Building Near Live Oaks in Florida, USA

[trevdawg122]

I am building a home in Melbourne, FL, USA (humid subtropical climate or Köppen climate classification Cfa) and I want to save some large live oak trees nearby. Generally speaking I'd like to know what things I can do to mitigate damage to the trees regarding their roots. I'll need to build over some roots I'm sure so I'd like to learn what I can do to minimize impact. Here are some of my thoughts/questions:

• What type of foundation(s) is preferred? Pilings, crawl space pillars with footings? I've read that Florida has a high water table and the oak roots are shallow. The roots drink water as well as breathe. Avoiding a slab-on-grade foundation would help them breathe.
• This may be crazy, but would it make sense to install an irrigation system for the roots under the home?
• Are there things I could do to increase tree health or supplement for the loss caused by the building? Fertilizers, aerating, additional water elsewhere for roots not covered by the home?

In addition to the bullets above, please let me know if you have any other ideas. Thank you.

[Paul Cleaver]

On ‎04‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 21:43, trevdawg122 said:

I am building a home in Melbourne, FL, USA (humid subtropical climate or Köppen climate classification Cfa) and I want to save some large live oak trees nearby. Generally speaking I'd like to know what things I can do to mitigate damage to the trees regarding their roots. I'll need to build over some roots I'm sure so I'd like to learn what I can do to minimize impact. Here are some of my thoughts/questions:

• What type of foundation(s) is preferred? Pilings, crawl space pillars with footings? I've read that Florida has a high water table and the oak roots are shallow. The roots drink water as well as breathe. Avoiding a slab-on-grade foundation would help them breathe.
• This may be crazy, but would it make sense to install an irrigation system for the roots under the home?
• Are there things I could do to increase tree health or supplement for the loss caused by the building? Fertilizers, aerating, additional water elsewhere for roots not covered by the home?

In addition to the bullets above, please let me know if you have any other ideas. Thank you.

An on site visit is by a tree surveyor/consultant is essential. We have to be careful not to make ourselves liable when commenting a  subject as big as this. A lot of information is needed before any recommendations can be given. A site visit or several would be needed, and a liaison with a structural engineer too, amongst other things.

Edited April 6, 2019 by Paul Cleaver
adding more info