LAT: Not in My Neighbor's Backyard

Not in My Neighbor's Backyard

By Martha Groves
Times Staff Writer

October 26, 2005

The mansionization battle rustling the leaves of North Barrington Avenue is something new even for Brentwood.

It's a dispute not over a 12,000-square-foot neo-Tudor monster or a towering modernist cube, but over a backyard treehouse for an 18-month-old girl. This being Brentwood, of course, the edifice at issue is no ordinary treehouse.

(snip)

Romero is a renowned builder of elaborate treehouses for such celebrities as Sting and Donna Karan. His work can be found in the "fantasy gift" section of this year's Neiman Marcus holiday catalog. Beginning price: $50,000. In the backyard of the Firestein-Lurie home, which sits on a tree-studded half-acre north of Sunset Boulevard, Romero and his buddies built a roughly 10-foot-by-10-foot structure of reclaimed wood, salvaged windows and vintage stained glass from Buenos Aires that would quicken the heart of any fun-loving child or parent. The treehouse includes a viewing deck bordered by a railing crafted from tree branches from the backyard.

(snip)

Richard Fleming, the couple's next-door neighbor and a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, was not amused. He feared that children could perch in this aerie and look in on him and his wife in their backyard pool and hot tub. He suspected, also, that city codes had been violated.

(snip)

The city does not require permits for nonhabitable structures less than 8 feet square, but Keim said the treehouse exceeds that size and therefore requires city permission. Firestein and Lurie can appeal whether a permit is required.

(snip)


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-treehouse26oct26,1,7612677.story?coll=la-headlines-california

But I suppose the neighbor has a point - from looking at the pictures of this monstrosity, I'd be bothered too. It's a wonder the builders didn't take the time to get the proper permits - that might have save the situation.

Oh well, I'm not going to spend a lot of time worrying about the problems of rich people.