WEST KINGSTON, Rhode Island (WBZ NewsRadio) — If you're in the market to a buy a treehouse, one Rhode Island man may have you covered.
Jeffrey Morse of West Kingston built the 12 ft. by 12 ft. structure with a loft and wrap-around deck for his children -- but now the town is forcing his hand to remove it.
After officials realized the treehouse was sitting on open space -- they gave him the ultimatum to either move the treehouse to a different area on the property or take it out entirely.
The treehouse first became a hit rental on AirBnb last year and a way for Morse to cover financial expenses during the Covid-19 pandemic. But Morse was not able to continue renting the structure out once the town discovered he never pulled a permit to build it.
"[The renting] never was supposed to be what it became," Morse said. "It was just out of necessity, like many people throughout Covid have been looking for different ways to generate income."
Morse is now asking for $17,500 for the tree house -- and there's a catch.
"We're looking for somebody that's willing to buy it and remove it," Morse said.
A prospective buyer would have to deconstruct the walls and roof of the tree house and move it to their own property in order to take it home.
If he is not able to sell it, Morse said he may consider pulling a permit himself and moving it to a different area around his house.
"I thought maybe I could zip-line [the pieces] from here to a new spot so I don't have to wheel them around or carry them," Morse said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports.
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Written by Rachel Armany
(Photo: Kim Tunnicliffe/WBZ NewsRadio)