50 Foot Oak tree lifting driveway

[TruthInAdv]

I have a beautiful 50 foot oak tree lifting my driveway in a couple of places.

I've been researching ideas and don't know what to do

1) Remove Tree - I do not like this option.
2) Cut Root(s) - Since my tree has lifted two slabs, I assume at least two large roots near the trunk would need to be cut. From all that I've read this is not a good idea for a mature 50ft oak
3) Gravel - There are no homes in my neighborhood of 600+ homes that have gravel. I'm not even sure if the HOA will approve this
4) Pavers - I love the way pavers look. And they can be removed to fix affected areas. However, I am concerned about 1) The installation process will be hard on my roots 2) how do they deal with the roots that have already lifted my slab 3 inches when they install the new paver driveway. They talk about digging a 12 inch area, adding webbing, sand, gravel, and compacting the soil...how will my tree respond to all this and what do we do the the large roots that are in the way? and 3) ongoing issues as there will probably be lots of roots under my driveway that will continue to grow.

Some things that puzzle me

A) Why do I not see any driveway aprons lifted in my neighborhood and just driveway slabs that have lifted? Is that because of the lack of rebar in the driveway slabs? If that is the case, will repaving the driveway with thick rebar solve my problem?

B) I've heard about wrapping the root, shaving the root, and other root treatments to help accommodate pavers. Does any of this work in my case?

C) If Pavers are a bad idea and I want to keep the tree and wont do all gravel, what is my best option? Can I do 80% pavers and gravel over the area where the offending roots are? How big an area does the gravel need to be? Wont the pavers near the gravel move? Wont the roots break through the gravel eventually and be on the surface?

Any ideas of how to deal with my tree and driveway would be appreciated.

Any recommendations for contractors and arborists in Dallas, TX is also helpful.

Thanks

 

[Raintree]

Any drive removal and replacement activity will negatively impact the trees root zone.
Look into slabjacking your existing drive then determine if a nice shade tree trumps a perfect driveway.

 

[KarlD]

In an ideal world (and with the tree seemingly high up on your priority list) best option would be a floating driveway with careful and selective location of the support pillars. Sadly, the lie of the land (driveway already elevated above the street) looks (from the pics) to render this a non-option - floating driveway would look all wrong...very obvious and imposing from street side.

 

[TruthInAdv]

I found some suggestions online at https://shadetreeexpert.com/sidewalks-and-tree-roots/

Is the below plan a realistic solution?

• Excavate beneath offending roots: Instead of cutting the offending roots that have lifted the sidewalk, leave the root intact and use an air excavation tool like an Air Spade or Air Knife to remove soil beneath the root. This void can be left open beneath the root or filled with clean pea gravel that will move out of the way as the root expands downward. Because the concrete sidewalk is being replaced above the root, the root should expand downward filling the void. This technique should be combined with reinforced sidewalks and possibly thicker sidewalks.

• Use reinforced concrete: Use rebar or wire mesh when repouring concrete sidewalk slabs. This will make the sidewalk stronger. It is important to connect the slabs together with rebar to avoid the lifting of a single slab. In that way the root will be pushing against two or three slabs rather than a single slab. (OR I COULD USE PAVERS)

• Place sidewalk over a geogrid and gravel base: Recent research into roots and sidewalks has demonstrated that a geogrid mesh base placed on top of roots will spread the force of the upward pressure of the roots over a wide area. Then if we cover the geogrid with clean #57 stone for at least a depth of 3 to 4 inches, the concrete sidewalk can be poured on top of the stone. The stone should be covered with a geotextile fabric to help keep the sand and soil from filtering into the stones, which provide a partially flexible buffer to diffuse the force of lifting roots on the concrete sidewalk slabs above. This arrangement may cause the sidewalk to be higher than the original sidewalk.

• Place clean gravel beneath sidewalk: Recent research has demonstrated that simply placing clean gravel beneath a sidewalk slab will cause roots to grow below the gravel not directly below the concrete slab. The large air spaces in the gravel cause any roots to grow below both the concrete sidewalk and the gravel layer. Consequently, the sidewalk is less likely to get pushed upward by the roots.

