Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 10, 2020 18:06:16 GMT -5
You might want to reconsider having a tree so close to the house that it poses a potential threat to the structure. The issue of branches or the whole tree coming down on the house is only part of the problems a large tree very close to the house can pose. The roots can potentially disrupt or breach the foundation. Branches touching the structure can serve as a conduit for insects (such as termites or carpenter ants) to access the structure and its wooden structural elements. The leaves get into the gutters in larger numbers than they would if the tree were not so close to the house. Even if the tree can be trimmed to mitigate its current issues, it's going to keep growing, so those issues (or new ones) will likely reappear before very long. At some point, it might make sense to take the tree down altogether and replace it with one or more trees placed at a safer distance. The arborist might be able to offer suggestions on the best types of trees to consider to achieve the outcome you want for shade or privacy or something else. I'll add that many people plant trees too close to their house never imagining how big they will get. They look so tiny even in a 15 gal pot! In my neighborhood the home lots are small. My neighbor to the west of me has at least a fifty foot tall pin oak planted dead center in her front yard. It's so tall it makes her single story home look like a doll house. The previous home owner planted it. I don't worry about the tree/house scale. But I do worry about severe thunderstorms coming in from the west and blowing the tree down right onto my home and crushing it. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2020 18:24:36 GMT -5
You might want to reconsider having a tree so close to the house that it poses a potential threat to the structure. The issue of branches or the whole tree coming down on the house is only part of the problems a large tree very close to the house can pose. The roots can potentially disrupt or breach the foundation. Branches touching the structure can serve as a conduit for insects (such as termites or carpenter ants) to access the structure and its wooden structural elements. The leaves get into the gutters in larger numbers than they would if the tree were not so close to the house. Even if the tree can be trimmed to mitigate its current issues, it's going to keep growing, so those issues (or new ones) will likely reappear before very long. At some point, it might make sense to take the tree down altogether and replace it with one or more trees placed at a safer distance. The arborist might be able to offer suggestions on the best types of trees to consider to achieve the outcome you want for shade or privacy or something else. I'll add that many people plant trees too close to their house never imagining how big they will get. They look so tiny even in a 15 gal pot! Yes, I know having trees too close to the house can cause problems. My other house is in a neighborhood that has enormous mature trees, and I was happy from day 1 that none of them belonged to me. I had stumps, evidence that the trees on my property had been cut down at some point. It worked for me.  Unless pecan trees grow really fast, this one has been around for a while. It’s not right next to the house, but if the roots extend as far as the limbs do, I can see it being a potential problem. DBF and I seem to have unofficially decided that he handles certain things and I handle certain things. The tree is on “his” list of things to deal with. I’ll give him information, but whatever happens with the tree is up to him. I will say that a few weeks ago, when my grandkids were visiting, it was nice to see them trying to climb the tree. I’m a serious worrywart, but I figured it was natural for little boys to want to climb a tree, so I didn’t say anything when my grandson was trying. He finally managed to get up into it, and he climbed a bit higher than I was comfortable with. But I let him do it. Then his little sister wanted to try. I didn’t try to stop her either, even though my heart started pounding even harder. She got “stuck” on the first set of limbs, and I had to go rescue her, but overall, it was an adventure they both enjoyed. I have and never would try to climb a tree, (there are BUGS in trees, right?) but I was proud of myself for not stopping my grandkids from trying it. So, whatever eventually happens with it, the tree has already given me and my grandkids some good memories, since it’s the only tree they’ve ever climbed so far and I was able to watch them do it..... heart palpitations and all. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2020 18:35:39 GMT -5
I'll add that many people plant trees too close to their house never imagining how big they will get. They look so tiny even in a 15 gal pot! In my neighborhood the home lots are small. My neighbor to the west of me has at least a fifty foot tall pin oak planted dead center in her front yard. It's so tall it makes her single story home look like a doll house. The previous home owner planted it. I don't worry about the tree/house scale. But I do worry about severe thunderstorms coming in from the west and blowing the tree down right onto my home and crushing it. At my old house, my next door neighbor has several tall pine trees. The pine needles are a problem in my gutters, but anyway. One day I was home and I heard a loud noise, and my house literally shook. I went outside to see what the world was going on, and some people had cut one of her trees down. If I never had a healthy respect for trees, I did after that day, because I was shocked that a tree falling in my neighbor’s yard could make my house shake. But it did. That same neighbor had a tree that just looked like it was sick a few years ago. The bark looked like it had been stripped or something. And one day I came home from work, and that tree was laid out across the street, it had finally fallen. And like I said before, EVERY spring, at least one tree in the area came down, usually on a house. Some of them were so big that they pulled up most of the yard when they fell. It was scary for me because even though I didn’t have trees, my neighbors had trees that were big and tall enough to reach my house if they fell. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet. |
