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Maple trees out front

Discussion in 'Nature/Habitat/Garden Corner' started by docsaba, Sep 19, 2009.

  1. docsaba

    docsaba New Member

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    Our incredibly healthy maple is getting huge in front of our townhouse on Hunters Green Sq. I know that the roots get pretty large as well - at what point do we worry that these trees are going to push up the driveway, take out the water main etc.? Seems like a bad idea to have such fast growing trees on such a small plot of land.
     
  2. Silly Yak

    Silly Yak Member

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    I know I am dredging up an old thread, but I live around the corner and am starting to experience these problems. My tree has gotten to a size where the roots are already effecting the lawn and are getting very close to the driveway, front walk and sidewalk. The problem is compounded by the fact that the builder didn't bury the root ball very deep, but even if they had, I would probably still be in this situation.

    What options do I have? It's a nice tree, but the front yard is just too small for it!

    Gregg
     
  3. shim

    shim shim

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    We've had two professional landscapers urge us to remove the Sycamore Trees planted by Van Metre. According to them the trees will be nearly 100 feet tall and the root systems will push up the driveway and encroach on the foundation of the house. Both landscapers were shocked that VM would plant so many in SW. I guess they were cheap...
     
  4. mamatothree

    mamatothree New Member

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  5. luftinarr

    luftinarr Member

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    What would be a good replacement for those trees then?
     
  6. LvBlands3

    LvBlands3 New Member

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    I would like an answer to this one as well. My neighbors and I have had this discussion several times. If anyone has any good suggestions and some rough costs, that would be great.
     
  7. mamatothree

    mamatothree New Member

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    I'm not a landscape designer (...nor do I play one on tv) ;D so I would suggest consulting a professional to determine the best type of tree for the location, amount of sun, dampness of soil etc.
     
  8. shim

    shim shim

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    Hmmm, since the builder planted these trees is there any liability on their part? Just wondering, would love to have a realtor chime in.
     
  9. SVL

    SVL New Member

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    Does this also apply to the trees that were planted by the county?
     
  10. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    Not sure what you mean by "by the county"?
     
  11. mamatothree

    mamatothree New Member

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    Modification applications are required for residents making exterior changes to their own property. Not sure where the county would have planted trees on private property.
     
  12. SVL

    SVL New Member

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    When we originally moved into the house, Van Metre had only planted two trees (Cherry and Oak). Later, longer than a year, they (someone told us it was the county) came and planted more trees in front of all the houses in our immediate neighborhood, along the sidewalks or curbs, if you didn't have a sidewalk. They were all the same type trees. Now, some of those trees' roots are causing damage to the driveway and sidewalk.
     
  13. pamD

    pamD New Member

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    I don't think it is the county that planted the trees, rather it was Van Metre complying with County zoning laws to plant the trees, beyond those that they deemed necessary for landscaping.
     
  14. sri_n

    sri_n Member

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    Why would one plant trees so close to the house/driveway/etc when it is known that they will become too large, only to be eventually removed? Just doesnt make sense to me. A neighbor had to have a tree removed because the roots had grown into the sewer pipes and was clogging them. Had to rip out the driveway and redo it. It was pretty messy. I see several trees on our street of townhome that look awfully close to the house or driveway, and the chances of something like what happened to our neighbor seems highly likely to happen to someone else.
     
  15. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Because the trees were probably 'cheap' and looked great in their earlier years, and once they have grown to the point of being an 'issue', it is many years after the builder has long gone and moved to a different project.
     
  16. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    The county did not plant any trees. The builders planted them all.
     
  17. shim

    shim shim

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    What's the remedy? Is the onus on the homeowner or does VM have some liability to correct? Seems to me everyone is Southern Walk is going to be faced with removal and re-planting. VM has a VP of land development that surely knew they were creating a future problem. Not cool. Like I posted previously we've had two professional landscapers just shake their head and say Sycamore trees should never have been planted where they were. And for those of us that were here when the planting occurred we had no say in placement and were specifically told not to move the flags that marked planting locations.
     
  18. Echogirl

    Echogirl Member

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    Didn't the developer plant trees as well? Our builder planted one maple and a while after we moved in we were told that each house would be getting 2 trees planted by the developer. Our street ended up with London Planes (related to the sycamore family). We heard that each street would have a different tree. The London Planes are beautiful, but are supposed to be planted in wide open spaces. They also drop their leaves in the summer when it gets hot, despite proper watering. Thankfully, the maple died early on.
     
  19. Zeratul

    Zeratul Well-Known Member

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    The developer and builder are the same - Van Metre. Back when this was happening in Southernwalk, I saw Van Metre come along and place the flags for the new trees. The locations made basically no sense and when discussions took place, there was mention of the fact that Van Metre was not in compliance with the county on the requirements for plantings. It had something to do with the overall density and quantity of trees in general and in order to make up for a compliance issue, they had to add trees.

    My guess/opinion is that it was done as an afterthought as a way to fix the problem. I would think that for the trees creating problems in sidewalks, driveways, pipes etc. that the county would like to know about this stuff. I am not sure if there is any recourse, but it might be worth looking into.
     
  20. LvBlands3

    LvBlands3 New Member

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    Those of us who live in the older sections of townhouses will probably be running into this problem fairly soon. Since the trees are now 12 or more years old, they are getting fairly big. I don't think there is anything that can be done with the developer - way too far past that point.

    What would be nice would be if we could look into a group rate for tree replacement. Maybe a good landscaping company could make a suggestion on types of trees to use as an alternative and quote us a group rate for removal and replacement. Preferably, a company that knows where the water and sewer lines run.
     

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