This Dec. 30, 2014 photo shows the kitchen in the treehouse at Mike Splinter’s home in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, Calif. Splinter’s treehouse was recently featured in the show Treehouse Masters, where an expert builder constructs a treehouse at someone’s home, but Northern California authorities are telling Splinter and his wife Pat to prune back their deluxe treehouse. The 500-square-foot treehouse features a full kitchen, a bathroom and all the plumbing. But Placer County officials say that the family already has a full guest cottage on their property, so the treehouse’s full kitchen and mattress must go.(AP Photo/Sacramento Bee, Lezlie Sterling)
GRANITE BAY, Calif. (AP) — Northern California authorities are telling a Placer County couple to prune back their deluxe treehouse.
Mike and Pat Splinter’s 500-square-foot treehouse features a full kitchen, a bathroom and all the plumbing. The Animal Planet cable network highlighted the structure last month in the show “Treehouse Masters.” The episode featured the Splinter family making hard candy for Christmas in the treehouse kitchen.
But Placer County deputy planning director E.J. Ivaldi tells the Sacramento Bee that the family already has a full guest cottage on their property (http://bit.ly/1A6sqfx ). Because of that, authorities say the treehouse’s full kitchen, and mattress, must go.
“They can use it for entertaining,” Ivaldi said. “What the county approved was a residential accessory structure. For the purpose of them being able to do a TV show, they were allowed to build a kitchen with the understanding that the kitchen would come out.”
A noted national treehouse designer, Pete Nelson, built the Placer County masterpiece for more than $60,000. The treehouse’s owners have not yet commented on the county’s order.
