New construction - Will oak trees cause future damage? (Houston: homes, neighborhood)

[CarbonBike]

I though I would post this question on the board as I always seem to get different viewpoints when I ask my neighbors. We purchased a new construction home last year and the builder planted two oak trees within 15-20 feet of the house. All homes in our neighborhood have this same pattern. Living in a few different areas of Houston, I have seen many oaks damage foundations and sidewalks. Do all oaks have the same root pattern or do different oaks trees have different root patterns? We are debating replacing these trees with different trees that are non invasive of surrounding structures. Any advice is appreciated.

[trbstang]

Most people prefer oak trees from what I've seen. We have a variety of live oak in our neighborhood, the kind that does not go dormant and loose all of it's leaves in the fall, but rather in the spring when it puts out new leaves. As long as the trees are well watered, there should not be a real issue with roots growing near the surface and damaging things. Our neighborhood is 15-20 yrs old and I don't see any of them damaging the area yet. Now if a tree is planted too close to the sidewalks and such, like within 4 or 5 feet, the chances are much greater for damage.

People also deep root feed & water the trees to prevent this. You can get the watering tool and water/feed your trees yourself.

Watering tool:
Amazon.com: Gardena 944 30-Inch Deep Root Watering Feeder: Patio, Lawn & Garden

More info from Randy Lemmon on the Gardenline radio show:

NewsRadio 740 KTRH Houston News, Weather, Traffic

[HoustonRonnie]

You'll die before those trees get big enough to fugg things up. But, eventually they will. I have those same two Heritage Oaks in my front yard, 20' apart. In 40 years, they'll tear the $hit out of my foundation and the driveway.

Ronnie

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by HoustonRonnie

You'll die before those trees get big enough to fugg things up. But, eventually they will. I have those same two Heritage Oaks in my front yard, 20' apart. In 40 years, they'll tear the $hit out of my foundation and the driveway.

Ronnie

Do modern root barrier systems work?