Homes surrounded by trees

[Marioo1991]

Me and my wife are looking at purchasing a townhouse, and are considering several areas. We found one area that we like quite a bit that would suit our lifestyle, but i noticed that there are a number of older trees surrounding the properties to the point where the sidewalk is all uneven and cracked.

Has anyone had any experience living in an area such as this? We are planning on living here for at least 5-10 years, and would not want to make such a large investment that could have potential foundation or plumbing issues.

[91civicZC]

I’m a renter, so pipes and such have never been an issue I have had to deal with myself.

However as a “car person”, if you are parking outside on the driveway or under the trees, make sure you know what type of tree you are parking under.

I have lived in places with lots of shade from trees and trees around the driveway, which can be nice in the summer. However, it can also mean cars covered in sap or needles. It was bad enough in one place that it was high on my list of reasons I moved.

My cars aren’t garage queens, but I generally like them to be clean. If you are the same and have to park at least one vehicle outside and not in a garage, be aware that they can make keeping a vehicle clean a nightmare.

May seem like a small thing now, but a year from now you may be outside with a chainsaw……

Just a thought!

[Lomac]

My yard is covered in trees of all types. One thing you should do is have the pipes in the basement scoped. If the lines are all clay pipes, there's a chance some of the roots have penetrated and collapsed them. Also, if the basement is unfinished, look around for uneven and cracked cement. They may simply be superficial cracks due to the house settling, but they can also point to a root pushing the foundation apart. The other issue with roots is in regards to the septic system. Look into whether the house has a well or is attached to a city line. If there's a sewage well, there's a possibility a root may be trying to penetrate that as well.

Personally, I don't care about the driveway if a root starts pushing it up. It's the essentials of the house that you should be looking into, first and foremost.

[Hondaracer]

if an inspector has it they can also use a moisture meter on basement walls etc.

what type of building is it? does it have drain tile?

if your buying like a 3 story townhouse without a basement, even if it has draintile your foundation will be slab on grade, which is essentially one huge slab your house sits on, very little chance that in 5-10 years roots will be strong enough to penetrate a concrete slab

and like lomac said, pushing up sidewalk panels etc isnt a big deal

[knight604]

tree sap

[BrRsn]

Look @ the canopy of the tree, multiply that by 2 and that's usually how far the root system will reach.

I've personally (with my father) dealt with a few older homes with lots of trees. As others have mentioned, quite common for the incoming water or the clay drainage pipes to break. Can be very costly to repair unless you wanna spend lots of time digging (which is what my first hand experience was )

Personally if I was buying a townhome I'd stay away from anything that may have problems in the future because I imagine it being a huge hassle if you did need to make repairs and split the cost with a neighbour.

[kwy]

Originally Posted by 91civicZC

I’m a renter, so pipes and such have never been an issue I have had to deal with myself.

However as a “car person”, if you are parking outside on the driveway or under the trees, make sure you know what type of tree you are parking under.

I have lived in places with lots of shade from trees and trees around the driveway, which can be nice in the summer. However, it can also mean cars covered in sap or needles. It was bad enough in one place that it was high on my list of reasons I moved.

My cars aren’t garage queens, but I generally like them to be clean. If you are the same and have to park at least one vehicle outside and not in a garage, be aware that they can make keeping a vehicle clean a nightmare.

May seem like a small thing now, but a year from now you may be outside with a chainsaw……

Just a thought!

Agreed..parking under or near just about any kind of tree can be a pain. Glad the behemoth right next door was taken down. Frustrating to detail you car and have it covered in all sorts of tree crap the next morning.

[akanam]

Take consideration that the trees could break and vandalized your townhouse because like you said they are old trees or maybe a storm hit vancouver. Trust me that shit happen to the house across from me.

[Hondaracer]

thats what insurance is for

[Marioo1991]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

if an inspector has it they can also use a moisture meter on basement walls etc.

what type of building is it? does it have drain tile?

if your buying like a 3 story townhouse without a basement, even if it has draintile your foundation will be slab on grade, which is essentially one huge slab your house sits on, very little chance that in 5-10 years roots will be strong enough to penetrate a concrete slab

and like lomac said, pushing up sidewalk panels etc isnt a big deal

the ones we are looking at are 2 story townhouses with a basement, range from 20-40 years old, not sure if they have drain tile.

[Lomac]

Originally Posted by akanam

Take consideration that the trees could break and vandalized your townhouse because like you said they are old trees or maybe a storm hit vancouver. Trust me that shit happen to the house across from me.

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

thats what insurance is for

True, that is what insurance is for, but it's also a big hassle at times. During one the giant storms we had a couple years ago, a large branch came down and shattered one of our skylights. Admittedly that was more of a freak accident than anything, but it was a pain making sure the tarp on the roof wouldn't blow away afterwards. It also made the house looks slightly ghetto for a couple weeks while we had another custom sized skylight made up for us.

Theoretically, while houses between 20-40 years old should be better built, you'll have to keep in mind that the insulation between units are likely to be fairly minimal. Chances are there are no firebreaks between units as well.

If you're still concerned about the roots affecting the foundation and pipes, try talking to some of the neighbours in the complex, especially the ones on either side of the unit you're interested in, and see if they can offer up any information about whether things are started to become affected or not.