New Construction/Live Oak

[kevin2467]

Unfortunately I have a live oak on my property that will be within 8' of my new house. House will be built on piers with continuous grade beams. Tree’s diameter is about 6'-7'... what are the chances of the tree's survival? I wish I can keep the tree but I don't want to regret it 5 years from now if it doesn't survive....

Also is there a market for large oak trees wood?

Thanks for your comments!!

 

[Hank Chinaski]

that's also some big limbs/tree to potentially drop on the house as well come storm time.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Unfortunate, the tree will not survive. My brother is a big time builder here. I have seen it a hundred times. They will market that tree for the curb appeal, then dig right next to it. If your house is 8 ft away, the over dig will be about 3ft away. Tree will look alright at first, but then let go quickly. Take it down before ya build the home. Often, they say give it a chance. The cost between the two, before home, after home, will be staggering. When ya dig next to a tree that big, the massive amount of roots that will be ripped out will be to much for the tree to recover from, not to mention the stability.
When it comes to the landscape. Builders have one frame of mind, curb appeal, now. That means they plant to close, leave what they should take, then cover everything with mulch.

I had one of my guys ask to sell a oak log, thought he was gonna get thousands, he paid his buddy 100 to haul it on his roll off truck, he got 125 at the mill, made 25 bucks! It was over 16ft long and was about 40" dia, solid,straight, red oak.

 

[KD57]

Live Oaks live to be several hundred years old and make the best shade trees in the world. Unfortunately, they usually die if the ground is disturbed around them, but it will take awhile. (years)
They are excellent for firewood or cooking.

If it was my house, I would leave it, they are too good of a tree to cut down. I have seen them survive in cases like this, but chances are slim. If it starts to die, you will still have several years to decide when/how to remove it. They die slowly.

I don't know about LA, but around here, lots of value is added to a house if it has some live oaks around it. The leaves stay green year round, and only lose them in March, and as the new leaves emerge, the old ones fall.

 

[beastmaster]

If your having the house built to your specs. you can go over the plans with a reputable Arborist and he could make suggestions and give a lot of advice on ways to lessen the impact construction will have on the tree.
A big beautiful Oak tree could add a lot of value to a property, but the tree has to be a high priority and a lot of checks put into place to protect it from construction damage.
There are many safeguards but there never followed, and even then if everything is done to protect the roots and avoid compaction just the change in drainage can have long term effects. It boils down to if its really that important or not to you and if your willing to spend the extra money to modify your house plans and put the safeguards in place.
Start hacking roots, and compacting the ground, pouring concrete(can change PH) close to the root zone and the tree will die a slow death that'll end up costing you in the removal fee.

 

[David (saltas)]

Unfortunately I have a live oak on my property that will be within 8' of my new house. House will be built on piers with continuous grade beams. Tree’s diameter is about 6'-7'... what are the chances of the tree's survival? I wish I can keep the tree but I don't want to regret it 5 years from now if it doesn't survive....

Also is there a market for large oak trees wood?

Thanks for your comments!!

AS 4970-2009

Tree protection zone TPZ=DBHx12 so the TPZ = 48'

The SRZ is considered when the tree protection zone is encroached on

structural root zone page 13 figure 1
the diameter you give indicates it needs a 15' radius around the tree.

To work out if the tree can withstand the encroachment by more than 10% which it is in this case you should do a root map by non destructive means. had dig, water blaster and wet and dry vacuum.

Don't hurt the roots

does the tree lean?
Are the roots on this side under tension to and likely to extend for a greater distance on this side?
Whats the soil like?
Whats the history, has the roots been disturbed previously?
What percentage of the roots are going to be damaged by the construction process and what size are they?

don't change the soil level inside the TPZ
If it absolutly must then do the minimum amount and use a much more porous medium than the existing soil.

Put a temp barricade around the tree so machinery cant whack it and damage the bark and padding on any low limbs

there are also questions about the age and vigor of the tree and since I like in the tropics I will let some one else who has experience with OAK answer that part

you will need to do some work to get your answer or pay a local

 

[xtm]

I would do everything I could to try to save that live oak - even consideration to modifying the house plans to keep the trunk farther away from the foundation.

Good advice about minimalizing anything that will disturb the roots - especially the grade!

A grand tree like that deserves maximum effort, IMO. If it doesn't work, you will know that it wasn't due to laziness or not giving it your best shot.

xtm

 

[komatsuvarna]

8 feet! Id cut it down now. I wouldn't want it that close to my house.

There used to be 4 big beautiful maples about 20' from my house, 3 on one side, 1 in the back. One good storm came through and took out the one behind the house. I got thinking about the other 3 being that close to the house and possibly crashing down on my or my kids head one night during another storm...needless to say, I put the dozer to them. I could do without the trees better than I could my family or home.

 

[Currently]

Eight feet from the trunk?

Or eight feet from the branches?

Is your lot big enough to relocate the site?

 

[treeseer]

really hard to speculate without a picture

pier and post is the way to go

oaks like that can protect houses in hurricanes.

i got tuliptrees and pines hanging over my house; no problems in storms

it's all in the care.

got a camera?

 

[ch woodchuck]

Piers and posts.Sound like a bit of wiggle room for the root system.The object,to me,is to determine what percentage of the root system is compromised.15/20 percent is workable.A bit of top work to remove excess material to make up for root loss works well.
Of course There's more to it than that.Pictures are a valuable tool in determining a course of action.A rough sketch of the floor plan measurements in relation to the tree would also help.Lots of good solid info from folks on this site.More input we get...,more you get.
PICTURES......

 

[easy-lift guy]

Do yourself and your family and the house you hope to live in for some time to come a huge favor and cut down this tree. Over the years I have seen many varieties of tree and palm planted as close and closer to homes only to have disastrous results. If I wanted to plant a Live Oak on my property, but I would not since I like grass, I would plant said tree at least 30 to 40 feet away from the eve of the house. Never any closer since I know how big a tree like this can become in a short period of time. Design your landscape from a mature standpoint only, otherwise you may have many unexpected expenses in the future.
elg

 

[treeseer]

Lots of live oaks in Venice and Sarasota and all over Florida that are 8' from structures and doing fine. Call Malcom Guidry or another local reputable arborist and plan for the tree to be an asset after construction.

It's possible if the plan and the resources are there.

 

[easy-lift guy]

I stand by my original opinion for the sake of protecting the structure, foundation, "what foundation there is" and occupants of said dwelling. Sometimes trees are left on properties for the sake of securing a CO, and still others are left for "aesthetic reasons".
I could not and would never leave or plant any trees close enough to any structure for the sake of the tree. Trees can and should be planted a safe distance from any structure. From a practical standpoint common sense should prevail, leave emotions out of the equation.
elg

 

[beastmaster]

I don't think of my self as a tree hugger, but if the tree was there first I feel it should be giving a no. 1 priority and a lot of respect.
Thinking of it as a liability limits your thinking process. The time and money spent on preserving that tree and any innovated practices used will only increase the value of your home and property. Incorporating the Oak into the whole package will have many benifits and greatly out weigh any negative impact
That tree has already weathered many storms and is still standing. If its not damaged now by construction of your home it'll give you protection from even the worse storms' lower your energy bills, keep your yard cooler in the summer.
We have a vary, vary old Oak out here, thats still standing, the local Indians called it the whispering Oak. Its said if you sit underneath it you can hear it talk. Maybe you should sit quietly under your Oak and see what it has to say. Beastmaster