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 10, 2020 19:12:29 GMT -5
In my neighborhood the home lots are small. My neighbor to the west of me has at least a fifty foot tall pin oak planted dead center in her front yard. It's so tall it makes her single story home look like a doll house. The previous home owner planted it. I don't worry about the tree/house scale. But I do worry about severe thunderstorms coming in from the west and blowing the tree down right onto my home and crushing it. At my old house, my next door neighbor has several tall pine trees. The pine needles are a problem in my gutters, but anyway. One day I was home and I heard a loud noise, and my house literally shook. I went outside to see what the world was going on, and some people had cut one of her trees down. If I never had a healthy respect for trees, I did after that day, because I was shocked that a tree falling in my neighbor’s yard could make my house shake. But it did. That same neighbor had a tree that just looked like it was sick a few years ago. The bark looked like it had been stripped or something. And one day I came home from work, and that tree was laid out across the street, it had finally fallen. And like I said before, EVERY spring, at least one tree in the area came down, usually on a house. Some of them were so big that they pulled up most of the yard when they fell. It was scary for me because even though I didn’t have trees, my neighbors had trees that were big and tall enough to reach my house if they fell. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet. A few years back, a friend of mine who lives in the UoM area in a craftsman style home had two of the three trunks of her neighbor's giant oak tree fall on her home during a thunderstorm. Did a heck of a lot of damage including knocking the home off its base. Took like 18 months to get the home back to habitable. She lived across the street in a Airbnb home during reconstruction. Home insurance paid the monthly bill. |
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nidena
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Post by nidena on Jul 11, 2020 8:05:12 GMT -5
I'll add that many people plant trees too close to their house never imagining how big they will get. They look so tiny even in a 15 gal pot! Yes, I know having trees too close to the house can cause problems. My other house is in a neighborhood that has enormous mature trees, and I was happy from day 1 that none of them belonged to me. I had stumps, evidence that the trees on my property had been cut down at some point. It worked for me. Unless pecan trees grow really fast, this one has been around for a while. It’s not right next to the house, but if the roots extend as far as the limbs do, I can see it being a potential problem. DBF and I seem to have unofficially decided that he handles certain things and I handle certain things. The tree is on “his” list of things to deal with. I’ll give him information, but whatever happens with the tree is up to him. I will say that a few weeks ago, when my grandkids were visiting, it was nice to see them trying to climb the tree. I’m a serious worrywart, but I figured it was natural for little boys to want to climb a tree, so I didn’t say anything when my grandson was trying. He finally managed to get up into it, and he climbed a bit higher than I was comfortable with. But I let him do it. Then his little sister wanted to try. I didn’t try to stop her either, even though my heart started pounding even harder. She got “stuck” on the first set of limbs, and I had to go rescue her, but overall, it was an adventure they both enjoyed. I have and never would try to climb a tree, (there are BUGS in trees, right?) but I was proud of myself for not stopping my grandkids from trying it. So, whatever eventually happens with it, the tree has already given me and my grandkids some good memories, since it’s the only tree they’ve ever climbed so far and I was able to watch them do it..... heart palpitations and all. It's natural for ANY kid to want to climb a tree unless their adventure and exploration side has been stunted by the grownups in their lives. |
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finnime
Junior Associate
Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
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Post by finnime on Jul 11, 2020 10:57:45 GMT -5
When I bought my current house I had three huge maples in the front yard. Actually, they pretty much comprised the front yard. Eventually the one closest to the house either got struck by lightening or just fell apart and half of it fell onto the house roof edge, breaking it away and crashing through the portico. We couldn't get out the front door for a couple of days until I hired someone to cut up and take away the tree part that had broken off.
Because it hit the house, insurance paid to clean up and fix up everything. The only lingering problem was that water leaked in to the front wall of the house over time and paint peeled in the downstairs windows.
Other trees and the remainder of that first tree were taken down over time as they became diseased.
