Risk from Future Tree Planting
Risk from Future Tree Planting is a low-severity soil & foundation defect SURE inspectors have documented across 5 inspection reports.
Causes
- Debris from trees
- Roots of trees
- Debris blocking gutters and drains
- Roots damaging footings
- Future planting of trees close to the property
Symptoms to look for
- Potential future blocked gutters and drains
- Potential future damage to footings
- Potential future damage if trees are planted too close
- Debris blocking gutters and drains
- Root damage to footings
Remedies
- Seek advice from a landscaper before planting any trees close to the property
Worth asking our inspector about this specifically.
This is common across Perth stock and usually fixable without drama, but the scope of the fix varies. Every SURE inspection includes 12 months of free advice. Call out the defect by name and we check for it directly.
Curated entries in Soil & foundation
- Curated 1–4/5Trees in Close Proximity to Dwelling
Large trees within the foraging radius of the dwelling - typically any tree within 3 m for small species, or within 10 m for large eucalypts - introduce two distinct risks: root-driven soil moisture fluctuation that causes differential footing movement on reactive clay, and a direct termite foraging corridor between a timber food source in the crown or root system and the building structure. Neither defect is always present, but the proximity constitutes a conducive condition that warrants ongoing monitoring.
- Curated 2–5/5Reactive Clay Soil Movement Affecting Foundation
Seasonal expansion and contraction of reactive clay soils causing cyclical foundation movement, wall cracking, and floor level changes. Prevalent in Sydney Western Suburbs and some Perth clay zones. Severity depends on soil class (H, H1, H2, E) and footing design adequacy.