AIBU to buy this house?

[Massivetree]

Name changed as outing. I’ve found a house I like in the area I want to be in but there’s a HUGE (oak?) tree in the garden that towers over the whole house. Aside from giving the house/garden constant shade, what issues could likely arise with having a tree of this size in a relatively small garden? AIBU to buy it anyway?!

Never uploaded pics before so hope this works

Bloody hell, that's massive.

Why don't you call a tree surgeon (they know the ins and outs of trees don't they?) and have a chat about it, what it could mean, roots and whatnot.

Does it have a tpo on it? How much would it cost annualy to employ a tree surgeon to keep it under control? What about the neighbours?

Its very mature so unlikely to do any household interference if it hasn't already. Main issues will be is there a TPO on it so you can't do anything to it, is it healthy, is there any access to it for anyone to actually do any tree surgery on it, and does it shade the garden/house?

BUT

Oaks are fabulous for wildlife

That tree is HUGE. Don't roots extend below as wide/far as the branches above, or is that myth?

Buy buy buy...think of the treehouse possibilities!

Goodness me that's enormous. I would check if there have been any problems with regards to the roots.

As for additional problems, it will put people off if you ever decide to sell in the future.

The landlord in the previous place I rented had an issue where a massive old tree in the back garden died of natural reasons, and turned out that is was the only thing keeping the damp from rising (effectively working as a pump). They had a massive bill trying to sort the issue then.

That's a huge tree in a comparatively small garden! Is there a TPO on it? Such a large tree can be very expensive to maintain, I'd take some professional advice before I proceeded.

Also: will the leaves fall in Autumn?

That’s a fantastic tree, I hope it’s kept. We need more of them!

Like app said get a tree surgeon in. It looks like it could do with thinning out a bit. They’ll be able to advise

You need to get the roots checked out to make sure they aren’t affecting the foundations. If they’re not, and you like the house, then buy it. You can always get it pruned back to stop it shading so much of the garden.

It's a lovely tree. It's prob got a TPO on, so you need to be aware of what that means (in short, you can't cut it down etc). It's far enough from the house it's unlikely to be an issue but worth a chat to a tree surgeon. If the shade isn't a problem for you (be wary of pristine looking newly laid turf that will in reality turn rapidly to moss under the shade) go for it.

My house insurance always asks about trees within ten metres, or somesuch, of the house. Presumably as the roots break your pipes under the ground and I don’t know if they could potentially damage foundations? Your surveyor could advise further.

The tree is beautiful ( and my DH would cut it down) but a good tree surgeon could thin it out and reshape it so that it is not so oppressive.

I think they lift the crown. It would need attention every couple of years so cost would need to be factored in.

These works can be done even with a TPO.

If you decide to fell it beware of a satin called ground heave. The tree will be sucking a lot of moisture out of the ground. Once removed the ground will rise in level as it absorbs the excess water.
Also lots of leaves to deal with in autumn.
Check the position of the sun through the day. Does it shade the garden for most of it?
Could have a TPO.
It provides a lot of privacy.
Good for wildlife.

It's beautiful, you could hang a tree swing from it.
what direction does the garden face?

I couldn't bring myself to remove such an old lovely tree.

TPOs don't mean you can't do anything to a tree, just that you need permission from your local council. You can even tell them in some cases. Call the relevant council tomorrow for some advice.

Where's the sun? We have a lovely maple and a black mulberry that provide much needed shade in recent hot summers. Oak is fab for wildlife too.

What a beauty of a tree! I'd love to have it in my back garden.

I would never get rid of the tree but talking to a tree surgeon about maintenance is a good idea. The thought of struggling to sell on in years to come does put me off. But then, TREE HOUSE! I’ve always wanted a huge tree in my garden, but in my imaginings my garden is 100 times bigger than that

Think carefully about this one. We lived in a house with an equally enormous Austrian Black Pine right next to our fence. It was a gorgeous tree, but a huge nuisance for the entire 20 years we lived there. The sidewalk heaved up, it sucked the moisture out of our garden, it pelted our dog with pine cones, it released great clouds of yellow pollen, and worst of all it dropped massive quantities of needles every fall/winter. We were constantly raking them up and they would create a pile 8 feet long and 3 feet high. The needles got everywhere, including clogging our gutters.

I have also lived on a street with huge maple trees. The mess in the fall was shocking and time consuming. You will have a big job raking all those leaves. The neighbors may resent the leaf drop and expect you to find a way to dispose of the leaves.

If you wanted to get rid of the tree, you'd need to give notice to the council of your intention to prune or fell. And they could slap a TPO on it if they felt that it was important in the local landscape etc. Neighbours may also not be happy at seeing such a large tree disappear (or they could be fine). Trees are very divisive. Personally I think that it would be a real shame to chop it down. Our neighbours did this. Chopped down some beautiful established mature trees that were 40-50 years old. Two years later they moved house again. It seemed such a waste. Re other issues - it looks far away from the house to not be too much of a nuisance. A surveyor should assess this. If there were problems with foundations/drainage these would have become apparent by now. Oaks can very occasionally be prone to limb drop. You may need to monitor the condition of it over time. Removing a large oak is much much more expensive than you probably think. It can be around the £5-8k mark.

You will probably need planning permission for a tree house as it will be high and close to the property boundary.

Gorgeous tree but it would be a no from me it's blocking the sun! Will definitely reduce your potential market if you decide the sell.

I have oak trees in my garden. Do not undestimate the number of acorns that drop in one of their bumper years!