Q : We recently purchase a expectant strait-laced house with a immense true cedar tree growing next to a two - room add-on at the back . The foundation is poor ( sitting on the grease ) , and the roots of the tree diagram are lifting it so that the rooms ( an position and a wash ) are tilted and have begun to smell of mildew . We ’ve been advised to either hit the cedar or tear down the rooms . What a choice!—Linda Altaman , Tuolumne , Calif.

A : A ripe cedar like yours is priceless . That noble tree diagram and your okay older base have aged graciously together . Although an appraiser might say the cedar is worth only $ 10,000 , you wo n’t be capable to get another one like it in your lifetime for any amount of money . The New addition , from your description , has already suffered some damage , and that ’s where I think you should focus your efforts .   surely , cutting down the tree diagram wo n’t fix the plus . After pass $ 1,500 to have the tree diagram removed , you ’ll still have a badly listing construction . The roots underneath will have to be extract , or they ’ll tempt white ant . The disturbance cause by removing the origin may also cause the founding to break up , if it has n’t already . Since a foundation repair seems unavoidable , I suggest you work around the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .

Your first step should be to hire someone who can evaluate the tree ’s wellness and apprise you on how much of the root system can be safely cut away . In the phone Word of God , appear for a “ consulting arborist . ” You do n’t want a “ certify tree surgeon ” — they tend to be tree cutters and their solutions will lean toward massive pruning and removal . A consulting tree surgeon will be well-chosen to just give advice , in somebody and in writing . Fees run $ 75 to $ 100 per hour for consultation , and $ 50 to $ 60 per hour for excavating and root cutting or for removing a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .   Once you have the tree surgeon ’s report , you may set about talking to a builder or an designer about how to deal with the building . If the instauration needs an overhaul , you might recover it ’s possible just to move the accession a bit so that it ’s farther from the tree diagram . Or the building might be set on piers , to advance the story more or less so that the roots can continue to grow freely underneath . But if the slab has not been ruined and can safely be restored to a point billet , the offending ascendent can probably be burn away , with the arborist ’s avail .   In many case , pruning off a major root should n’t do permanent damage . Trees turn a loss more than 90 percent of their root when they ’re transplanted and finally recover . The origin suffer on a transplanted tree , however , are those farthest from the proboscis , and they ’re relatively small . For a big Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , do n’t make any cuts closer than 5 to 8 feet from the trunk .

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The arborist should be able to prune the root for you , or at least superintend the work . The beginning must be exposed without damage it , which is done by spraying water or air around the ascendent collar ; a cut is then made at a item where the beginning branches . To prevent roots from growing back under the slab , the arborist can install a profound plastic root barrier about 3 foot rich in a trench along the construction rampart .   Of course , the arborist may discover that your mulct - looking Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree actually has serious intragroup decay . If it ’s in peril of break apart in the farting or blowing over , that get a serious jeopardy to you and your neighbors ’ home . If the arborist recommend off the tree , demand him to propose a switch species and aid you find a good specimen . Buy as mature a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree as you could afford , and locate it the proper distance from the building — half the estimated mature height of the tree is a honorable formula of thumb . For a big Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree such as a cedar , about 40 feet from the building is good . For Japanese maples , ‘ Bradford ’ pears , and other average - size trees , about 20 understructure off is safe . Trees often look best   placed to the side of a building rather than right away in front . They render better tint in summer when placed on the westward or E side of the house , rather than on the south . Whatever you do , resist the temptation to remunerate for the new tree ’s much small size by engraft it nigher to the house .