Risk of Tree Root Damage to Footings
Risk of Tree Root Damage to Footings is a moderate-severity soil & foundation defect SURE inspectors have documented across 19 inspection reports.
Causes
- Tree debris (leaves, branches) falling into gutters/drains (potential)
- Tree roots growing towards foundations (potential)
- Falling debris from trees (future growth)
- Trees planted too close to the dwelling
- Incorrect tree planting proximity
Symptoms to look for
- Trees in close proximity to the dwelling or overhanging (future concern, not current)
- Blocked gutters and drains (future potential)
- Blocked gutters and drains (potential future)
- Blocked gutters and drains (potential)
- Damage to footings (potential future)
Remedies
- Seek advice from a landscaper before planting any trees close to the property
- Seek advice from a landscaper before planting 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.