• Rubber Sidewalks and Pavers: Rubber sidewalks, other flexible materials and brick pavers allow for reduced repair costs to lift out a root-damaged sidewalk section and replace it. However, often the repair involves cutting the offending root that is lifting the sidewalk. These materials, do not solve the problem of what to do with an existing large root that is increasing in diameter. Other methods may be needed to accommodate the large roots rather than cutting them.

Will I be able to Air Spade my roots so that the root can moved down and out of the way? For example, can we remove 8 to 12 inches below the root and then follow the above direction of placing geogrid/gravel base, then rest the root on this and then place clean gravel on the root, and finally install the pavers or concrete on top? A key to this working is for the excavated root to drop (lay lower) then before the excavation. Otherwise, the root is in the way and I will be building a 'floating' driveway as KarlD said above.

Additionally, since the tree's canopy extends over much of the existing driveway, is it realistic to be able to remove the driveway and excavate 8-12" to enable propper installation of pavers throught the entire driveway? Even if I dont cut the roots, per RAINTREE above, am I doing to much damage to my root zone?

Another idea was to use gravel and pavers like attached pic. However, it seems like I have the same issue of needing to excavate around the existing/offending roots and somehow get the roots to lay lower than they are now to accommodate all of the layers of material to install the new driveway correctly.

Additionally, unless I can cover the existing offending roots with 4 inches of something, as the roots grow I will have little space to accommodate the growth of the offending roots. What do I do to the roots when the move my pavers or peak through the gravel?

Thoughts?

 

[DannytreeLLC]

Sounds like the best bet would just be to chop that puppy down and plant or buy a new tree

 

[TruthInAdv]

Sounds like the best bet would just be to chop that puppy down and plant or buy a new tree

Danny

I hate to cut down such a wonderful tree.

I haven't given up yet, but you may be right.

What type of tree would you replace it with?

 

[treelover101]

Sounds like the best bet would just be to chop that puppy down and plant or buy a new tree

I am rolling on the floor laughing, even though I know your answer will not help the person with the lovely tree.

 

[Doug in SW IA]

I have to ask. What is the purpose of that driveway? I don't see any garage to pull into, just a circular drive. Could you just eliminate the circular drive and have two straight pull in spaces?

Second, are you sure the tree roots are the problem? It seems odd that the roots would lift the slabs so evenly without any breakage. Have you done any digging to see exactly where the offending roots are and how deep they are? I think that is where I would start the process.

Doug in SW IA

 

[TruthInAdv]

Doug

The driveway is for guests and a landscaping feature

I’d say about 25% of homes in neighborhood have this feature

The garage and a separate driveway is in the back off the house accessed by a back alley that is parallel to the street.

One option I've considered is removing the driveway. However, it is a very expensive option as the driveway and the driveway apron both need to be removed and then the driveway apron needs to be replaced with a sidewalk. Then a walkway to the front door needs to be put in plus new landscaping. Total cost is about double a new driveway.

Regarding if I am sure that tree roots are the issue. I can see large roots at the surface next to the driveway slabs that lifted. So while I am not certain it was caused by roots, I assumed that they were the cause.

 

[ElevatorGuy]

If it were me, That tree would’ve been gone in the time it took you to type all that!

 

[Woodanhor]

Ops in Texas I'd think shade is more valuable in the desert then northeastern U.S.

 

[ATH]

Well the tree roots may have lifted the slab I still say stop blaming it on the tree roots and blame it on whoever poured the original slab. A good solid base in 5 inches of concrete does not get moved by trees in most circumstances.

Doesn't do you a lot of good now for your decision but just is what it is....

 

[Woodanhor]

Danny

I hate to cut down such a wonderful tree.

I haven't given up yet, but you may be right.

What type of tree would you replace it with?

