Day of the triffids

[dave215]

Untitled

• dave215
• 15 Sep 2009
• 1

Potential purchase

Untitled

• dave215
• 15 Sep 2009
• 1

Potential purchase

Untitled

• dave215
• 15 Sep 2009
• 1

Looks like

I am interested in buying a house but the front is covered in a vine type plant. The house was built in 1988 and the plant has grown round the side of the house and lifted 3 ridge tiles. I have been in the loft and their is no water ingress. The problem is when you pull on the plant it appears it has attached itself to the house quite strongly, though with a good pull it would probably come off. The house may be timber framed and has a mock tudor front. I intend to have a surveyor look at the property but would welcome any thoughts before I proceed. i have put a picture of the house on and another similar property. Do you think it would be simply a case of removing the plant and simply rerendering the front. Would brick be under the render or would it bea plywood etc. Could a plant get under the main skin of the house.
Many thanks
Please see pics

 

[ColJack]

bigger pictures would help, can't see much in them..

 

[Deluks]

Could it be ivy? The good honest old fashioned spider haven destroyer of outbuildings?? Sometimes people think it looks good on their houses too. Horrible stuff

 

[^woody^]

These creepers do come off relatively easily, but they tend to leave a horrible mess on the wall from the suckers.

You can chop the plant where it comes out of the ground, and let it die off a little, But its best to just start levering it off the wall from the top with a shovel while it is alive - as it tends to all stay together, leaves and all

Start at the top and then the self-weight tends to pull the remainder off as you come down. But don't cut it, just lever it off in one piece and only cut it when its off the wall, on the ground

Remove the stump and rootball completely and treat any remaining roots to stop any regrowth

You then have to scrub the wall

 

[Thermo]

give it a few treatments of round up first to help kill it off. its quite theraputic pulling it off. I assume you mean the ivy in the distance and not the lovely 1970s hydrangea in the foreground!