I am looking at a house to buy, but it has a MASSIVE oak tree in the tiny back yard. and it's 15 feet from the foundation. The picture does not show how big around the trunk truly is. The truck is very very large. Is this tree going to be a major hassle and risk for the home owner?
by Puzzleheaded-Luck920
6 Comments
That lady is a beaut! Sorry I can’t tell you anything else.
That’s a beautiful tree. Have they surfaced existing issues with the foundation: I ask because tree related ones here would likely have already cropped up? I assume this is a slab foundation — if it was pier and beam, I would not be worried at all.
If there’s no existing issues after a foundation inspection, I would be totally fine.
Get an isa certified arborist out as part of your inspection period. Will give you peace of mind and potentially some negotiating chips.
u/austintreeamigos is a great local one. No one’s going to really be able to comment helpfully from a photo, regarding its health.
That said, it’s an ancient tree. If it was going to give the house problems regarding foundation or anything it’d have done it. Plenty of houses have a close live oak like that.
I’d pay extra for a house with a beautiful oak, for the cover and beauty.
I have a couple of huge live oaks near my home. I think that they have deep tap roots. My house is over forty years old and no issues thus far.
Nothing helpful to say other than to say we bought our first house in part because I loved all of the oak trees, several of which are close (less than 15 feet) to the house. We had the sewer line inspected during the option period to make sure the roots weren’t growing into the pipe. That may or may not be relevant to you depending on where the lines run.
Drive around west Austin, and you will see oak trees (often old trees) 15 feet or less from the foundation of houses ALL over. That made me feel a bit less freaked out. I’m not saying they don’t ever cause issues, but it seems to be pretty common here, and I don’t see neighbors having foundation issues. We had tons of huge limbs fall off of our oaks during the ice storm a few years ago, one of which damaged our roof and our fence.
I will say that I know the soil is different in west vs. east Austin, and I don’t have a good understanding of whether that makes a difference in terms of tree-related foundation issues.
I have a live oak that size, if not larger, about 10-15 feet from my back door. I’ve lived here for more than 20 years and never had an issue with the roots. The house is about 60 years old and sits on a slab foundation.
You’ll need to have the tree pruned every 5 years or so, and pruning of a tree that size is not cheap, so be prepared to budget that in. Having said that, it’s an honor and a privilege to live with such an amazing being. You’ll have wonderful shade and all kinds of birds will come and go from its branches. The tree on my property significantly contributes to my quality of life.