walls, a roof and a staircase”.

As a result, the couple now face Fines of $500 for every day the tree house remains standing. They are still continuing legal discussions with authorities.

“The story below could happen to you or anybody,” cautions their website.

Consider yourself warned.