Man to be evicted from elaborate tree house

"I was divorced, I had bad credit, I have animals with me," he said. "I have two walls against me. I can't hurdle either one."

But then he found three sturdy trees under the Ship Canal Bridge in the Eastlake neighborhood and decided to build himself a tree house.

While earning a very modest living by rescuing animals, Csaky kept plugging away at the idea.

"I'm not your typical homeless person. I just wanted a home," he said.

Csaky crafted his new home in the vacant lot underneath the interstate with patience and makeshift material. The result: an urban pied-a-terre of sorts with a priceless view.

"I've just pieced and pieced and pieced things together," said Csaky. "I built it with love and safety. It's very, very important to me."

The man's labor of love didn't go unnoticed. Neighbors who heard Csaky hammer and saw away for months stopped by for a look.

"The neighbors have named it 'three-tree harbor,'" he said.

"He's got a beautiful view. In the summer he's in the shade with the tree. I think it's beautiful," said neighbor Alley Tenley.

Cables and thick branches anchor the home. The sink doesn't work and the ladder creaks. But filled with personal touches, the place has become Csaky's home.

Through trial and error over time, Csaky fortified the tree house to be able to withstand the elements. He reinforced the roof with 20-foot beams and a tarp.

"The wind can be 50 mile per hour there and 40 there, and it doesn't rip at all," he said proudly. "It's built like a giant umbrella, and it's built right from the tree."

In this way, Csaky made himself a home. He thought he had found his place in the world.  

But then came the boot.

On Monday, the city served him with an eviction notice telling him to pack up, move out and move into a shelter. A complaint from a neighbor triggered the city's action. Csaky's home sits on property owned by Seattle City Light.

"It's city property. There are liabilities, public health hazards. And it's not a humane way to live," said Sara Levin with the Seattle Human Services Department.

The city gave Csaky 48 hours to vacate the home that took him years to build. Comply or get tossed out, the city said.

The man doesn't have much to pack up, but a life in the shelter means he must part with his beloved animals, not to mention the place he built with his own hands and the ties he's built with his neighbors.

"He's so friendly. He's always laughing, he's got tons of stories to tell. He'll talk your ear off if you let him," said Tenley, laughing.

In response to public criticism, the city granted Csaky a 10-day stay on Tuesday. But the story still has the same ending; Csaky must move out.

Csaky says he hasn't lived in a real home in four years. The city says it has offered him an alternate place. But the man says he doesn't know where he will go after he leaves his beloved home with a view.

"I just wish they (the city) would reconsider," he said. "I don't know. I'm leaving it in God's hands."