Silver Birch roots.

[Dackers]

Hi all,

I've had someone come round to give me a quote to replace my patio and upon lifting one of the slabs he pointed out tree roots from the silver birch in next-door's garden. He said that he could cut them back and lay a new patio but I'm worried about how quickly they'll grow back again. The tree is about 15 feet or so away from my house/patio and is about as tall (bog-standard two-story semi). I'm also worried that the roots might be causing damage to my extension and am going to get a surveyor round to have a look although one has called me back and suggested a soil engineer or tree surgeon rather than a surveyor - to see if the building's damaged, does this sound right?

I have a nasty feeling that this could get expensive...

 

[spongobongo]

Dackers

There are number of variables here, and a plan showing the position of the tree relative to your garden and the house would be a good starting point. This will show whether or not there is sufficient garden area for the majority of the roots.

Tree roots will easily pass under a patio because patio foundations are generally only a few inches deep.

Roots will get under the foundations of some houses but not others. Not surprisingly, it depends how deep the foundations are, what the foundations are made from and how close the tree is to the house.

Tree roots aren't daft - they'll go in search of moisture and in the path of least resistance. Given that the ground beneath foundations is generally low in moisture, tree roots tend to look for other areas.

As for the roots under the patio, I'd simply cut them back as far as possible. They're on your land and you can do what you like with them. The chances of them growing back depend on whether you create a suitable barrier to stop them. You could set paving slabs on edge, deep in the soil, to create a physical barrier.

If you think your building is damaged or likely to suffer damage, you need a surveyor.

If you want to carry out works to the tree sensitively (rather than my suggested hacking of the roots) you'll need a tree surgeon.

If you want to be bored to death by a man with a beard and PhD, get a soil engineer!

If you want to be needlessly scared to death by tales of impending building collapse, subsidence and other scaremongering, get an insurance assessor out to have a look. And then watch your annual premium rocket.

 

[Symptoms]

Dackers - I've lived with mature trees surrounding my house (1860) for over 25 years so have an understanding of your situation. Do not worry or panic about the neighbour's tree; get your patio guy to lift the appropriate slabs and cut away the roots, if possible a little way beyond patio edge, then re-lay the slabs. Also there is much wisdom in spongo's posting. A silver birch 15' from your house is nothing to woory about.

As for building damage ... essentially trees damage building for maybe
3 reasons:

falling over in wind to wreck structure

or

un-common risk to old clay drains

or

an effect on the supporting earth below the foundations (this will depend much on soil type) and can be generally linked to the amount of moisture removed by the tree. Very big trees very close to buildings (I've got a huge lime whose trunk is 4m from my house, an big ash 5m, a big silver birch 6m) need to be managed (not felled as many insurance companies mistakenly want) to control leaf mass (therefore water extraction demands). Occasional reduction or lifting of trees, a bit of lopping to thin-out branches and to keep good form, and in the case of the lime - sympathetic pollarding. Insurance companies like to remove all potential risk of falling trees and they often think by taking a tree out they reduce the risk of foundation damage when, infact the opposite is often true.

 

[Dackers]

Great advice - thanks both. Surveyor coming round on Tuesday (out of an abundance of caution) - I'll let you know what he says!

Dackers.

 

[oilman]

The surveyor may worry you to death. Believe Symptoms' advice, and stop worrying.

I have a similar age house near BIG limes, and a silver birch which I put in 25 years ago about 3m from the house. I trim it from time to time to ensure it has a low wind profile, and I'll chop it down if problems arise. The roots haven't found the drains yet, though some stinging nettles did The limes would do more damage if they fell over, but they survived the 1987 winds, and they were bigger then.

The guy next door would like them all felled as he doesn't like the leaves in the autumn, but then he runs a green desert surrounded by leylandii.

 

[EddieM]

Silver birch not too agressive root wise. Could be worse.

 

[mrsskefton]

I found this when running a search to find out more info about the potential damage our Silver Birch (complete with TPO) might be doing to our house. The front garden has obviously suffered from some drainage issues as the level of soil is comparitively much lower in relation to the damp course than neighbours.

I would be interested to know how you got on. The house is probably about 6m from our house and is taller than our house. The house was built in 1973 but apparently the tree was not planted immediately.

To the rear we also have a magnolia which is as tall as our 2 storey house and the patio area to the side of it is very uneven - possibly root damaged?

Any advise appreciatedl.