Ive been working on making room for a 3 car detached garage I'm putting in the back yard. After getting all the permits, selling the smaller shed in the way, moving a playset, and marking the leach field and property line, trusses and materials delivered, we are ready to dig the footers but I am wondering if the big elm that will be right behind the garage is going to drop too much crap on the garage each year when it sheds its leaves. This elm sprouts out of the ground with about 4 main trunks and one shoots up and then a branch shoots out and will be right over top of the garage about 40-50' above the ground. It will be a paint o drop because some other branches shoot off in the opposite direction and will get tangled up when it drops. So there is no telling which way it will end up going, a bit daunting to think about. Should I just deal with the leaves each year and hope the branch never drops on my garage? It will provide some nice shade but is it worth the risk?
Making room for detached garage - should the big elm come down?
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One more thing to consider - is the tree susceptible to dutch elm disease and if it dies how much more trouble will it be to remove after you build your garage? I took down a couple of good sized (~3') elms before I built my pole barn. Even though these tress were still alive at the time, I have an almost continual rotation of dying elm in my woods. I figured it was only a matter of time before these tress died and needed to come down. Of course they were leaning toward where I was planning to build - so out they came.
Tough call. How healthy is the tree? How old and how many more years might it have? If it would be a pain to drop now, think of how much of a pain it would be to drop after the garage is up.
As for the leaves, that should only be a problem if the garage has gutters or a low pitched roof.
As for the leaves, that should only be a problem if the garage has gutters or a low pitched roof.
Good points guys. I guess with the 10/12 roof leaves shouldn't be too much of an issue. The tree is pretty healthy so I decided to grow a pair and went ahead and climbed the tree and dropped the big branch that would hang over the garage. Next question - will the pee in my boots cure athletes foot?
Guess I must be lucky I have exchanges and given wood but don't have anyone that expects free stuff. All of have seen how much time and work i put in to cut and splitt it.
After several years of seeing trees near the house drop big branches and have them just miss sheds, have leaves and needles fall in the pool and see trees die . . . my next house will have plenty of trees . . . but none within falling distance of the home, garage or any structures. As it is I'm taking down trees when I dare . . . and the really big ones I'll be hiring a professional to take down.
If it will shade the roof of the garage for most / all of the day, I would cut it down. I just had a bunch of oak cut down next to my house, because there was so much shade that I had moss growing on the shingles.
firefighterjake said:
That's what insurance is for. Seen people get a whole new roof, and get the tree cleaned up for the price of the deductable!
You mentioned shade, that you can't get back. Elm is incredibly strong so I wouldn't worry to much about a big branch dropping out of tree. Elms do get aphids that drip sticky sap and that will have a tendency to turn whatever is under black. That is the soot in the air sticking to the aphid pee ( oops I mean sap ).... So your roof over time will get dirty etc... A tree guy could climb, remove interfering top branches and drop the rest of the one side that will be over new structure.
Old tree guy.. Hate to cut down shade.... I've done some insurance work. Some times they do pay for all but I've also been told to remove from house, leave everything on property and beat it. ( oh boy can you say pissed off home owners )
Rob
Old tree guy.. Hate to cut down shade.... I've done some insurance work. Some times they do pay for all but I've also been told to remove from house, leave everything on property and beat it. ( oh boy can you say pissed off home owners )
Rob
I wouldn't leave an elm within a 1000 yards of a house. We have one and it is spreading underground everywhere. It's worse than willow when it comes to septic system attack.
The entire elm is down including the dozen or so ivy vines that were growing up it (some as big around as my wrist). I am now itching from head to toe despite a bucd prescription of prednisone. At least I have lots of firewwod for the winter after next and am finally ready for the footings tomorrow.
Rockey said:
Empty your boots on your ivy rash. That should help
You definitely made the right choice. I would have dropped the elm in a heartbeat. Good luck with the garage.
ohio woodburner said:
My dad is a vet from vietnam. They got it so bad it was some type of foot rot. They literally told him to pee on his feet in the shower. Something to do with the acids. Figured I would throw it out there.
I would take it down if it's that close to the garage , elms are pretty messy and all that crap on the roof will have to be cleaned or you will get moss / mold and rot up there.
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