To feel sick with worry about subsidence?

[Ahalp]

We have a cherry blossom tree extremely close to our garage, which is joined to the house. I’d say the tree is around two car parking spaces from the front door. The tarmac from the drive has lifted slightly where the roots are. I am very worried about this and now thinking that subsidence has occurred. Due to put house on the market next week as can’t afford the mortgage and this is just another huge stress. Anyone know much about this? Is this basically definite that the tree has caused damage?

There is a very big difference between the tree causing tarmac to distort and it affecting the structure of the building. The first usually doesn't mean the second so try not to jump to worst case scenario. I would suggest getting a surveyor to have a look to put your mind at rest. Don't go through your insurance until you are advised by a specialist that there is actual subsidence not just tree root damage to the drive. As soon as you raise it as a possibility the insurance company will note it on file which can cause problems if it turns out to be nothing.

It very much depends on the buildings insurance. We have claimed in the past and our current insurance also covers subsidence.

@goodnessidontknow sorry to sound stupid but would I call a tree surgeon for this, would they know? How much would it cost? I have absolutely no money , hence moving

No it isn't but it usually attracts a bigger excess I.e £1000 instead of the usually £100 or whatever you've selected.

Don't do anything. Just put it on the market, most buyers get a survey and any issues will come to light then. It's very very unlikely to be subsidence.

I'm no expert but I looked this up recently as I have a cherry blossom tree that has appeared within 2 foot of my house. I got the impression the roots are not strong enough to damage foundations.

I'm no expert, but a cherry blossom tree is not a big tree, so I would imagine doesn't have large roots.

A friend had subsidence caused by a row of oaks in front of her house/garden - incidentally the repairs/new foundations were covered by their insurance.

cross-posted with @sleekcat

Cherry blossom trees (Prunus sp.) generally have shallow roots, often coming up through a surrounding lawn. Or in your case through tarmac.

This one It's unlikely to affect the solid foundations of a brick garage. Just forget it and get on with your move.

@sleekcat thank you was that from an Internet search?

@Mothership4two thanks, I’m no tree expert but it seems huge to me! 😂 that’s reassuring though that things can potentially be fixed if anything does happen

Cherry trees (and other Prunus species) are the worst for root ingress - they sucker a lot as well which is a pain. My NDN's cherry tree's roots pushed my rubbish old patio slabs aside with suckers. Fortunately now have a decent patio which is much more robust.

It's not subsidence OP, it's surface roots as pointed out by GladAllOver. It'll get pointed out in surveys most likely, and buyers will probably spot it and ask, but it's not a huge problem.

OP, is there cracks in the walls of the garage or the house? What makes you think the actual structure is subsiding?

Have you noticed any signs of subsidence in your property? If not then I'd leave it.

Cherry trees can grow quite large and thick but the roots can be shallow - there are a lot of 50yr old cherry trees in my town and the footpaths around them are a trip hazard!

Yes

You don't need to be sick with worry. There is no evidence of subsidence at this point, just a fear that there is. So ease your mind and go ahead with putting it on the market without paralysing yourself with fear.

I've dealt with subsidence so I know that there are risks from trees' proximity to buildings and there are things you look for as signs of subsidence, if you suspect it.
Apart from obvious visible sinking or wonkiness in levels or angles of walls or floors when you look at the building, the things to look for are cracks in the walls of the building, in brickwork or internal walls, often vertical cracks around windows or doors or cracks between the ceilings and the walls or walls and floors.

Whether cracks are from subsidence or just normal settlement cracks that occur in new buildings is determined by a surveyor monitoring and measuring the cracks over time to see if they are getting any wider. This would normally take a period of several months at least and might be 18 months or more.

Even if there are cracks in the tarmac, it doesn't mean that the tree's roots have gone very deep or that nothing can be done to alleviate any risk of future subsidence.

The tree could be reduced in height - crown reduction - and root pruning is also a possibility. BUT you need a specialist arboriculturalist to assess and advise on these or other potential remedies. (You can't just cut down a tree, as that could cause a problem known as heave, the opposite of subsidence, which would affect the building and its foundations, causing cracks.)

And even if you had subsidence, it's not necessarily a disaster - it might be that if it was minor and not progressive, all you would need is to have the cracks in walls internal and external filled in, with resin bonding, for example, and take remedial action to the tree to prevent any further effects on the ground and foundations.

You're not going to get subsidence from a cherry tree. The roots are close to the surface which is why they're affecting the tarmac.