It is important to remember that a home inspection goes beyond your house. It could prove costly to overlook the outdoors, especially the trees.
You should inspect the trees on your property carefully. Although you may not have planted or maintained them in your home, they are just as important to your home and your family.
How to Prepare Your Trees For a Home Inspection
Start at The Bottom
Roots are the first thing you should inspect when inspecting trees around your home. The International Association of Certified Home Inspector Ellsworth says it is unlikely that tree roots can penetrate a home’s foundation, regardless of how long they have been there.
According to the IACHI, roots can cause three major problems. Roots can cause structural problems, such as cracking and foundation damage. This could lead to flooding or other serious issues. The root system extending beneath your home can cause foundation rise. Third, roots can leach water from the soil beneath the home, which can cause uneven soil sinking.
It is important to inspect your foundation for roots. Although this may be a task that requires a professional, it is an important step in ensuring safety and foundation health. It can also save you thousands in repair costs.
Keep Your Home Safe And Secure
Before an inspection can be performed, tree branches, limbs and leaves, as well as bark, must all be maintained. Common problems homeowners face are branches and limbs hanging above telephone and electrical lines. This is a dangerous problem that can be difficult to solve.
Gardens Alive states that it is best to follow the 10-foot rule. Only trained professionals should be able to work on trees within 10 feet of active electric lines. This guideline is important to ensure that you don’t cause injury to the tree or yourself. Although most people know touching live wires is dangerous, not everyone knows that touching branches that are contacting live wires is equally dangerous.
You should not ignore branches that are approaching the lines. Contact an expert immediately. Fast-growing trees are especially vulnerable to falling and have weaker branches. It is possible to ignore the problem and hope it will go away. This could cause power outages and other problems down the line. Make sure to trim any branches that might pose a danger.
Similar expert guidance might be required if leaves fall into drainage pipes or gutters. It is a good idea for avoiding leakage to clean these items before you have a home inspection. However, make sure you follow the correct procedure. It is possible to reach some leaves, so it may be a good idea to hire a professional to clean your gutters, especially if this is something you don’t know how to do.
It is important to look out for signs of pests or disease as they can pose a serious risk. Strange or irregular patterns on leaves and branches are the most obvious sign of the disease. You should call a professional if you notice any changes in the appearance of your trees, other than normal seasonal changes.
Give the Trees a Last Look
Make sure to inspect the trees on the property before the home inspection starts. Clear dead trees as soon as you can. Also, inspect the trees for any other hazards such as peeling bark that could indicate decay or limbs that may be susceptible to cracking. It is common for problems such as roots to go unnoticed until it is too late. Therefore, it is wise that you take a look at them.
Although it is not something most people think of, inspecting trees is an important step in preparing homes for home inspections. It is possible to save thousands of dollars on future repairs by making sure your trees are healthy and in good condition.
