When Trees Attack: How Tree Roots Can Damage Your Foundation

Having trees in your yard gives you much-needed shade, beauty, and even somewhere for your children to build their tree house. You love your trees, but sometimes they can be damaging to your home just by being there. Here’s how their roots cause damage to your foundation, and what you can do to stop it.

How Tree Roots Work in Your Yard

Your trees draw water from the soil to survive. To reach the maximum amount of water they put out extensive root systems which grow and expand over time. Depending on the type of tree, roots can grow quickly and reach impressive distances to ensure the tree is supplied with water. In many cases, that means that they’ll grow nearer your foundation then you’d think.

Many homeowners think that the roots themselves are the main problem, when in fact it’s actually the moisture they’re taking out of the soil. When the soil around your foundation dries out, it changes the composition of the earth. This is what causes issues for your foundation.

How to Know If You Have Foundation Issues

So, how do you know if tree roots in your yard are affecting your foundation? It’s often quite obvious, as you’ll see that your concrete is settling. When this happens, the foundation shifts, and cracks appear.

If you leave it like this for long enough, you’ll see that the foundation will incur serious damage, affecting the stability and structure of your house. This is why you should take action on roots before you get to this point.

Preventing Root Damage

There are several ways you can prevent roots from causing damage to your foundation.

Call in a tree service: A good tree company will be able to come in and take the tree down for you. If you’re happy to lose the tree this is the most effective option. The tree and the stump can be removed, meaning that the roots will no longer pull moisture from the soil around your home.

Install root barriers around your foundation: This is an extensive and labor intensive option, but it works if you are desperate to keep the tree. It requires digging into the soil around the foundation and placing barriers around it that stop roots from coming near. These barriers are usually overlapping sheets of plastic. In the process of doing this, you can cut away any roots that are near the foundations already.

Plan your planting accordingly: If you’re looking to plant new trees, make sure you’re considering root length. This measurement varies from tree to tree, but typically roots can grow up to two to three times the tree’s height. You can also pick breeds of a tree that send roots straight down into the soil, instead of out.

Check for Other Causes Of Foundation Damage

Roots are a common cause of damage, but they’re not the only one. Make sure you’re looking for other causes such as a poorly insulated basement which can cause changes to the soil and foundation settling. A drainage pipe is another culprit of foundation problems, as is a garden planted too close to the foundation by homeowners.

Get Expert Help

If the roots in your yard are causing foundation issues, you’ll need to speak to an Orlando tree service. Fixing the problem is often too large a job for one homeowner, and it requires some expertise.

At Advance Tree Pros we can diagnose the problem accurately and bring in the right tools to correct the issue. You’ll see that the tree roots will be taken care of quickly and efficiently, so you can avoid major foundation problems and get on with enjoying your home.

If you choose Advance Tree Pros to handle your trees, we’ll even take away all of the waste when the job is complete. All debris is taken to a recycling center and turned into other materials, that will be used elsewhere. Nothing goes to waste.

Tree roots are dangerous for your foundations, but there are options to stop the worst from happening. Remove the roots, rethink your planting, or put up a barrier to stop foundation settling and cracks. Take care of your home, and it’ll take care of you.