pghmyn Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Assuming the closing goes through this time, I should be getting the keys to my newly purchased house tomorrow. The lot is a typical city lot, nothing too extravagant in terms of size. There are four trees on my lot, though. I'm not sure of their exact species. However, three are very large and two are close to the house. The branches above are just starting to scrape the house, and I am told the old rule of thumb that a root ball goes as far as the furthest branch. I just had $14,000 of foundation work done to the house and it is warrantied to be water proof. I don't want roots ruining that for me. Is there really no option but to have these trees cut down? If this is the only good option, I am most certainly getting them milled up for lumber. I mean these things are about 40-48" in diameter. Would be some nice slabs from that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Species of the trees would probably be helpful Sam. Frankly, if tree roots were threatening my house, those trees would come down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Yep, you need to take 'em down. Anything else is only a stop-gap measure. And at 48" diameter, I'd have them milled, no matter what the species! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'm going to take pictures tomorrow when I go back to the house. I will post them up to see if you guys can help me. If they are worth it, I'll have to find a local sawyer for these beasts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Whatever you do, don't build anything with drawers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Take em down, mill them for lumber, and plant new ones. In a couple hundred years when the new old trees are threatening the foundation, someone else can take em down, mill them for lumber, and plant new ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbutcher74 Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 You might have a problem finding anybody to mill them. My local sawmills won't touch touch trees that were harvested in a town. They are afraid of nails and other metal objects ruining the expensive blades. The theory is people in town tend to drive nails in trees for all kinds of stuff. Maybe my sawyers are just picky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hold on there, cowboy. If the branches are just starting to brush the house, I'm not so sure you need to take drastic measures and hack them down in such haste. If they were planted right next to your foundation and there was danger of the roots causing damage, maybe...but they sound way farther away than that to me. I'd suggest finding an arborist you can trust...TRUST being the operative word...since the shady ones (haha, pun intended) will just tell you, "Oh yeah, these need to come down at 2K a pop." An honest one may very well tell you it's not a big deal. Also, depending on the species and the typical growth pattern of the root structure (shallow v. deep) it's possible to grind out shallow roots that are encroaching on the house without hurting the tree...believe it or not. That's my opinion anyway. I'm a tree guy...meaning, I like shade on my property and over my house, and I think trees make a property look a thousand times nicer. My goal is to eventually be ensconced in shade. Some people like their crackerbox to sit and bake in unobstructed sun. If you're one of those freaks then go ahead and start hackin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hope you get the keys! As for the trees, follow kiki/eric/latisha's advise. Shade will give you a cooler summer and a warmer winter, after the leaves fall! And woodbutcher has a point, about sawyers and uninformed city dwellers and nails! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 I don't know where you are, but my advice was based on storm damage risk, more so than foundation damage. There are lots of houses around here with huge oaks within two or three feet of the house, but many a branch has fallen through the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT Proctor Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 If the tree is too close to the house and causing problems, just cutting it down might not completely solve it. After the tree is cut down the roots may continue to grow and seek water around your foundation, so you will need to kill the root system too. They do sell chemicals to kill tree roots, I have read that people will use Epson salt too but I've never tried that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 My question is.... Did the person doing the basement repair with a "water proof warranty" mention anything about the trees? I would think that if he thought the trees might cause a future problem, he might have suggested doing something as preventive maintenance to keep him from having to provide warranty work later on. Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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