TREE ROOTS AND FOUNDATIONS

[MEGSGARDEN]

WE HAVE A SYCAMORE TREE 8Mts FROM OUR HOUSE . WILL THE ROOTS BE DETRIMENTAL TOO OUR FOUNDATIONS?.

[sddsddean]

Depends. How tall is the tree? A rough guide is tht the root system will extend 1 1/2 times the height of the tree. Personally (as an ex Civil Engineer and my Dad was a Building Surveyor) I would have no trees in my garden. The worst trees to affect your foundations are conifers. These, whilst having extensive root systems, cause most damage in summer because they extract so much moisture from the ground. I seem to remember reading that a 50ft conifer needs over 100 gallons of water a day to survive, and of course it gets it all from the ground. This water extraction makes the soil shrink and can lead to subsidence.

[Cetti]

Most of us at some time need to know this information and this site is very useful giving the trees plus the required distance from buildings: http://www.homeadvisor.co.uk/trees.htm

[pnkc]

* meters is I assume you mean 24 feet. They shouldn't affect your foundation. We have sycamores closer than that and many in the neighborhood that distance or closer with no effect on foundations. They are large and old and the houses are 30-60 years old. They may seek out water lines depending on the type of sycamore it is.