Cd'A treehouse not properly permitted
<p>A 600-square-foot treehouse, fabricated with locally-sourced wood, stands on the property of Paul Buttars’ Timberline Adventures in Coeur d’Alene in this June 6 file photo. The Kootenai County Community Development office recently issued Buttars a violation for not having a building permit for the structure.</p>
A 600-square-foot treehouse south of Beauty Bay recently featured on the DIY Network’s “The Treehouse Guys” is lacking a building permit.
The television episode aired June 7. A notice of violation was sent to owner Paul Buttars on June 8, according to officials with Kootenai County’s Community Development office.
Buttars failed to provide an adequate response after an allotted 45 days, officials said, prompting a recorded notice of violation during a Monday hearing before the Kootenai County commissioners.
Any non-residential structure that exceeds 120 feet needs a building permit, per International Building Code.
The county’s community development officials said they could give Buttars more time, but they could also seek further legal remedy, which could include a revocation of Buttars’ conditional use permit for his zip-line tour company, Timberline Adventures, on the same property.
“You have seen cases where a catastrophe happens, where someone is harmed or worse in this sort of structure, and it hits national news,” said David Callahan, the county’s community development director. “Then every eye focuses on what the local jurisdiction has done or not.”
The sizable treehouse on the Buttars’ 117-acre property is supported by three Douglas firs and is nearly 30 feet from the ground. The main floor is furnished, featuring a couch and wood stove, and a loft with two beds and a small table.
Buttars told The Press in June he eventually plans to use the treehouse for the tour’s lunch breaks and dinners.
Community development director Callahan expressed his concerns.
“There’s tons of problems in terms of meeting the building code, not the least of which is knowing those trees are able to support what is up there,” Callahan added. “All that needs to be engineered, and we haven’t seen any of that.”
Deputy building official Bob Ankersmit said he was approached about the process of obtaining a building permit in May, two weeks before the “The Treehouse Guys” episode aired. The treehouse was built during the winter months.
“I doubt that guard rail is high enough for commercial use, the stairs look too steep for any use,” Ankersmit said. “The handrail isn’t compliant for any use, and who knows what else.”
Kootenai County Commission Chairman Dan Green’s biggest concern was a treehouse was never mentioned when Buttars applied for a conditional use permit.
“They applied for a CUP and made no mention of this in it,” Green said. “There’s no difference with this than, say, opening a lunch stand in (the treehouse), because there was no mention of it.”
Calls to Buttars were not immediately returned.