The neighbors don´t object to this? Seriously???

Usually zoning and ordinance stories irritate me...this one, sorry, the folks are wrong.

That is not a treehouse, but a standalone that looks self-supporting.

I built a "space ship" mounted on 6 4x4s for my sons. It is just as big as this house, with lots of mechanisms, noisemakers and things inside. When we moved, I took it completely apart, labeled all the parts, then transported all the wood and parts to my new house. 5 months later during spring I rebuilt it.

This little house could be easily disassembled, 4x4s in concrete in the backyard, and reassembled.

My God who are they kidding.

That´s not a tree house--unless the family is named Robinson....

Hopefully, the outlets in the bathroom are GFI grounded.

What was left for the boys to do? install the doorbell?

I thought I would be the only poster who thinks this ´treehouse´ is not a treehouse. It´s a tool shed you buy at Home Depot or Lowe´s then stuck up on poles, If it was on my block, I wouldn´t have signed the petition to let them keep it.

Treehouses are nice, IF they are in the BACKyards. Very poor choice of location and contempt for neighbors.
Who in their right mind wants something like this on their front lawn?

Wbat a bunch of grumps - I think it is darling and would not care if he painted it bright orange and pink. What fun for the kids in the neighborhood - well, maybe not considering the dolts that live there and are so picky with playhouses. bah humbug time!

Scrooge here. I can see the value of a discussion round the dinner table about erecting such a structure. If the adults had acted like, well, adults, they could have taught a great lesson to the boys. Imagine if all the neighbors on the street built various structures in their front yards right next to the place where people walk. Things like planes, storage sheds (like theirs), above ground pools, dinosaurs. And even a very old rusted car decorated with lights. But the adults chose to act like friends, kids, and eventually caused the disappointment for the boys. If it´s allowed, and it seems it is, then the backyard would be appropriate for a shed on stilts. Bad parents and grandpa.

#5 - That was exactly my first thought - don´t they have a back yard?
Yeah, it´s neat and all, but it really belongs in a back yard.
If I were a neighbor, I´d pitch in to help them move it rather than tear it down.

You know what...unless you crabby people are inconvenienced by it, shove off. They gathered signatures from their neighbors and the neighbors said they were fine with it, but for some reason you crabs still are not happy.

Pretty much everyone in the area WHERE IT IS and on the council are in agreement and yet you people still have to be negative.

Seriously, WHAT is your problem?

Seems not many Americans are American freedom loving individuals anymore.

Good thing the neighbors are sticking up for the kids - few here are.

Glad I´m not stuck living on a street with that presumptuous, inconsiderate jerk for neighbor. It´s apcray like that that zoning and setback rules are made for. Oh, they´re passing around a petition? No pressure, huh? Tyranny of the majority, anyone? What an eyesore.

Totally agreeing with the majority of the posters here. This "treehouse" is totally intrusive and not so considerate of others´ front yards and of their neighborhood. I too always thought of a treehouse as being in the backyard (and fairly small). These people are pushing the envelope. Narcissism writ large. Just because ya can doesn´t mean ya should.

When the majority of Ldotters side with the government bureaucratic gestapos, the country truly is lost.

Dear Neanderthal, being against the treehouse has nothing to do with "siding with the government" but rather with manners and being (oh how quaint) classy. One does not impose on one´s neighbors. Has nuttin´ to do with the gubmint. But has a lot to do with knowing one´s bounderies and with respecting others. That´s conservatism.

Given the earlier story on micro-mini "homes," I wonder if this isn´t a multi-family dwelling?

There´s just something in the air tonight making people grouchy. I think it´s a bad omen when good people start acting mean.

Looks like a So. Texas deer blind. ...Maybe it could be moved to the back yard?

The response to this story and the Ohio man sent to jail has me wondering about some of the posters here!Mean spirited and contrary come to mind. Some of the words being used are in my opinion worse that some words banned here.Ted in Michigan

Good luck to any neighbor who might want to sell his own house with that thing perched across the street.

I guess Grinches are alive and well! Maybe you all want your houses to be exactly alike and all the same color too. Mind you that if the same tree house had been built 14 feet over, it would have been legal and you would still have to look at it. Lighten up just a bit and enjoy life instead of continually fretting. You´ll live longer and who knows people might like you!

Listen, I am the biggest proponent of freedom and getting the government out of our lives. But let me ask a few questions. 1) Let´s say most of the neighbors sign the petition to keep it, but the people next door and across the street don´t like it. Is it right to push mob rule on them? 2) What if your next door neighbor wanted to paint his house purple with pink polka dots, string lots of garrish lights and decorations all over and dig out his lawn to put his favorite sculpture (an old rusted 63 chevy with fake flowers on it). Would you still say, oh how quaint? Would you be happy and accepting? 3) What if your neighbor decides to open a drive-through store with water slides and big clowns on the roof on his residentially zoned property? Oh, is that evil government intrusion to uphold zoning laws?

Before attacking people, maybe you should think of all the consequences first and remember that a lot of "accepting" folks tend to change their tune whenbit comes to their own property being affected.

I´m thinkin´ that there may have been a few neighbors who really didn´t appreciate a shed in a tree on the front lawn, but after all the hoohaa and petitioning (and seeing other signatures on the petition) the ones who may have voted NO just quietly shut up and sat down. I´d like to know how/if this affects comps and if any of the neighboring homes have sold in the meantime. As much as I truly HATE HOA´s, this might just be one of the best reasons why they were formed...

This is such a small problem in light of what is going on in the world it is hard for me to take seriously. I think it is for the people that actually live in the area to work out. Ideally we would all live a 100 miles apart.

Location, location, location..this "tree house" belongs in the back yard not out on the front lawn.

I live in the sticks for a reason. I can´t even see any neighbors. What they build is their business and what I build is mine. Nobody here signs petitions.

If they love it, and the neighbors don´t care, not my dog.

I just wondered how many illegals knocked on the door wanting to rent it.

I think that they picked this location because of the tree and perhaps there are no trees in the backyard. Good grief, it´s a nice structure that is not going to be there forever. In my neighborhood, semi-rural, we have treehouses and lots of ittle houses for the kids to wait in for the bus on cold winter mornings, all in the front yards. No one´s griping! Especially if it gets kids outside and away from video games.

This is total white trash. Thank you God that I live in a homes association neighborhood where the value of my home will never be brought down by hillbilly architects and their Home Depot 2x4s.

OMG- what an eyesore! There goes the property values. That´s not really built in a tree as most tree houses are. It looks like a free standing building on stilts. Pick it up and move it to the backyard.

Seriously folks, this is Montana... not Middleburg, VA [where training arena lights are not welcome] or Chevy Chase...

This family sounds focused and neighborhood-friendly... If I had eight-year-old sons again, much rather them be here reenacting than local mall...

The yard also seems to contain a canoe, and the driveway seems to be home to a permanently parked storage trailer and a large amount of building materials. I wonder if the reason they put this structure in the front yard is that the back yard is already filled. It seems out of character with the neighborhood.