Hi All,
I am preparing to install a paver stone patio in our backyard but while I was excavating I started hitting some decent sized roots only 6 or so inches below ground level from an oak tree. The oak tree is only about
3 feet from the proposed patio. My concern is that after a couple of years this will make my patio uneven over time. I was wondering if anyone out there has any suggestions?Thanks.
That's why it is best to use pavers rather than concrete under flagstone for example. You can reset the pavers in the future if required.
Removing a lot of roots not only will hurt the tree but leave it weakened in such a way as it may topple in a high wind or heavy snow. Not advised to cut larger roots. If you had a few 2" roots maybe but not a big one.
Fortunately in a mature tree, these largest roots will probably not move much. If the tree were younger and had more to grow I would be more worried. Do you have a sense if it is already full size?
You can raise the level of the patio by an inch or two by using more sand and base rock, this will help by buffering the roots deeper, the sand will be easier to redistribute in the future if you need to reset the pavers.
Thanks PipeDown,
Now my one concern with this is that you are supposed to create a gravel base with the sand overlay. What if the root interferes with the ability to create a proper base? Just work around them? I really appreciate the quick response and your excellent insight.
My suggestion is that you contact an arborist if you want to keep the tree. It is recommended that no more than 1" of cover be added per year within the drip line of a tree.
--Andy Asberry recommends NewsGuy--
dig out the best you can and gravel around and over the roots, then sand,
things will move and you may end up with a slightly higher patio than you planned, but its fairly easy to reset them as needed
A good point but pavers do let water through, sounds like it is only along one side of the tree anyway. Removing a tree can be troublesome. A friend sold a tree for $1k but did not have a permit to remove it so now he has to pay over $3500 to plant two new slightly smaller trees to replace it or pay an even bigger fine to the city.
I have no problem with severing roots as long as they are severed a few feet beyond the drip line. I've done it to three trees and they are all still there 20 years and 12 years later. But I fed and watered them very well.
3 feet is too close and WILL make the tree a prime candidate for uprooting in a decent wind storm. I plant trees and am opposed to removing them unless they are dead, dying, or an eye sore.To work around the roots is going to be a lot of digging plus pouring gravel and sand and then laying brick as a foundation for the patio.
I suggest getting your County extension service involved. They may have some bright ideas.
Dick
might be better to build a low deck over the roots out of wood like substance
The masonry company that re-did my front porch needlessly and without being noticed, cut a root of the beautiful large spuce that graced the front of my house. Over one year later the oil delivery guy noticed in a windstorm that the ground under the tree was heaving. I had to have it cut down immediately. On a weekend. Forget that it was double the price of weekday work- I still mourn the tree. Plus, although they did a nice job on the front, I could never hire them again for the driveway or back porch. I couldn't bear to look at them again knowing what they did to the tree.
Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
Hello Greg:
Your patio and your oak tree will not be happy neighbors. The general guideline is that any trenching, which is what you will be doing to prepare the sub-base for the patio, should be no closer to the trunk of the tree than 1.5 feet for every 1 inch of tree diameter measured 5 feet above the ground (dbh). In other words, a 10-inch diameter tree would require a 15 foot setback. This is a general guideline, and is not a substitute for an on site evaluation of the tree by a qualified expert.
The root system of the tree is within the top 18 inches of soil. There will be no way to avoid the roots with the patio. And, the roots increase in diameter as the tree gets older. At some point in the future, they will push the pavers up. So a little design creativity is in order.
However, it may be useful to have a licensed arborist asses the condition of the tree. My suggestion is for you to first find out if the tree is worth preserving before you spend time and energy on design alternatives. If you decide to keep the tree, you might try to keep the top of the patio as high as feasible, and just set the pavers closest to the tree in a sand bedding over filter fabric with no sub base. As the tree grows, you would remove the lifted pavers back as necessary. The oak tree (as compared with a Norway maple for example) will not lift the patio randomly. The pavers closest to the trunk will lift first because the roots are larger and grow in girth more quickly closest to the trunk.
Other responders have suggested design elements such as benches, and suggestions include planters, a water feature, or whatever that may work. Personally, I would want to keep a healthy significant tree for all of its benefits and forgo the full size of the patio as required by the circumstances.
Good luck with your project.
Just sitting here thinking about how to problem solve... What if you were to use rebar to create a structural support and then use some sort of border edging as a "wall" to support the mulch or sand and pavers over the root area. That way no cutting is involved but the goal is being pursued, knowing that shifting may take place in the future and resmoothing may need to be done at some point as maintenance?
Best thing to do is just cut the tree down, dig out roots and then build your patio.
Not having to dig leaves out of your gutters and rake them up every fall is a bonus.
Not to mention the problem if the tree or large branches fall on the house.
Last year a large pine tree about 100 feet from the house fell. As there was one just like it next to the house, when the tree service came to remove the first tree he mentioned the tree next to the house,so I let him cut it down.
May even be able to get a few bucks if it is a tree good for wood. At least have it taken down for free.
It's an oak tree. The oak tree 15 feet from the house I was born in has been there at least 75 years, its limbs are above the whole house as well as the entire front yard, and none of the limbs have fallen.
My old house is under the oak tree in the middle of the picture, labeled
219.https://www.google.com/maps/place/New+Castle+Christian+Academy/@41.0196636,-80.3415169,143m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x88338e67cc0987a9:0x655b5d210ef1b112!2sNew+Castle,+PA!3b1!8m2!3d41.0036719!4d-80.347009!3m4!1s0x0:0xa0cf8d685d66f456!8m2!3d41.0187724!4d-80.340847?hl=en
For a more complete answer, posters should have quoted the original post so people reading the proper way, on Usenet, would know what the question is.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.