new home with TPOs

[Khriss]

Dont forget you will have to take care of their  root area also, soil compaction can ruin a tree just as easily as poor pruning. K

[HEN]

Thank you. What would that entail? ie unlikely to be able to resurface driveway? Like I say, totally new to all this 🙂 

[Mr. Squirrel]

Sorry, but if you didn't want to mature trees that close to your house you shouldn't have bought it. You know there's a TPO there and you obviously know what that entails. To move in and immediately want to reduce them on aesthetic grounds is pretty short sighted. 

 

It's weird isn't it, people want to live amongst greenery, so they fell the woods to build houses with big trees around them/plant lots of nice broadleaves around new builds/buy houses surrounded by trees. Then people get annoyed with the trees and want them a bit smaller. Then a bit more. Then they're just not as nice as they used to be and maybe it's better off just removing them. Might as well have just built the houses in a field and given everyone Leylandii hedges like they secretly want. 

[Khriss]

1 hour ago, HEN said:

Thank you. What would that entail? ie unlikely to be able to resurface driveway? Like I say, totally new to all this 🙂 

Without a good clear shot of base of tree/s would still say use a porous loose material for pathways, any compacted areas can be loosened  by specialist, clear root flare at base clear so any fungal bracket appearance there will give you a heads up on possible trunk decay. K

[Paddy1000111]

Definitely get a survey done by a qualified Arboricultural surveyor (not your local "tree surgeon") for peace of mind. Trees don't really attack drains unless the drain is already faulty.

 

In regards to pruning there's no reason why they wouldn't give you permission. I've been regularly applying for thinning of 20-25% or a reduction of 1.5-2m with my local authority and they are usually approved within a couple of days, no biggie. If you get in a decent tree surgeon who can send off a good application it won't be an issue, I've not had any applications denied but I'm usually pretty conservative.

 

As Woody Paul said. I would focus on the confier/laurel (hard to see what it is) hedge on the lower right of the photos first. That's far too high and bulky and is probably causing you more of an issue with light than just the tree. 

[daltontrees]

Looks impossible to reduce enough to improve light AND not ruin the tree. Go for crown lift, let light under rather than over. Council should have no problem with crown lift of smaller branches. Plus get rid of all that excess shrub height. Shrubs aren't protected. That's my thoughts.

I'd also look into insurance and if a survey is required for that get it done and use the same consultant to advise on and make TPO application.

[HEN]

1 hour ago, Mr. Squirrel said:

Sorry, but if you didn't want to mature trees that close to your house you shouldn't have bought it. You know there's a TPO there and you obviously know what that entails. To move in and immediately want to reduce them on aesthetic grounds is pretty short sighted. 

 

It's weird isn't it, people want to live amongst greenery, so they fell the woods to build houses with big trees around them/plant lots of nice broadleaves around new builds/buy houses surrounded by trees. Then people get annoyed with the trees and want them a bit smaller. Then a bit more. Then they're just not as nice as they used to be and maybe it's better off just removing them. Might as well have just built the houses in a field and given everyone Leylandii hedges like they secretly want. 

Thanks but you’ve totally misunderstood the whole post. 

[HEN]

1 hour ago, Khriss said:

Without a good clear shot of base of tree/s would still say use a porous loose material for pathways, any compacted areas can be loosened  by specialist, clear root flare at base clear so any fungal bracket appearance there will give you a heads up on possible trunk decay. K

Really helpful - thank you 

[HEN]

23 minutes ago, daltontrees said:

Looks impossible to reduce enough to improve light AND not ruin the tree. Go for crown lift, let light under rather than over. Council should have no problem with crown lift of smaller branches. Plus get rid of all that excess shrub height. Shrubs aren't protected. That's my thoughts.

I'd also look into insurance and if a survey is required for that get it done and use the same consultant to advise on and make TPO application.

thanks so much, really helpful. 

[jfc]

Re costs of tree work.

Sorry impossible to say from photos and without any spec as to what will be required or permitted. Get a tree survey done ASAP, by someone with Professional Tree Inspection certificate, prior to completion, same as any other survey on a house. Either get an Arb Consultant or a tree surgeon with PTI, a consultant will be impartial, a tree surgeon may give a better price on tree work if they have done the survey.  Any recommended treework or  possible tree removal costs you can try to get that reduced from cost of the purchase.  Whoever does your survey should be able to give you ballpark figures for the cost of associated tree work, even if they are not a contractor.

All the best, jan.