Swaity

Hi, that's a good point. I certainly can't recall any questions regarding trees near the property.

Thank you for your quick responses. The extension has definately faired better. The foundations on the 1930s section are shallow strip foundations and the extension is tied into the existing brickwork with no vertical joint. A crack begins above the back door (ext side) and continues through the mortar joints to the upper window on the 1930's side so there is differential movement and in hindsight it would have been better to have a vertical movement joint between the two sections. Cracks on the inside of the 1930 bit suggest the outside wall has dropped and rotated slightly as the cracks in the abuting walls are at 45 degrees and get wider as they reach the ceiling. The cracks don't seem to close seasonally at the moment but its been so dry perhaps as the tree has grown its taking every drop of rain it can suck out the ground.My gut feeling was to remove the tree but I'm no tree expert and I wanted to check with arboriculturists that things wouldn't get worse for a property that was built before the tree existed. Also there is a Yew tree near the front of the house in the neighbours garden so no doubt that it is having a similar affect on the clay but not as much as the Willow.

Hi all, I'm new to this forum so apologies if this subject has been discussed alot. I have a Twisted Willow tree 3.3m from my property. The soil is clay and when I built the extension (the section from the downpipe onwards) I ended up having to use piles with cardboard sleeves to prevent any future damage to the extension incase the tree is removed. The main building was built in 1930's and pre dates the tree. My concern is the amount of cracking inside the house on the nearest wall that has appeared over the last 6 years mainly in the original house. My question is whether it is safe to remove the tree without causing more issues? I imagine the very dry weather hasn't helped things or perhaps the tarmac around the house has neant less water gets into the clay soil. Will the clay heave and cause more damage if i remove the tree? Will crown removal help. I read somewhere that it's OK to remove the tree because it was planted after the house was built. Also the tarmac has lifted and shows that a large root is heading towards the extension. Any advice would be most welcome.