Opinions please: Shrub removal near house foundation

[EddieWalker]

After seeing the pictures, I'm afraid of this job too. I don't know enough about trees and shrubs to know if those are dangerous ones or not. I'm sure leaning towards cutting them down as much as possible first.

Can you get a trencher between them and the house? Cut a ditch that will cut the roots? The odds that the roots are under the house and even touching the foundation are very high. The big guess is how big are they and how much hold on the house do they have?

Good Luck,
Eddie

 

[Dougster]

Can you get a clearer picture of the bushes/trees? Knowing what variety they are can clear up some confusion. Can you also get pictures of the trunks and what it looks like (distance) between trunks and foundation?

I know my photography skills are not the best... I need a camera with anti-shake... and the pix were taken late in the day. Believe it or not, the posted photo is the best of the bunch. The others are so dark or blurred as to be useless for exact identification. But your point is well taken and I will see what I can do to find out the exact species.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

After seeing the pictures, I'm afraid of this job too. I don't know enough about trees and shrubs to know if those are dangerous ones or not. I'm sure leaning towards cutting them down as much as possible first. Can you get a trencher between them and the house? Cut a ditch that will cut the roots? The odds that the roots are under the house and even touching the foundation are very high. The big guess is how big are they and how much hold on the house do they have?

Oh I guarantee that the roots are touching the foundation. The question is whether or not they have a really good grip on the foundation. I could rent a trencher, but there go all my profits. Plus how far down would the trencher go? I'm guessing not far enough to make a big difference.

Dougster

 

[EddieWalker]

Roots do two things. They go straight down, or the go straight out just below the surface. There is always the exception, but this is pretty accurate. If you just cut down a foot, you'd eliminate 90 percent of your worries in my opinion. The footing is going to be deeper and the roots will work there way under it, but they will only do that when they hit the side of the concrete. If you can cut down between the house and the trees, I'd think you would be OK.

Some jobs that I do don't make a profit either. I do them for materials and good will. Not always, but allot of the time I get referals and call backs from those jobs. Underbidding a job isn't new, but doing it anyway and doing it well will always come back to you in a benificial manner. Do just one job poorly, and you will pay for it for years.

I just painted and redecorated a doctors reception room the other day. I told him I had some free time and wanted to try out a few ideas I had. I did the job for the price of materials only. Now he wants to hire me to do his other four rooms and I'm getting calls from several of the two dozen doctors in the clinic for work. The potential here is huge, but so far I haven't made any profit on it. I will, and there's no telling how much, but that's all part of the trades.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[Dougster]

Roots do two things. They go straight down, or the go straight out just below the surface. There is always the exception, but this is pretty accurate. If you just cut down a foot, you'd eliminate 90 percent of your worries in my opinion. The footing is going to be deeper and the roots will work there way under it, but they will only do that when they hit the side of the concrete. If you can cut down between the house and the trees, I'd think you would be OK. Some jobs that I do don't make a profit either. I do them for materials and good will. Not always, but allot of the time I get referals and call backs from those jobs. Underbidding a job isn't new, but doing it anyway and doing it well will always come back to you in a benificial manner. Do just one job poorly, and you will pay for it for years.

I understand what you're saying about using the trencher to cut the biggest horizontal roots... but I'd have to cut the tallest shrubs down to grade (or close) to get a decent one back in there. That pretty much eliminates the "chain and pull" option that many have recommended. I get your point, but I'm not sure that is a wise trade-off. I still think that some cautious initial investigation will ultimately reveal the best route to take. You guys have given me all the ideas... now it's time to just go out there and "Git 'R Done"!

I have no problem doing work at cost or even a small loss. So far, that's been the story of my (post-layoff/post-semiretirement?) life! This spring it's time to start turning a small profit "or else"! The biggest mistake I've made so far is turning down too much "risky" business. I can't afford to be that overly cautious anymore. It's time to start paying my bills again from something other than my fast shrinking savings.

Dougster

 

[Egon]

I need a camera with anti-shake

Is this a symptom of other things???

Too easy not to resist!

 

[Dougster]

Is this a symptom of other things??? Too easy not to resist!

Oh, it's definitely a sign of old age. No question about that. And modern digital cameras made for only the tiniest of hands and smartest of minds. Plus the skill level of the photographer here is not exactly great. I openly admit it.

Dougster

 

[Egon]

Same problem I got.

Now my 1963 Kodiak is something else. It's user friendly!

 

[Harvster]

I'd have to vote for cutting them down to stumps and then grinding. Why risk all the unknowns of buried utilities and foundation integrity? Seems like an easy choice. (fun factor aside)

 

[Dougster]

I'd have to vote for cutting them down to stumps and then grinding. Why risk all the unknowns of buried utilities and foundation integrity? Seems like an easy choice. (fun factor aside)

Well, a number of you have certainly said this. Probably a majority by now. I will revisit the issue with the owner today. He may balk at my contract anyway. We shall see.

Sometimes it seems like I should have bought a stump grinder and chipper instead of a tractor and backhoe. Certainly would have been cheaper, simpler and maybe more in tune with these cautious, litigious times.

Dougster