Trees and foundations can have a complex relationship. While mature trees add beauty and value to your property, their root systems can pose a threat to your home’s structural integrity. Here’s what you need to know to protect your home:
Moisture Matters: The Balance Between Tree Roots and Foundations
Large trees have extensive root systems that can sometimes spell trouble for your home’s foundation. Here’s why: big trees drink up lots of water (sometimes up to 200 gallons of water per day!), impacting the moisture levels in the soil around your foundation. Fluctuations in moisture can lead to uneven settling of the foundation, causing cracks and structural issues.
How Tree Roots Affect Foundations
The interaction between tree roots and foundations is delicate. Roots usually spread out horizontally, hunting for water and nutrients. But sometimes, they sneak under foundations through cracks, leaks, or loose soil.
These intrusive roots can push against foundation walls, causing cracks, leaks, and in extreme cases, even damaging sewer lines! The risk is higher with mature trees with extensive root systems and certain species known for aggressive root growth.
Soil Impact: What Happens Underneath
Tree roots spread through the soil to find nutrients and water. But how they affect the soil depends on what kind of soil they’re moving through. For example, dense soil with lots of clay (the most common soil type in Texas) gets compacted as roots push through it. When it’s dry, clay soil shrinks, and so do the tree roots because there’s no water for them. But when it rains, the soil soaks up water and expands, and so do the roots because they can soak up water again.
This back-and-forth, usually happening with the seasons, creates movement under the foundation. Over time, this repeated movement can lead to severe settlement, where the home settles unevenly into the soil. This uneven settling stresses the foundation, causing structural damage and costly repairs.
Before You Take an Axe to the Tree: Prevention is Key
Before you (or someone else) grabs the chainsaw, remember that prevention is key. Choosing the right trees and planting them at an appropriate distance (ideally 15-20 feet from the foundation) can minimize future problems. If you already have mature trees in your yard, installing root barriers between the tree and foundation can also further deter root intrusion.
Watering your foundation is a good idea if you water evenly and consistently. However, make sure you don’t directly water the foundation, as this can actually mess with natural drainage patterns and make things worse.
It’s important to understand that just removing a big tree can lead to issues as the soil settles. As the root system begins to rot and decay, air spaces and gaps occur in the soil to replace the roots that were once there. This results in soil that will move in an attempt to fill the void that has been left behind, so it’s important to consider all options.
If you’re not sure what to do, talking to a foundation repair expert or an arborist can help. At Pinnacle Foundation Repair, we offer FREE foundation inspections and expert advice for any situation. Concerned about trees getting too close to your foundation? Give us a call today for peace of mind.
