Neighbour's conifer - proximity to our house

veryintrigued

Hi there

Questions here surround a neighbour's conifer tree which is around a foot away from my house. They do tend to lop the top off now and again but its now standing around 10ft tall.

We are having some building work done which include having the garden either properly slabbed or decked.

Should we be concerned about the proximity of this tree to the house?
Are conifers roots water hungry to the house and what we would potentially build on the garden?
Where do we stand legally about the closeness of this tree?
Should we be concerned about anything else?

To add a little more complication to the mix there isn't much communication between the neighbours and us (to put it mildly).

Thanks always in advance

BOBS

I dont know how true it is - but i was told that the roots go as far underground as the tree is high - so the roots could potentially be well below your foundations - i'd worry about this more than anything.... sorry that doesnt sound very positive.

lostinrates

BOBS wrote: »

I dont know how true it is - but i was told that the roots go as far underground as the tree is high - so the roots could potentially be well below your foundations - i'd worry about this more than anything.... sorry that doesnt sound very positive.

We've been learning a lot about this with the help of our structural engineer this year. and its not that straightfoward. e.g. our limes, just about five metres from the house, but ancient, are not a problem, but an oak, seven metres from the house and much younger is, and would have been at several times the distance. Fruit trees or white beams were recommended by him for a tree lineat the five-seven metre line from the house.

A foot would worry me into further investigation. But you can't just ''get rid'' of the tree, because then instead of a subcidence rish you have a heave risk.

Davesnave

Conifer roots tend to be mostly fibrous & shallower than many, but if they are on your land and bothersome, then you can do what you like with them.

I'd suggest a bit of spade work first to see what you've got, whether it's a problem and if remedial action is called for. A good lump of concrete could act as a buffer zone in case the tree grows in the future. I kept conifers 15' high in check for about 20 years with 2' paving slabs inserted vertically 3' away from them, just to make sure.

tanith

Blimey a foot from your house is close, but as Davesnave says conifers don't have deep roots but that close they must be very near your foundations , but you will have a problem if they try to remove it either way . Doesn't leave any rooom for putting in slabs of anything if it truly is only a foot away.. why the hell would someone plant a tree that close to someone else's house?

veryintrigued

Thanks for the reponses so far - these are greatly appreciated.

The tree was planted by the previous owners (who are relations of the current owners).

I have sent an email to my local council this morning to see what their thoughts are.

Intend to take some pictures of the tree and surrounding area later today.

Anymore advice and information would once again be greatly received.

Thanks

LittleJo

Hi,
have you discussed your concerns with your neighbour?
Jo

veryintrigued

LittleJo wrote: »

Hi,
have you discussed your concerns with your neighbour?
Jo

No not as yet - I want to be armed with facts before this. i.e. they should be x far away, there should have been x, y and z done when planting, there is legislation y which covers me etc etc

Davesnave

veryintrigued wrote: »

I have sent an email to my local council this morning to see what their thoughts are.

Intend to take some pictures of the tree and surrounding area later today.

Anymore advice and information would once again be greatly received.

Thanks

I doubt if a cash-strapped council will dwell on this, as it's not their problem, but you might be lucky.

You may find the resources of this site more useful:

http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/

redlady_1

I also have this problem and my neighbour has refused to remove it. I am seriously considering the copper nail solution. I also live in a very old cottage with a cellar and so guess I dont have foundations as such.

How do you know whether there would be a heave/subsidence issue?

Davesnave

redlady_1 wrote: »

I also have this problem and my neighbour has refused to remove it. I am seriously considering the copper nail solution. I also live in a very old cottage with a cellar and so guess I dont have foundations as such.

How do you know whether there would be a heave/subsidence issue?

Your underlying sub-soil is a pretty good guide. Here, I'm on shale/bedrock, so it wouldnt happen. Where I used to live, I was on heavy clay and that was a bad scenario.

Your neighbour is liable for damage to your property caused by roots, but I think that's only after they have been warned (and you can prove that they have.) Then there's a time limit for their action, if I remember correctly. You could check this via the link above.:)