Trees close too close to a house?

Thurlow40

Hi all,

I’ve not had a survey on the house yet but a few weeks ago I had an offer accepted on a house next to some lovely green space and some very large trees. The house was on the market for a very long time.

I’ve become more aware of the trees now they’re in leaf. 2 are Norway Maples and one is a Field Maple. They are all close together in very close proximity to the house, all around 8-10m away. There are some very shallow roots that I can see bulging out of the ground and a footpath running along the side of the house has lifted too.

I’ve talked to a few people for opinions and some have said just mention it to your insurers but having looked on the insurance comparison sites they’re only asking if there are trees over 10m tall within 5m. The trees in this instance are more than 5m away but less than 10m. The roots are obviously very close. They’re taller than the house.

How concerned should I be? I’d really rather not waste too much time and money if this is already a bit of a red flag but I don’t want to overthink it either.

The house is modern, built early 90’s but I think I’m in an area where the soil is clay.

thank you!

I_Love_comps

Have you asked your solicitor for advice ?

Brie

Do the canopies of the trees project over the top of the house? If not then you may just be far enough away to avoid any real problems with the roots. Years back when I took a uni course about trees we were told that generally a tree's root system is a similar shape to the canopy of the tree. So what you can see above ground is reflected below ground as well. Now obvious this is not true for all types of trees or in all situations but as far as I'm aware maples don't generally have an abnormally shallow/flat and spreading root system.

Positive point….we have 2 VERY large trees either side of our house. These provide well needed shade in the summer without which our house, particularly upstairs where the bedroom is, would be much too hot. Extra bonus on this is that the kitchen is fully protected from the sun in the first part of the day which means that the cupboards remain remarkable cool so jars of jam etc don't tend to get mouldy. Plus the trees are full of birds which is delightful.

Thurlow40

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81976219#Comment_81976219

No not yet, I could do. I assumed the first step would be a survey which is a large chunk of money. I’ll ask my solicitor for advice, thank you

Thurlow40

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81976222#Comment_81976222

The canopy is close but not over the house. I would say it’s roughly a meter away at the closest point but a lot further away in other areas of course.

My research has suggested it’s the Norway Maple that is more concerning as it has a more aggressive root system.

I agree with you, the shade will be lovely at times. They seem to obstruct quite a lot of light but I’m not overly concerned by that. It’s the roots worrying me.

fatbelly

Field Maple is a native shrub/tree that does not cause a lot of trouble but can ultimately grow up to 25m.

Norway Maple is non-native and can grow bigger..It can cause problems with both roots and dying branches or the whole tree

I do think you need specialist advice

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81976238#Comment_81976238

Unless your solicitor happens to have arboriculture among their list of hobbies they will likely just tell you to ask the surveyor, or get a specialist tree survey done. Either of which will probably say there could be a problem but it depends on the foundations and you'd need a trial hole to get any clarity on that question (=big bill)

Who owns the land the trees are on?

Thurlow40

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81976264#Comment_81976264

Thank you.

The council own them. I asked about them and they said they get checked every 4 years. There’s no TPO on them.

GrubbyGirl_2

How old is the house? I bought a house built next to a woodland with some trees being huge scotts pines very close to the house. Because of the location of the trees the house was actually built with foundations (piles) that are specially installed to make sure neither the trees affect the house or the house affect the trees. Age of house and whether the trees were always there of have been grown since the house was built. You need to make sure your solicitor asks all the right questions and you do need a tree survey

subjecttocontract

If you are concerned/ asking questions then so will any buyer in the future when the trees are bigger and you want to sell. However, if your dead keen on the property, it looks like you have just found your first opportunity to negotiate a lower price. Good luck.

Thurlow40

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81976297#Comment_81976297

I think it was built in 1991. I don’t know how long the the trees have been there and what came first unfortunately - thank you