# Foundation damage due to large elm tree next to house!?



## Iron5mike (May 6, 2012)

A 16" inch diameter elm tree is growing up against the house. The tree roots  are causing the foundation to shift.. What options are there for fixing this problem???


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## nealtw (May 7, 2012)

Hey Mike, welcome to the site. I would think tree removel would be the first step. What kind of foundation do you have and what kind of dammage are you seeing.


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## joecaption (May 7, 2012)

And have the stump removed also, termites just love dead wood. Why leave a snack for them and a great way to get in under the house without being seen.


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## Iron5mike (May 7, 2012)

Concrete footer foundation, damage to the crawl space. The tree has been cut down. But the roots seem to be the main issue. Probably a 10-15 foot section.


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## AlwaysOneMoreProject (May 7, 2012)

Iron5mike said:


> A 16" inch diameter elm tree is growing up against the house. The tree roots  are causing the foundation to shift.. What options are there for fixing this problem???



Describe the shift and the condition of the foundation.  Is this section a corner or straight, and is it a gable end?


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## Iron5mike (May 7, 2012)

The damage starts at a corner and runs about 15 feet.


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## AlwaysOneMoreProject (May 7, 2012)

Would you like to share what is the damage?  Is the foundation no longer plumb?  Has it been pushed away from the mudsill?  Are the cracks horizontal or vertical?  How many cracks?  How wide are the cracks?


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## Iron5mike (May 8, 2012)

Foundation is no longer plumb, it is pushed in about 3 inches and crack gaps are about half an inch. Vertical cracks.


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## Iron5mike (May 8, 2012)

There are about 2 cracks from top to bottom and go through the foundation.


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## nealtw (May 8, 2012)

Ok, you know what the answer is, your just hoping there will be an easy fix. That part of the house will have to have temp supports and the broken part of the foundation will have to be removed and replaced.


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## AlwaysOneMoreProject (May 9, 2012)

When I worked foundation repair, we'd dig out the trunk and damaged area, lift the house, and push the foundation back.


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## Iron5mike (May 9, 2012)

Any guesstimation on a cost for something  like that for 10 feet?


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## AlwaysOneMoreProject (May 9, 2012)

Iron5mike said:


> Any guesstimation on a cost for something  like that for 10 feet?



No idea; there are too many variables.


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