For the fun of it call a local nursery or tree mover and see what a mature replacement for your oak would be

I bet replacement value is high
I also agree with Ath

And I wouldn't be surprised if some if not most is settling of fill under the slab

 

[sb47]

I ran a Big John tree transplanter and we did a lot of root pruning for the same reason. These collage grads were superintendents and known nothig about planting live oaks much to close to driveways , sidewalks and slabs. They were more interested in making a sale then the long term issues 20 years down the road after the warranty had expired.
The cheapest way to temporally fix the problem is to pave over the slab making the bump minimal. But that's only a temporary fix as the roots will continually grow and lifting the slab even higher.
The next solution is to remove the slab and replacement with one that has rebar. However this is also a temporary fix.
Root pruning can work but will require the slab to come up and be replaced.
I would first try hydro blasting under the driveway to remove the dirt under the roots so the slab will drop down over time.. You will still have to remove the root for that to work. Root pruning shouldn't hurt the tree and will force the root to take another direction. As the tree gets bigger it will also make the ground swell and rise even more.
You can tunnel under the driveway and remove the roots that are causing the issue.
I would dig a hole next to the driveway and use a high pressure water hose and flush out the dirt under the root and let gravity push the rood down giving it room to go deeper.

I suspect and I have seen it a million times is that people want there grass to be nice and green year round. This forces the roots to remain shallow and that is whats causing the issue. Stop watering the grass so much and the roots will go deeper looking for water. No mater how you approach it it will be costly. However it will take decades for a new tree to mature to the size of the tree you already have. I would try hydro flushing the dirt from under the slab first. Moving that tree will run you about 20K minim. Make sure you call your local utility locators first before you attempt anything. If you cut a fiber optic line, it will cost you 20K per splice. Also check with your home owners insurance policy. It may or may not be covered.

 

[lone wolf]

I ran a Big John tree transplanter and we did a lot of root pruning for the same reason. These collage grads were superintendents and known nothig about planting live oaks much to close to driveways , sidewalks and slabs. They were more interested in making a sale then the long term issues 20 years down the road after the warranty had expired.
The cheapest way to temporally fix the problem is to pave over the slab making the bump minimal. But that's only a temporary fix as the roots will continually grow and lifting the slab even higher.
The next solution is to remove the slab and replacement with one that has rebar. However this is also a temporary fix.
Root pruning can work but will require the slab to come up and be replaced.
I would first try hydro blasting under the driveway to remove the dirt under the roots so the slab will drop down over time.. You will still have to remove the root for that to work. Root pruning shouldn't hurt the tree and will force the root to take another direction. As the tree gets bigger it will also make the ground swell and rise even more.
You can tunnel under the driveway and remove the roots that are causing the issue.
I would dig a hole next to the driveway and use a high pressure water hose and flush out the dirt under the root and let gravity push the rood down giving it room to go deeper.

I suspect and I have seen it a million times is that people want there grass to be nice and green year round. This forces the roots to remain shallow and that is whats causing the issue. Stop watering the grass so much and the roots will go deeper looking for water. No mater how you approach it it will be costly. However it will take decades for a new tree to mature to the size of the tree you already have. I would try hydro flushing the dirt from under the slab first. Moving that tree will run you about 20K minim. Make sure you call your local utility locators first before you attempt anything. If you cut a fiber optic line, it will cost you 20K per splice. Also check with your home owners insurance policy. It may or may not be covered.

F.O. cost 20K to repair?

 

[TNTreeHugger]

For guests?

Seems to me, if you cut down the tree you still have the root/raised slab problem... and you like the tree.
So, that leaves doing something with the slab. Looks to be about 5" thick, get someone with a jackhammer to bust up the center piece, haul it off, and fill in with mulch. Make a nice stepping-stone walkway and add landscaping. Fill the gap between the slab and poured concrete.
Voila! Problem solved.

 

[Bahtcat]

Any drive removal and replacement activity will negatively impact the trees root zone.
Look into slabjacking your existing drive then determine if a nice shade tree trumps a perfect driveway.

What’s slabjacking?? I have the same problem and definitely want to try to save the tree

 

[Raintree]

https://robbinsfoundationsystems.com/blog/what-is-slab-jacking-and-how-does-it-work/