A Perth man could be forced to seek engineering approval for his child's backyard cubby house after a neighbour reported the structure to the local council.
Wanneroo dad Warren Sturrock built the pirate cubby as a Christmas present for his seven-year-old daughter, complete with slide, stairs and a tin roof.
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Neighbour complains about noisy Christmas decorations
A Perth family turned their Christmas lights and decorations off after a neighbour complained about the noise.
But not everyone was impressed with his handiwork.
A neighbour decided to enquire about the structure because they believed it may have exceeded the maximum height set by council.
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Mr Sturrock told Radio 6PR's Morning Show the family would now have to pay $1000 for a retrospective building permit from the City of Wanneroo in order to prevent his daughter's cubby from being pulled down.
"It's not massive... it's definitely not a skyscraper," Mr Sturrock said.
"Everything has been made safely with the children in mind... there's no trip hazards and there's no screws out of place.
"I was actually pretty proud of the way we built it."
According to the City of Wanneroo, a building permit is required if a cubby house is greater than 10 square metres, or greater than 2.4 metres in height.
Mr Sturrock's pirate cubbyhouse stands at 3 metres.
In order to okay the project, the council requires an application for a building permit, a certificate of design compliance, copies of site plans, a floor plan, construction details, a street and verge bond application and, in some cases, engineer's approval. Â
Mr Sturrock said the family would do their "damndest"Â to keep the cubbyhouse standing.
'I was actually pretty proud of the way we built it.'
"We do have to file for a retrospective building license and we also have to have it signed off by an engineer, and we have to have plans drawn up," he said.
"It is a few hurdles to jump but I think it's gotten to the stage now where we've gone 'you know what, stuff it, let's try and fight it'.
"Power to the people I say!"
The neighbour who highlighted the structure to the council said they had been enquiring about cubbyhouse parameters set out by City of Wanneroo bylaws and no official complaint had been made.
"If they lowered it to whatever it is that is required, I don't have a problem with it... I welcome the cubby hut," he said.
"I think it's terrific; it keeps the kids in the backyard."
The cubbyhouse Warren Sturrock built for his daughter (pictured) that his neighbour reported to council.
Mr Sturrock said he did not blame the City of Wanneroo for the issue.
"It is a little bit of overkill but, in saying that, there's probably a lot of people out there who have built cubbies quite dodgily, and I guess they're only doing it just for the safety of the children," he said.
"At the end of the day, they're just trying to do their job and keep everyone happy. I can't really blame them... obviously we didn't find out the regulations, but I didn't think there was going to be a hell of a lot to tell you the truth."
The family has been given 28 days to apply for the retrospective building permit.
A gofundme.com page started by Mr Sturrock has since raised $560 in order to pay for the licence.
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