Large tree very close to house

[wombat]

Looking for some help please. 

 

We we are in the process of purchasing our first house and there is a very large I think birch tree approx 1.5metres away from the front of the house. It is approx twice the height of the house. 

 

We we live in the south east where the soil of a clay mix and I am terrified of subsidence or heave and costs of removal. 

 

We are of course going to seek further advice surveys etc but can anyone put my mind at ease in the mean time ? Is this a deal breaker?

 

thank you

 

 

[openspaceman]

23 minutes ago, wombat said:

Thank you for all your replies. 

 

According UK soul observatory is states the soil is sandy loam to clayey loam a mile or so up the road it’s clayey loam to silty loam. Not sure how accurate the maps are? 

Look at the nearby area, I expect you will see a lot of self seeded birch and scots pine typical of a former lowland heath site on fine sand. If you do opt for removal  @joseon here is a good chap.

[Mark J]

The BGS website has soil data on it. However, you do get localised pockets of shrinkable soil, so site investigations are the only way to say with any certainty.
 

 

[openspaceman]

22 minutes ago, Mark J said:

The BGS website has soil data on it. However, you do get localised pockets of shrinkable soil, so site investigations are the only way to say with any certainty.
 

 

Local knowledge trumps expensive consultants

[tree-fancier123]

Fell, not only subs possibility but risk to roof as it gets bigger, plus right over gutters.  That garden would benefit from a nice ornamental tree a bit further out. My suggestion - this coffee and cream or a similar nice coloured maple/acer

 

[Dan Maynard]

To answer your question, no it shouldn't be a deal breaker if everything else is right about the house. It is quite tall but not really a big tree, probably younger than the house. Good access and nothing underneath so very straightforward to remove.

I think there are a lot more scare stories than actual cases of subsidence. In the end of there was a problem it will be for insurance to sort out so you should just make sure you have declared it to the insurers so that you are definitely covered, and complied with whatever they say to do. Quite likely take it out, but that's a guess not advice.

[Jcarbor]

I wouldn’t be too concerned about that tree causing any structural damage to the property, for one it’s not a large tree, it’s also a species that doesn’t have a massive root structure. I would recommend removing it due to the crown encroaching onto the fabric of the building. Cost between £350- £480, price depends on whether you have the stump removed or not

[Mark J]

16 hours ago, openspaceman said:

Local knowledge trumps expensive consultants

Sometimes it does.
Insurance companies like to see things signed off by consultants though.

[Gary Prentice]

On 23/04/2019 at 22:12, Dan Maynard said:

I think there are a lot more scare stories than actual cases of subsidence.

The insurance industry would beg to differ. £64 million in claims last year!

https://www.edwincoe.com/blogs/main/happy-surge-year-rise-subsidence-claims-201819/

[Dan Maynard]

That is a lot of claims, true, but I reckon there are still more people than that being worried about it. Most tree flyers that drop on my doormat raise the subject.

[Mick Dempsey]

64 million doesn’t seem a lot of money, in the great scheme of things.