Cob: foundations, tree roots

[Miranda Sterling]

Good and reassuring thoughts, Rick.

I would also agree that trees are a *bit* more hardy than suggested.  What 
about the apparently quite healthy cedar elm that is right beside my gravel 
driveway?  I drive back and forth over it's roots all the time and it 
doesn't seem to mind a bit; been doing it for years.

I'm going to have to check with some local builders to see what the common 
understanding is about treeroots undermining foundations.

At 10:30 AM 4/27/2002 -0500, you wrote:


>I wonder if the "conventional wisdom" is in error or is recommended due
>to the habit of builders to use a bulldozer in order to over-excavate
>the building site.
>
>I live in a house built from rock, quarried from this location,
>constructed in 1890. The two live oaks which surround the house are less
>than 15 feet away from the foundation and are 500 and 300 years old
>respectively according to arborists who have examined them. The
>circumference of the trees are at least 10-12 feet each which, if I am
>reading correctly (1 foot away for every 1" in diameter) would mean that
>the foundation would have to be almost 100 to 120 feet from the base of
>the tree.
>
>There isn't a lot of topsoil here and there is a great deal of limestone
>on this site barely 3 feet under the surface.
>
>If constructing a foundation so close to the trees cause irreparable
>damage to them, you would think these two enormous oaks would have died
>100 years ago. I'm sure that one has to be careful but perhaps not as
>extremely so as is suggested. And perhaps the type of foundations and
>excavation required to build a cob house (rubble and stone trenches
>seems to be the favored) is not nearly as intrusive as the huge
>excavations required for the traditional house.
>
>Rick
>
>
>
>
> >
> > I wonder if the trees being in rock, as you say you cannot excavate
> > because you are
> > on rock, if the tree's roots are in rock crevices, that this might
>allow
> > you to
> > build amongst them?
> >
> > H
> >
>
>
>
>
>---
>Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.351 / Virus Database: 197 - Release Date: 4/19/2002
-------------- next part --------------

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.351 / Virus Database: 197 - Release Date: 4/19/2002