Oak Tree Leave or Cut down

[Lorraine]

We are looking to buy a property which has two large oak trees to the rear, both have been crowned and branches removed. There is a crack in the retaining wall to the patio and one of the trees is approx 5 metres away there is also a crack in a pillar which supports the roof although we can easily replace this. We have very little information on the property as it is a probate sale. If we were to have the trees cut down would this cause major heave or is it best to leave them alone. We had a full survey completed but the surveyor could not indicate wether the cracks were due to the trees or not. This really is a lovely house which needs a lot of TLC but will be worth the hard work once completed. Any advice would be much appreciated. See pics.

[TigerTree]

check the british geological survey for the local soil type.

if it's clay then subsidence and heave are potential problems.

[Gary Prentice]

1 minute ago, TigerTree said:

check the british geological survey for the local soil type.

if it's clay then subsidence and heave are potential problems.

If it's a clay with a high shrink/swell potential then subsidence & heave are potential problems. 

 

I'd suggest taking professional advice from a local arboricultural consultant.

[petercb]

As above get a reputable consultant in but also the house looks to be on a very sloping site so problems may be due to original foundations and may be old from original settlement  the property has also been there a long time and the oaks are well established. That said those trees are very close, oak can cause damage out to 30m but it is a very complex issue, new foundations for example at that distance would probably need engineered foundations and would be over 2.5m deep.

 

Also don't forget insurance, companies will usually ask if any trees close to property.

[Khriss]

Wot Gary said. ... I would procede carefully if they are established ( and possibly protected ) trees, you can make much more trouble fr yrself removing them , k

[Khriss]

( by the way, bloody houses ain't always as important as trees * looks at two successfully fought subsidence claims returned this month *  )

[Lorraine]

Thanks for the replies! The surveyor said the cracks appeared to be old and the soil is clay so not sure what to do, the mortgage has been agreed and the surveyor has reported back to them. They are providing us with the buildings insurance too. They don’t seem to be too bothered about the trees, am I over worrying as usual?

[onetruth]

Unfortunately you probably will want to get another survey done specifically to address your concerns - it's always left ambiguous in the standard home buying surveys.  If the mortgage provider is happy and they're also insuring against the possible costs of remedial work then that's a good sign and should give you peace of mind - I certainly wouldn't let it put me off buying. 

Edited March 9, 2018 by onetruth

[Lorraine]

The trees are not protected. We had a second survey done in addition to the basic mortgage one, which to be quite honest was a total waste of money as he said that he couldn’t indicate why the cracks had come about. The cracks are in the Mortis joints and not in the bricks themselves which apparently is a good sign?!

 

I would rather not cut them down, at least not both of them. I spoke to the neighbour and she said she had one in her garden felled just recently so was planning to quiz her a bit more about it.

[onetruth]

25 minutes ago, Lorraine said:

 The cracks are in the Mortis joints and not in the bricks themselves which apparently is a good sign?!

You mean the mortar between the bricks?  That's correct - it isn't unusual even in fairly recently built houses, whereas if you get cracking through the bricks it's usually bad news.  Also, if it's just the pillar and retaining wall, it sounds fairly benign.

 

I don't think you'll get any definitive answers online if the surveyors aren't able to pick up on anything.  My opinion on heave (and this may not be shared by others here who have a lot more experience of it than me) is that even though removing a tree may cause problems, if you delay you are only postponing the inevitable consequences which will get worse as the tree gets bigger.  That said, it sounds like there isn't much cause for panic - the lender (and insurer) is happy to go ahead, and nobody has said "the tree is a problem".  It is close and oak trees certainly can cause damage, but I (personally) wouldn't rush to action.

 

You said "This really is a lovely house which needs a lot of TLC but will be worth the hard work once completed" - hold on to that thought and don't let buyer's nerves get the better of your judgment.  Lovely looking garden, btw.  

 

Out of curiosity, what type of report was the second one you got done?  Structural or arboricultural?  It really is a pretty specialist field.

 

Congratulations and good luck!

[Khriss]

Yes , Lorraine - yr over worrying - its a detailed subject an if yr house surveyor n insurance company are ok with it , get a tree survey every few years to stay on top , K