Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
(OP)
I have a number of opinions as to what is happening with this building. A large maple is in the front of a poured concrete foundation house. It is 10 feet away from the foundation. The tree is about 35 feet high. There is also a similar size blue spruce ?-( trees I don't know -small bluey neddles though).It is at the cornor of the house.
One opinion says the culrit is the maple. That is why the front face of the brick has cracked and why the foundation has cracked on the rear cornor on the opposite side and on a diagonal to the tree. The crack is vertical. There is also a very large tree (>30 feet about 4 feet from the house at the back.)
One opinion says to cut down the front maple and don't worry about the blue spruce.
One less " informed says" whack 'em all." I love old trees and thus am reluctant to do this. The house has been in place for 27 years but there has been some measure of drought the past few years and the opinion says this has caused the trees to pull the water from the heavy clay soil. Thus aggravating the problem.
Thoughts please !
One opinion says the culrit is the maple. That is why the front face of the brick has cracked and why the foundation has cracked on the rear cornor on the opposite side and on a diagonal to the tree. The crack is vertical. There is also a very large tree (>30 feet about 4 feet from the house at the back.)
One opinion says to cut down the front maple and don't worry about the blue spruce.
One less " informed says" whack 'em all." I love old trees and thus am reluctant to do this. The house has been in place for 27 years but there has been some measure of drought the past few years and the opinion says this has caused the trees to pull the water from the heavy clay soil. Thus aggravating the problem.
Thoughts please !






RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
In the UK, this is a major problem and well documented. It should be something that is covered by your buildings insurance or even by a third party if the trees are not yours!
With regard to cutting down the trees, you have to ask the question, what is more valuable, your home or a tree? Trees will always grow again, free of charge! However, cutting down the offending tree is not always the solution particularly if the tree pre-dates the building.
Best of luck but post if you have further questions.
Regards
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
Maple has large roots but the roots for the spruce are relatively shallow. I hacked my 50ft tall maple that used to be 24 ft from the house and have done quite a few spruces too. Luckily the damage by the trees was confined to the paving and drive only.
You could satisfy yourself by digging up the area between the tree and the house and get to the roots. It is possible to limit the damage by hacking the offending roots and keep the trees. However be warned that a tree, with roots partly severed, may lean to a undersirable position in future.
If it is my house I would have the trees cut down and the stumps removed. Whatever left underneath the foundation will rot but it will take many years to take effect. Even rotten roots can a small load bearing capacity. This is based on my experience of removing tree stumps and finding rotten but intact old roots still inside the soil body.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
Before you start hacking you trees - and losing many dollars in property value - you might do well to sit down and take a look at the goals you wish to seek (I put in a note to a thread on water in the basement and I'd suggest you read this).
First - is the crack so bad that the wall is potentially going to collapse or kick in? Or is the crack relatively minor and you just don't like it? Is the basement finished and your spouse is ticked that it has ruined her/his great wall-paper job? If the crack is not so bad as to create a structural problem and the basement is unfinished and there is no urgency, why not wait to see about the next season. You've indicated a drought this year so it must be abnormal weather (the water in the basement was abnormal rainfall). Ponder the above questions - before you go off and start hacking down your beautiful trees. Focht3
Anyway that's my few Baht worth.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
I think a reduction of trees in some cases could do no harm to the property value.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
It sounds as if the brick you've discussed is similar to a perimeter wall on a nominal foundation that supports the timber sill of the wall framing. If that is the case, some repair is probably necessary, even if you don't see obvious signs. My biggest concern would be moisture intrusion and subsequent rot that may not be readily visible.
Most cracks less than 1/8" are characterized as "hairline" and will likely not permit significant moisture intrusion (bricks are porous - and some moisture will pass through anyway). Adequate repair does not include silicone. A proper repair will require removal of the damaged mortar and brick (if the brick unit is damaged), and replacing the with the appropriate mortar mix (repointing).
There is a local residence (timber with board siding) that is well over 100 years old. The structure is fairly well known in the county - because there is a HUGH oak tree that has continued to grow thru the wide porch and roof. From the owners point of view, the tree is too beautiful to remove and keeping the structure sound in the vicinity of the tree is considered maintenance, which it does require at two to three year intervals. That does not mean that your trees will require that much maintenance, but it all depends on what you're willing to put up with to keep the trees.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
Where I live, we have a high clay content in the soil. It has become common knowledge, even amongst non-engineers, that you avoid at all costs cutting down a tree that close to the foundation.
Property value will also go down considerably if there are few trees on the property to begin with.
I say hire yourself an experienced foundation engineer, can be tough to find sometimes, and get their opinion.
RE: Foundation wall crack due to a tree.
- Large trees
- Leaking sanitary sewer lines
- Leaking water supply lines
- Unstable slope
- Construction defect
- Design defect
- Poor drainage
- Seasonal weather changes
- Extreme weather event
- Poorly conceived addition to the structure
- Poor lawn maintenance
I tend to discount all of the potential causes except 1, 2, 3 and 4 - the house has had plenty of time for the other causes to occur, but apparently they have not, so it is unlikely due to these.I'd have the plumbing checked thoroughly before I touched those trees...
AND have a an elevation survey done of the interior of your home. Reference it to a truly stable benchmark. Not only will the existing pattern of deformation of the slab be of benefit, it will also be of tremendous use if you make changes and they don't fix the problem...
Please see FAQ731-376 for great suggestions on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.