Alternative wall Foundations to Concrete ? ??

Jane_gs

What alternative foundations are there to a Concrete foundation ???

If wanting to build a wall, but near a neghbours HUGE tree on their garden,

they wont remove it, as they want it,, we want to build a garden wall which is about 1 metre from the tree.

A concrete foundation might Long term cause subsidence, or make the wall crack in 3+ years... as the roots are getting bigger.

what is an alternative foundation to have, compared to a concrete foundation ? ie, Metal poles foundation?

What alternative foundations are there to a Concrete foundation ???

I know it might be pricey, but What are the alternative foundations, to a Concrete foundation ??

karl-123

you would have to use a post digging handtool from b and q about £30 and fill the
holes with concrete allowing for some expansion between the roots
a raft/pile type foundation between the big roots either that or dig a normal foundation
and use large split plastic pipes with room for roots to expand
but my best advice is dont build anywhere near them get a fence instead

MX5huggy

Just go deep 4 meters should do it.

Leif

As I understand it you are entitled to chop off the roots as they enter your property, and you probably have to give the roots back to the neighbour, although that might be hard to do! But more will undoubtedly grow towards your walls foundations with time, but not in 3 years. And of course if you do sever large roots, you risk undermining the ability of the tree to support itself, making it more likely to fall in high winds.

What kind of tree is it? In general the root spread matches the canopy, so if you know the species, you will know how big it could grow, and hence the likely maximum spread of the roots. Some trees such as beech have a lot of shallow roots, whereas conifers tend to have roots that go down deep rather than spreading.

My view is that large trees do not belong in small gardens. I once withdrew from a house purchase after finding out that the (leafless) small tree in the middle of the small garden was an oak with a tree protection order on it. An oak is not suitable for such a garden (too large, too much canopy, too big roots potentially causing damage to a house, and sucking up moisture in the growing season, potentially causing soil movement), but try telling that to the council officials who issue TPOs.

ormus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkXTLAxGKxA&feature=related

lots of alternatives.

pickleiamin

A pile foundation for a garden wall would be not cost efficient at all. It would cost a hell of a lot.

The wall wouldnt cause subsidance at all.

What type of tree is it?

You can go through the trees roots it wont kill it. However I would advice putting some geotextile along the edge where the roots are, some Terram or similar, this will help protect the concrete.

WobblyDog

If you must have a masonry wall, but want to avoid cutting roots, and possibly damaging the tree, you could do something involving concrete piers with reinforced concrete slabs on top, but that would probably be expensive and require professional advice.

Do you really need a masonry wall? Building a masonry wall in close proximity to trees is going to be problematic.

A sturdy wooden fence could be built with posts embedded in concrete. Alternatively, you could put in some shallow-ish concrete piers, and bolt wooden posts to the top of them.

WobblyDog

I don't know whether you're determined to DIY or not, but you could ask some local builders/landscape gardeners/etc. to come round and suggest options. I think the term is "hard landscaping".

Leif

I advise you not to go down the route of biological warfare:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pramorum

As it is surely illegal, and unethical.

mysk_girl

There are such things as helical screw-in steel piles, but suitability would depend on the soil type. It sounds like a very expensive wall to me!