Jump to content

Log in or register to remove this advert

Engineering solution for wall, being pushed over by tree.


benedmonds
 Share

Recommended Posts

Fell it. Some engineer driving to his office, then to the site, then back to his office, making and transporting the extra wall materials, builders driving back and forth rebuilding it however many times; all unnecessary financial and environmental cost.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Log in or register to remove this advert

Ones gota give?! Either Wall goes but you say thats not an option. Or tree has consent to be dropped even with a TPO?!.....
cos of wall and a mega engineering plan with a big cost, i’d say it out weighs a fell and removal i rekon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Gimlet

I'm a bricklayer by trade and I had a similar job to this about ten years ago on a Victorian brick and flint garden wall. Except my trees were ash. 

 

As others have said you have to span the main roots but in my case I did it with an arch because it was appropriate to the period of the wall. Three arches in fact, one of them curving laterally in an S shape. The highest point of the arches were only about 10" above the ground when it was finished. Building those was straightforward (though constructing the turning piece for the curved one was a headache). The slog was digging out. First you need to expose the roots so you can see what exactly it is you've got to span and then the foundations have to be much deeper than the roots so there's no danger of them getting underneath and causing heave again. Mine went down about five feet. Into flint... It cost a fortune but fortunately the client was well off and liked trees and old Victorian walls.

A couple of roots I cut and sealed with stockholm tar. It was a bit of a stab in the dark (and the only non-toxic sealant I could think of that I had to hand) but it seemed to work. Ten years later there has been no further movement. That's not to say there won't be in the future. With big trees you're buying time rather than making permanent fixes and there are no guarantees. 

 

I think I was also lucky to be building on a chalk and flint substrate because that type of ground structure is very resistant to drought shrinkage which is greatly exacerbated by nearby trees. Trees get you both ways, heave and subsidence. 

If you're on a clay, gravel or sand substrate you'll be lucky to stop future movement unless you can dig through it and find some bedrock to build off.

Edited by Gimlet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Chippy said:

could the wall be built around the tree, like this

tree wall.jpg

That will be a Council job, the planning and execution of the wall building took so long, that the tree had already died and been removed by the time the wall finally got built, but the drawings had to be obeyed!

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could always trim the wall back two feet both sides of the tree and get some railings made to bridge the gap. If the railings transoms were incorporated into the brickwork it would add some rigidity , if they were brought to the face side of the wall that would give the tree another 9" of movement. Tree looks like it could do with losing a bit of weight roadside though.

 

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, AHPP said:

Fell it. Some engineer driving to his office, then to the site, then back to his office, making and transporting the extra wall materials, builders driving back and forth rebuilding it however many times; all unnecessary financial and environmental cost.

If you're throwing environmental costs into the equation, then to get a true cost/benefit analysis you need to include all the social/economic/enviromental benefits that a mature tree in an urban setting provides. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


  •  

  • Featured Adverts

About

Arbtalk.co.uk is a hub for the arboriculture industry in the UK.  
If you're just starting out and you need business, equipment, tech or training support you're in the right place.  If you've done it, made it, got a van load of oily t-shirts and have decided to give something back by sharing your knowledge or wisdom,  then you're welcome too.
If you would like to contribute to making this industry more effective and safe then welcome.
Just like a living tree, it'll always be a work in progress.
Please have a look around, sign up, share and contribute the best you have.

See you inside.

The Arbtalk Team

Follow us

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.