Townie needs help with tree growing out of basement (Atlanta: for sale, rental)

[plessthanpointohfive]

Hey all you Townies...or is that inTownies?

Anyway, as you regulars know I bought an old house. I just dropped 2K to have the sewer line replaced since it was cracked and leaking raw sewage down the driveway and into the street - we can't have that, you know.

Now, one thing I know we're going to have to take care of soon is an oak tree growing out of our basement. No kidding. It's got a trunk diameter of about 8 inches, maybe 10. The base of the tree is just about a foot away from the wall of my house.

Here's a picture I took right afer we bought the house. The house faces due north. You can see the tree along the west wall of the house.



My basement has walls made of earth. The earthen walls in the basement are about 4 feet thick - meaning that if you stand in front of one of these dungeony walls you will see the brick wall of our house about 4 feet away. We were told that was how much earth they needed to leave so the earth would support the wall of the house.

This isn't the best picture because I took it to show relatives how ancient my HVAC was before I replaced it but behind the dinosaur is the earthen wall...





OK, that's the set up. I have earth walls supporting the brick facade of my house and an oak growing out of the basement.

Now, that means some pretty big roots are in that 4 feet of earthen walls.

How do I remove this tree, which will only go on to cause structural damage to my house, without having the facade collapse when the roots in the earth rot???

And, if you can also tell me how I can go back in time to either remove this tree in it's infancy or throttle the owner of the home at the time, I'd appreciate it even more!

Thanks -

[K'ledgeBldr]

The main thing- cut down the tree.
As far as the foundation is concerned- I don't think there is much alarm for concern. It would take several years for the decay to take place, and as long as the current conditions are maintained (grade on the exterior of the home) I probably wouldn't be concerned. Earth has a way of bridging- the roots would become small voids after decaying.

Your condition is not unusual- I've seen many houses that were built that way. It's basically a crawl space with a "well" for mechanicals. The main concern I see is the exposed earth has no vapor barrier over it. I would definitely get some poly and cover all the exposed earth.

[plessthanpointohfive]

We will be cutting down the tree over the next year...I still can't believe previous owners allowed this tree to grow there. But...it was a rental for most of it's life...

The main reason I don't bother with a vapor barrier is (1) water doesn't really seem to seep into the basement except over where that tree is and I don't think it's because of the tree so much as that's exactly where a gutter downspout dumps water right next to the house. The one time it rained for 4 days in a row over New Years I got some seepage. But a flexible tube took care of that. Also (2) eventually, in the not too distant future, we're going to replace the basement earth walls with cinderblock. It's already been done along the back wall of the house because some idiot decided to dig out the 4-foot wall to make more space down there. And when the house went up for sale an inspector said - uh...you can't have 6 inches-thick of dirt wall holding up the exterior wall of a house. So, the seller had the wall reinforced. Eventually we will do that all around.

It hasn't had a vapor barrier for 85 years...I figure it can probably wait a little longer.

But...the tree has to go now...

Thanks a lot for your advice!

[George Chong]

I would call Arbor Guard. They are not the cheapest service out there - but they defiantly know their stuff.

Arborguard - For People Who Love Trees

Good luck!

[plessthanpointohfive]

Thanks for the ref - I will at least have them come out and give me some sort of estimate...

[10scoachrick]

Holy Moley! I think it's time to call the boys from "THIS OLD HOUSE"...what a great 'house call' that would be!

BUT, if you decide to bring in a tree service, these folks are the best I've ever seen:
AAA Quality Tree Service Jeff Grubb is the owner/arborist 770.516.2704
Plenty of AAA tree service folks out there...this is AAA Quality Tree Service

[plessthanpointohfive]

My ENTIRE house and yard could be several episodes of "This Old House", which is about the only show I watch now-a-days next to the Colbert Report.

Only...I think you have to pay for it all yourself...they only observe. And the pace I am setting with my renovation fits the 20 year plan...not the 20 episode plan.

But thanks for the tip on tree people!

[pinetreelover]

If the tree has to come down - and it looks like you don't have any other choice - ArborGuard is probably a pretty pricey option. I use them when I really want to know if a tree is salvagable and what I need to do to keep my trees healthy for years to come. If it is clearly obvious that a tree needs to be removed and no amount of care will make sense, then I call Redfern Tree Service for tree removal. They do a great job with fair pricing and are mindful of not damaging any other trees or foliage in the process.

[gt6974a]

If that's a city of Atlanta home you are ok cutting it down, but make sure you get permission first. That tree needs to go. I see others I'd cut as well. I think COA approves if it's within 10 feet of the home.

[plessthanpointohfive]

GT, yes, it is city of Atlanta and I am well aware of the permit process. I just don't think a city arborist is going to give me any trouble since it's clearly a threat to my home. But it's a good point to bring up for anyone else who checks out this thread. Not everyone knows about that.

The one where you can see the roots, right before the retaining wall...I shoudl probably take that one down, too. But the other one is pretty far away from the house, a good 15 feet. It just doesn't look like it from the picture. I don't think I could get permission.

It's funny...I only have 4 trees on my property, 2 of which should come down for reasons of safety, but my house is almost completely shaded from my neighbor's trees.

Thanks for all the tips and keep them coming if you have them.