Another time a large branch fell off my neighbor's tree and broke my fence. My homeowner's paid for the replacement of that part of the fence. I paid for the branch removal.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2020 11:38:58 GMT -5
Yes, I know having trees too close to the house can cause problems. My other house is in a neighborhood that has enormous mature trees, and I was happy from day 1 that none of them belonged to me. I had stumps, evidence that the trees on my property had been cut down at some point. It worked for me. Unless pecan trees grow really fast, this one has been around for a while. It’s not right next to the house, but if the roots extend as far as the limbs do, I can see it being a potential problem. DBF and I seem to have unofficially decided that he handles certain things and I handle certain things. The tree is on “his” list of things to deal with. I’ll give him information, but whatever happens with the tree is up to him. I will say that a few weeks ago, when my grandkids were visiting, it was nice to see them trying to climb the tree. I’m a serious worrywart, but I figured it was natural for little boys to want to climb a tree, so I didn’t say anything when my grandson was trying. He finally managed to get up into it, and he climbed a bit higher than I was comfortable with. But I let him do it. Then his little sister wanted to try. I didn’t try to stop her either, even though my heart started pounding even harder. She got “stuck” on the first set of limbs, and I had to go rescue her, but overall, it was an adventure they both enjoyed. I have and never would try to climb a tree, (there are BUGS in trees, right?) but I was proud of myself for not stopping my grandkids from trying it. So, whatever eventually happens with it, the tree has already given me and my grandkids some good memories, since it’s the only tree they’ve ever climbed so far and I was able to watch them do it..... heart palpitations and all. It's natural for ANY kid to want to climb a tree unless their adventure and exploration side has been stunted by the grownups in their lives. You’re right, I guess in my head it’s mostly a boy thing because I’ve never wanted to climb a tree lol. |
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bean29
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Post by bean29 on Jul 11, 2020 12:08:31 GMT -5
PC-Lopsided trees concern me. As they are no longer balanced how will they hold up during severe thunderstorms with the strong winds we can get here. Will they blow over because of the lopsidedness. Have you ever had MLGW come buy your property and they drastically trim one or more of your trees because the branches are too close to the power lines? I have. If you have ever had a Bradford pear tree on your property you would know a gust of 5 MPH or more will probably blow it over. Horrible tree. Bradford pear trees are fast growing trees and that is why some people plant them but the trees have very weak wood so they blow over. When I bought my house back in 1996, there were six Bradford pear trees on the property. I convinced my neighbor he really wanted four of them. So he and I dug up four and moved them to his property. One of the remaining two trees blew over in the severe thunderstorm of July, 2003 (Hurricane Elvis). The last one, and this is why I mentioned MLGW, they trimmed the back half of it off because it was too close to power lines. So I was left with half a tree which was completely lopsided and way off balance, especially for a Bradford pear tree. I think it cost me around $700 to have the remainder of the tree cut down and removed. I think if MLGW is going to so drastically trim a tree they should cut the hole thing down and not leave it to the home owner to 'fix' the damage they caused. MLGW told me 'too bad." So think about the pecan tree and if it is lopsided consider that most strong thunderstorms come in from the southwest, west and northwest and if the tree was to fall, what would it fall on. My company has had some success contacting the power company and asking them to take a tree down that is interfering with power lines. I think we did it twice. We were going to pay to take it down, but decided to check with the power company first to see if they would pay or participate in paying. I think they decided taking it down entirely was more cost effective. |
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Tennesseer
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Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 11, 2020 13:18:24 GMT -5
PC-Lopsided trees concern me. As they are no longer balanced how will they hold up during severe thunderstorms with the strong winds we can get here. Will they blow over because of the lopsidedness. Have you ever had MLGW come buy your property and they drastically trim one or more of your trees because the branches are too close to the power lines? I have. If you have ever had a Bradford pear tree on your property you would know a gust of 5 MPH or more will probably blow it over. Horrible tree. Bradford pear trees are fast growing trees and that is why some people plant them but the trees have very weak wood so they blow over. When I bought my house back in 1996, there were six Bradford pear trees on the property. I convinced my neighbor he really wanted four of them. So he and I dug up four and moved them to his property. One of the remaining two trees blew over in the severe thunderstorm of July, 2003 (Hurricane Elvis). The last one, and this is why I mentioned MLGW, they trimmed the back half of it off because it was too close to power lines. So I was left with half a tree which was completely lopsided and way off balance, especially