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Root & infrastructure investigations
Something has cracked, blocked or lifted, and a tree is being blamed. Before anyone removes it, it is worth establishing whether the tree is actually the cause.
Fixed quote within one business day · agreed in writing before any work starts
The assumption that costs people trees
A blocked sewer with a tree nearby gets attributed to the tree almost automatically. Sometimes that is right. Often the pipe was already failing, roots exploited a joint that had already opened, and removing the tree leaves you with the same blockage and no tree.
The same pattern shows up with cracked slabs, lifted paving and leaning retaining walls. Proximity is not causation, and a plumber's camera showing roots in a pipe does not tell you which tree, or whether the pipe failed first.
How the investigation works
- Non destructive excavation to expose roots without severing them
- Root size, depth, orientation and species identification where practical
- Assessment of the affected structure and its likely failure mode
- A view on causation, stated with the confidence the evidence supports
- Options: root pruning to a specification, root barrier, structural repair, or removal where it genuinely is the answer
- Implications for the tree's stability if roots are severed, which is the part usually left out
Cutting roots has consequences
Severing structural roots inside the SRZ can destabilise a tree without visibly harming it, and the consequence may not show up until the next storm. If someone has proposed cutting roots to fix a pipe, that trade off needs to be assessed and written down before it happens, not after.
Insurance and disputes
These investigations often exist because someone is going to be asked to pay. The report is written to stand up in that context: methodology stated, evidence photographed, conclusions no stronger than the evidence supports.
Common questions
Can you tell which tree the roots came from?
Sometimes, by species identification of the root material and by tracing. Where several trees of the same species are in range, honest reporting says so rather than picking one.
Do you dig up my garden?
Non destructive methods are used where practical, which means air or water excavation that exposes roots without cutting them. It is far less invasive than a trench and it does not damage the tree in the course of investigating it.
Will this stop my insurer blaming the tree?
It will give you evidence rather than an assertion. What an insurer does with it is their call, but a documented investigation is a much stronger position than an opinion.
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Written adviceSend me the plans and I will send you a number.
Fixed fee, quoted in writing within one business day, scope written down. If it turns out you do not need this report, I will tell you that instead.