If you’re dealing with unexpected moisture in your home and you can’t identify its source, you may have to look at the trees in your yard. A tree’s roots never move maliciously against your home, but given the opportunity to grow, they can disrupt the soil beneath and around your foundation. In doing so, they can cause your foundation to settle or sink, leaving your floors uneven and your home more humid than you’d like.
If you want to work against this kind of root damage, you’re in luck. The experts serving the Florida area can help you repair the damage done to your home and prevent it from reappearing down the line.
When Do You Need to Remove A Tree and Its Roots?
It’s not always easy to determine when the damage in your home or foundation stems from the tree roots in your yard. With that in mind, you’ll want to make a point of walking through your home on a regular basis while keeping an eye out for signs of trouble. Some of the most common forms of damage you may find yourself contending with can include:
- A slanting or otherwise uneven foundation
- Foundation damage on the same side of your house as the tree
- Standing water in your home after a storm
- Excessive moisture in your home
- Unusual amounts of foundation settling
- An uneven floor
- Sticking windows or doors
Note that these signs of damage can indicate not only root damage but other types of pressure and stress outside your home. If you don’t think you can determine what the source of damage is on your own, you can reach out to the professionals in your area for a home inspection. With their help, you can not only determine what kind of repairs your home may need but also whether or not it’s roots in your yard that are the primary source of your problems.
Protecting Your Home from Root Damage
If it turns out that roots are causing your foundation problems, there are a few different steps you can take to remove those roots from your property. These include:
Dealing with Your Stump
The last thing you want to do when caring for your yard is to leave a stump in its original location. Stumps are hearty and can sprout a new tree if their roots remain active. As such, you’ll want to do what you can to remove latent stumps from your property with relative haste. You can do this by applying a chemical root killer to the stump itself or by using power tools to remove it from the ground. If you don’t want to try and take on the stump removal process on your own, you can reach out to the landscaping or tree removal professionals in your area for help and guidance.
The Benefits of Chemical Root Killers
Speaking of chemical root killers, you can also use a diluted weed killer or root killer to kill off the roots that may be too close to your home. You can apply the chemical of your choice to a tree’s roots and let the tree do the hard work of circulating the product for you.
Note that you do want to dilute the root killer that you choose to take advantage of. Should you use a root killer that’s too strong, you risk compromising the health of the rest of your tree.
Removing or Transplanting A Tree
When it comes down to it, you can also remove an entire tree from your property if it’s causing you problems. Again, you’ll want to make sure you remove the stump as well as the rest of the tree to eliminate potential future root growth.
If you want to preserve a tree’s growth, however, you can also request that it be transplanted somewhere else in your yard. While you can do this kind of work on your own, it’s often best to reach out to the professionals in your area to ease the transition.
When Can Professionals Help You Protect Your Home?
If you find yourself contending with water or foundation damage throughout your home and you believe that a tree’s roots are to blame, don’t fret. You can take steps to eliminate the roots that are causing you problems and otherwise prevent the kind of damage that might lower your home’s value. To get started, you can reach out to the professional foundation and crawl space experts serving the Florida area for a home inspection and a free quote.
