A Calgary family could lose their home insurance, all because they built a 12-foot climbing wall in their backyard.
Steven Poffenroth had the wall built for his daughter, Annika, who he says has developed a passion for climbing and has taken up the sport competitively.
“In the last nine months, it’s all she ever wants to do,” he says.
Poffenroth spent over $2,500 to have the 3.6-metre tall, freestanding bouldering wall built. The wall features a challenging, steep incline, several holes to place rock holds and create new routes, and safety mats at the wall’s base.
He obtained permits and had the wall cleared with the city. He moved service lines and hired a contractor to build it over several weeks so it would be sturdy.
Annika has been delighted with the wall, which she says has quickly became a way for her to bond with her dad.
“This has been a way for us to connect. We can come out here and he can set routes for me and try and get me to do different things,” she told CTV Calgary.
But just three months after completion, the family has been told the wall has got to go.
Poffenroth says a friend asked him if the wall was covered under his home insurance. He realized he hadn’t looked into that, so made a call to his insurance company to check.
“I kind of assumed they would add a rider to my insurance and add 10 or 20 bucks or whatever,” he recalled.
“I quickly got a call back from them, saying not only would they not add a rider, they were not interested in having my homeowner’s insurance continue at all.”
The company soon sent a formal letter informing him that his insurance would be terminated next week.
Poffenroth was stunned but also irritated, so he started shopping around for a different insurance company. But he found many of the companies were not interested in insuring him and those that were interested wanted premiums that were double the current rate he’s paying.
One of the concerns the insurance companies had was that wandering strangers or children would be attracted to the wall and be tempted to break into his backyard to climb it.
Poffenroth decided after reviewing the estimates that he wouldn’t be able to afford the higher premiums.
“I do like the wall and obviously, I love my daughter, but $1,500 a year to insure this wall seemed a little bit ludicrous for me.
A spokesperson for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, Steve Kee, says insurers consider many risk factors when choosing whether to insure someone.
“They can either charge more or decide not to insure someone if they believe that there is a risky element to it,” he said
Poffenroth is hoping that he and his insurance company can arrive at a solution or at least have a discussion. Otherwise, he says he will have to tear down the wall.
“Maybe there’s still an opportunity for us to save this wall before I have to tear it down,” he says.
The Poffenroths’ insurance company, Canadian Direct Insurance, contacted the family Wednesday and told the family to hold off on the demolition while they work on a solution.
Annika hopes the wall stays, because she loves showing her father what she can do.
“It is such a bonding thing we have together. Not too many people have such an incredible thing to bond together on,” she said,