Buying property with huge tree in backyard

Hi,
Wondering what your thoughts are on a property with a huge tree in the back of the backyard?
e.g. Pros/Cons and what options and implications are on insurance etc?

Thanks

 

Depends how big the backyard is, its proximity to the house and where your property is because you may not be able to remove it. I'm in this situation now after $6k worth of sanitary drainage damage and the council won't let me remove a tree. Things to consider:

• sanitary drainage damage
• blocked gutters and need for gutter guard
• may prevent lawn from growing
• leaves
• shade/light blocked
• limbs falling/whole tree falling in storm

 

A tree is an asset if you look at your local government balance sheet. It costs money to plant, maintain and provides a tangible benefit to the community - why should your tree be any different?

 

A tree is a good thing

 

Not if its roots spread under your house and start to lift the foundations. Ditto for anywhere else on the block they can cause damage that is very costly to fix and often very difficult to gain access without demolishing the house.

Hang on a moment

Are you talking about a tiny block of land with a heritage overlay and a very old Moreton Bay Fig at the back that is impossible to access?

 

It can work both ways,and depending on the land area they can cause real problems,roots going into the plumbing,top sections cut into the entry power-lines,driveways break,roof gutters will jam plus in full storm season in Qld they can split and fall onto the house in a matter of seconds..

Insurance wise never had a problem with tress falling onto roofs cars,you just have to be very very care-full if you intend to cut one down in inner Brisbane ,one all the safety issues come into play and very costly to remove if you can get a permit to cut them down in the first place..imho..

 

Hey,

Agree with the above on importance of knowing the council restrictions / regulations (heritage overlay) and species of tree in relation to the block.

We had a huge, huge tree in our back yard for our PPOR that we needed to complete a knock down and re-build on! This thing was horrible and it's overlay actually spanned across three blocks and was hated by the neighbours as it overshadowed everything! It turned off a lot of buyers for the property given its size and how much of the backyard it took up but after a quick review by an arborist friend and the council regulations it was found to be classified as a Noxious weed and was able to be taken down.

Good luck with it

 

Away from the house they are good. We have a massive pecan tree in our backyard. however its a good 20+ meters away from the house. have some skinnier trees that are a couple meters away, their cannopy pushes right up against the upstairs deck. its really nice. only downside is I feel bad every time I scare the bird out of its nest when I go out onto the deck.

 

Council refused permission to remove a huge gum tree from our front yard which had already shed branches over our driveway - got a report from an arborist that the tree was diseased and needed to be removed, sent that to the council with a letter stating that they would be responsible for any damage to persons or cars that passed under tree [it had spread halfway across the road] and a copy would be sent to our insurance company so they would know we had taken all steps to prevent an incident.

Within 14 days we had permission to remove this huge gum tree, cost $3,500, that was over 10 years ago.