Advice needed please re conifer/tree roots & drains

littlewren

Hi,

Could someone possibly give some some advice please?

I live in a detached house which has 5 high and extremely 'fat' conifers at the side, which my ex husband planted when we moved in 29 years ago as a screen. We also had 2 large trees in the front garden which were planted by the builders when the house was built, although I had one of those trees cut right down last year.

Two weeks ago, after a period of having to call out Dyno Rod on a few occasions because of a blocked downstairs toilet, they put a CCTV camera down the drain and showed me a mass which they said were roots, either from the tree(s) or the conifers and that they wouldn't know which unless they were sent for analysis, which would cost.

I have had to complete their form and send it back for them to pass to my insurers to try and claim it on my policy, the excess is £100. For this claim, Dyno Rod would cut back the roots in the drain and seal them.

My query is this: I know from one of the visits from Dyno Rod in the past that the conifer roots have got into the soakaway drain because rain wasn't going through and the drive tends to flood if it rains heavy. So I obviously have a major root problem. Would my insurance company cover me for removal of the conifers or tree because of the root problem, or is this something that's not covered on insurance? (Sorry, but I don't know about these things. ) My worry will of course be that even though the drains might be clear of roots once Dryno Rod do the work, the spread of roots elsewhere could give me problems.

I haven't got the money to have all 5 of the conifers cut down to the ground but I'm worried that I am storing up more problems for the future. Especially as I would like to move over the next couple of years and I've been told that a full survey would include inspecting the drains for this kind of problem. In any case, I wouldn't want to leave this problem for the new owners.

Any advice would be a great help, many thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

huckster

Your Insurance will only cover present damage done to the drains and not anything that might happen in the future. I can't see them paying for the trees to be removed.

You will find that the Insurers will tell you to do something about the trees if they are a problem, to prevent further need to claim on the Insurance. So rather than Insurers helping you with the tree problem, they could make it a condition at renewal that you pay to remove the tree problem, by employing a tree surgeon. They might remove the cover until you have had the work done.

littlewren

Ah right, thankou huckster, for this information.

hcb42

We had similar problems at my parents, planted in these little bushes which eventually dwarfed the house. THey caused big problems..get advice but definitely chop them sooner rather than later

littlewren

hcb42 wrote: »

We had similar problems at my parents, planted in these little bushes which eventually dwarfed the house. THey caused big problems..get advice but definitely chop them sooner rather than later

Yes, these were tiny little things when they were planted and because they weren't the really fast growing conifers I think my ex thought they would be ok, but even though we've had them trimmed over the years they are horrible now, not only for their size, but they are dead in the middle with just leaves on the outside! They need to come down pronto, I'm just so worried about the cost. My daughter's boyfriend has said he will try and cut them down with help from my other daughter's husband but I don't know how feasible that will be.

huckster

I am sure you can get plenty of information online. There are gardening forums, where you might get some expert advice.

littlewren

huckster wrote: »

I am sure you can get plenty of information online. There are gardening forums, where you might get some expert advice.

Thankyou huckster, I will Google them.

roundwood

littlewren wrote: »

Hi,

Could someone possibly give some some advice please?

I live in a detached house which has 5 high and extremely 'fat' conifers at the side, which my ex husband planted when we moved in 29 years ago as a screen. We also had 2 large trees in the front garden which were planted by the builders when the house was built, although I had one of those trees cut right down last year.

Two weeks ago, after a period of having to call out Dyno Rod on a few occasions because of a blocked downstairs toilet, they put a CCTV camera down the drain and showed me a mass which they said were roots, either from the tree(s) or the conifers and that they wouldn't know which unless they were sent for analysis, which would cost.

I have had to complete their form and send it back for them to pass to my insurers to try and claim it on my policy, the excess is £100. For this claim, Dyno Rod would cut back the roots in the drain and seal them.

My query is this: I know from one of the visits from Dyno Rod in the past that the conifer roots have got into the soakaway drain because rain wasn't going through and the drive tends to flood if it rains heavy. So I obviously have a major root problem. Would my insurance company cover me for removal of the conifers or tree because of the root problem, or is this something that's not covered on insurance? (Sorry, but I don't know about these things. ) My worry will of course be that even though the drains might be clear of roots once Dryno Rod do the work, the spread of roots elsewhere could give me problems.

I haven't got the money to have all 5 of the conifers cut down to the ground but I'm worried that I am storing up more problems for the future. Especially as I would like to move over the next couple of years and I've been told that a full survey would include inspecting the drains for this kind of problem. In any case, I wouldn't want to leave this problem for the new owners.

Any advice would be a great help, many thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

we take down conifers on a regular basis usually they seem to undermine absorbsion of water in clay and can cause problems.the root would die if they are removed at ground level,you should get a full report from a qualified person to establish what the roots are in your drain.
we can come and take out the conifers if required and you live in yorkshire...other wise you may need a local tree surgeon to do the work.all the best roundwood in wakefield