for a Bradford pear tree. I think it cost me around $700 to have the remainder of the tree cut down and removed. I think if MLGW is going to so drastically trim a tree they should cut the hole thing down and not leave it to the home owner to 'fix' the damage they caused. MLGW told me 'too bad." So think about the pecan tree and if it is lopsided consider that most strong thunderstorms come in from the southwest, west and northwest and if the tree was to fall, what would it fall on. My company has had some success contacting the power company and asking them to take a tree down that is interfering with power lines. I think we did it twice. We were going to pay to take it down, but decided to check with the power company first to see if they would pay or participate in paying. I think they decided taking it down entirely was more cost effective. Now you tell me. You're ten years too late! Thanks. If I ever have another tree near power lines I will recall this. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2020 10:36:30 GMT -5
Arborists are the hair stylists of the tree world. They know how to deal with texture, curl, and length. Tree trimmers are your little sister with a pair of scissors. DBF was going to go with the tree trimmer, but he never got back to him to set a date to do the work. So DBF called a couple of arborist for estimates, because I told him that’s what you all suggested. One just left, when he was done looking it at I asked him to show me what he suggests doing. I immediately remembered nidena’s post above when he started talking. What he suggested definitely sounded more like a haircut, and actually tending to the tree vs basically scalping one side. I actually quoted the haircut vs little scissors to DBF when I called him to tell him what the guy said. I told him one of my message board peeps told me that, and it seems to be true. He also suggested what @donethat said they do with their tree on the interior of it. He said “ the first thing we’ll do is remove those dead branches from storm damage and open it up some, which will also let more sunlight reach the ground”, and looked down at the pitiful grass underneath the tree. I hadn’t even noticed the dead branches, you can’t see them from the deck, where I usually view the tree from. I have a feeling an arborist’s estimate will be more than the tree trimmer’s was, but as long as it’s not completely outrageous, I think it’ll be worth it. He’s going to e-mail the “detailed” estimate before noon today. Thank you all for the advice. And especially thank you for encouraging me to have an arborist do it. I can tell just from the 2 conversations that an arborist is a much better choice if you care anything about the tree and how it looks, and most importantly, want to avoid it falling down. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2020 11:13:01 GMT -5
This board is the best for good advice IMHO - glad I could contribute. We are scheduled for this coming Monday. They will do a major open up/lift canopy away from roof/get rid of dead stuff on the big oak, remove all the neighbor's crepe myrtle hanging over my electric line, and lift the canopy on the Mexican plum off the fence and shop. The total bid including chipping it all up was under $500. We're happy!
Our neighbor tried to take his crepe myrtle out yesterday and got heat exhaustion so I think he's getting a quote for removal.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2020 13:37:50 GMT -5
This board is the best for good advice IMHO - glad I could contribute. We are scheduled for this coming Monday. They will do a major open up/lift canopy away from roof/get rid of dead stuff on the big oak, remove all the neighbor's crepe myrtle hanging over my electric line, and lift the canopy on the Mexican plum off the fence and shop. The total bid including chipping it all up was under $500. We're happy! Our neighbor tried to take his crepe myrtle out yesterday and got heat exhaustion so I think he's getting a quote for removal. DBF just forwarded me the estimate. $635, $40 less than the tree trimmer’s estimate. I really wasn’t expecting that! A little less money for someone I believe will do it right. Another big fat “thank you” to you all! |
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nidena
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Post by nidena on Aug 11, 2020 14:08:44 GMT -5
This board is the best for good advice IMHO - glad I could contribute. We are scheduled for this coming Monday. They will do a major open up/lift canopy away from roof/get rid of dead stuff on the big oak, remove all the neighbor's crepe myrtle hanging over my electric line, and lift the canopy on the Mexican plum off the fence and shop. The total bid including chipping it all up was under $500. We're happy! Our neighbor tried to take his crepe myrtle out yesterday and got heat exhaustion so I think he's getting a quote for removal. DBF just forwarded me the estimate. $635, $40 less than the tree trimmer’s estimate. I really wasn’t expecting that! A little less money for someone I believe will do it right. Another big fat “thank you” to you all! That's great! A better job for less is always a win. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2020 10:53:07 GMT -5
Great price.
When they get to me on the list, I'm paying $1050 to have the tops of the Chinese elm trees in my backyard cut off, chipped, and hauled off.
The tree company estimated they haven't been cut in 3 years and said if they do the job this year then I will be able cut them next year myself with the pole chain saw I bought or wait and have them professionally done every 2-3 years.
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