Tree Roots And Root Barricades
There
are many causes for concrete slab foundation problems including outside drainage
problems, moisture fluctuations in the underlying clay soils, soil
conditions and plumbing and sewer
line leaks. However, in our experience, one of the biggest single causes
is differential settlement due to large trees. Large trees like Oak, Arizona
Ash and Chinese Tallow have extensive tap root systems that extract large amounts
of water from the soil, which can cause major damage and require home foundation
repair. These large trees remove disproportionate amounts of moisture from soils
under and adjacent to foundations. That is, a large tree on one side of your
house will cause your home foundation to settle faster in the area the tree
is located. That side will tend to settle due to moisture loss while the other
sides of the house do not. The result is that the soil in this area will shrink
(due to moisture loss) and separate from the bottom of the foundation. This
area of shrinkage creates a void and when the void becomes too large the concrete
foundation will collapse, causing one or more cracks in the home foundation.
If a tree is very close to your home then the solution is to remove the tree to avoid a home foundation repair job. If the tree is further away from the home foundation (20 to 30 feet), we can install a root barricade three to five feet from the exterior walls of your home. The root barricade will prevent tree roots from removing moisture from the soil that is in the immediate vicinity of the home's foundation.
Installation of root barricades requires overlapping sheets of non-biodegradable 1/4" thick Plexiglas to a depth of approximately 30" inches. This will prevent tree roots from growing past the root barricade.
In our opinion, root barricades can be helpful in preventing interior settlement problems, but will be limited in preventing exterior settlement. That is, they can help prevent the need for interior piers but not exterior piers if the tree is close to the house.
Other Services
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Foundation Repair
If you have foundation problems, we are here to provide you with a professional house leveling solution. |
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Root Barricades
We can install a root barricade three to five feet from the exterior walls of your home. |
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Flood Plain Lifting
We can raise a home as high as necessary to meet all federal, state, and local requirements. |
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Under Slab Plumbing
We offer the best under-slab excavation and plumbing services the industry has to offer. |
Call or contact us online today to discuss any of our services in more detail or to arrange a FREE Foundation inspection.
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