The Construction Contractors Board (CCB) recently fined a Washington-based business $5,000 for working without a license while building a single-family tree house in a Sitka spruce in Neskowin. “These tree houses are intended as residences and require a contractor’s license, as do most all home building or home improvement projects,” CCB Enforcement Manager Stan Jessup said. The business, Nelson’s Treehouse and Supply, is based in Fall City, Wash., and is run by Pete Nelson, host of the Animal Planet television series Treehouse Masters. Not only was the business operating illegally, but Nelson featured the Neskowin project on his television show. A news story about the upcoming broadcast caught the attention of a CCB investigator who was already familiar with Nelson’s Treehouse. That’s because the business was fined $1,000 in 2014 for working without a license when constructing a tree house in Central Point, Oregon. The Neskowin tree house on the Oregon Coast was built this past summer, 46 feet off the ground. As a repeat offender, the second violation resulted in the $5,000 fine. Nelson’s Treehouse travels the country building elaborate treehouses with electricity and plumbing. “Contractors need to know how to operate legally in whatever state they are doing business in,” Jessup said. “Licensing in Oregon carries important protections for the consumer. It means the contractor is bonded and insured, and the CCB can help mediate any disputes between the homeowner and contractor.” Any subcontractors who might work for this business or any other unlicensed contractor can be fined for knowingly assisting an unlicensed contractor. Nelson’s Treehouse and Supply has yet to obtain a CCB license.
