Tree Subsidence & Building Damage
The relationship between trees and buildings can be intricate. Of increasing concern to tree owners, home owners, and their insurers is the possibility of damage to properties due to the influence of adjacent trees – most commonly through tree root damage to buildings, such as tree subsidence.
Trees can cause damage to structures in one of two ways:
- Directly – where actual contact between the tree and the structure leads to damage occurring
- Indirectly – such as tree subsidence. Tree-related subsidence can occur when tree roots remove moisture from clay-based soils, which can subsequently shrink, losing volume and causing downward movement of structures built above leading to expensive repairs, possible underpinning, and a considerable reduction in property value and re-saleability.
Not all trees will lead to building damage. A number of factors need to be present for trees to cause building subsidence, such as clay-based shrinkable soils beneath the foundations and often foundations which do not meet modern standards.
Elliott Consultancy Limited has considerable experience in the investigation into suspected building damage due to tree involvement. We can supply expertise at various levels of detail from initial tree survey and potential influence reports to more intensive investigations into significant damage to supplement a series of inspections by structural engineers, geotechnicians, and root analysts.
The practice offers its tree subsidence services nationwide, but primarily serves Yorkshire, Humberside, Teesside, County Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland and Cumbria.