Trees And Your Home:
Keep Them Small...
I recently did a home inspection in Newport Beach Ca. This was a high profile home with 5 bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths. The home was well kept and clean throughout. When I pulled in front of the home I was able to see a beautiful pine tree to the rear of the home. Upon further inspection it was evident that this tree was causing major damage to the homes roof system. The home had two layers of roofing. The first layer was a heavy wood shake roof with a 30 pound felt under-layment and 1x6 skip sheeting. On top of that was two layers of 15 pound felt and a 30 year composition shingle. When walking the roof it was very spongy in the location of the tree. There was visible sagging as well. Pine needles from the past 10 years lay piled up along it's valley. This caused water to back up under the shingles and soak the wood shingles below. The water could not evaporate as it should. This caused a wood fungus to grow on the shingles sheeting and rafters. Although the home was well maintained both in and out, the home owner was unable to view the roof system from the ground and the tree was never trimmed back. Over all, nearly 25% of the roof and deck will need replacing on a 5,500 square foot home.
Any tree planted within 10' of a home can cause major damage. Not only is the roof at risk but so are the walls, foundation and under ground plumbing.
www.homeinspectionservices.org
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