Tree roots near the house: when to worry and when to relax

No tree question causes more quiet stress than roots near the house. So here's the honest picture from people who dig them out for a living.

Most tree roots live in the top half metre of soil and spread wide rather than deep. Lifting pavers, bumpy lawn and surface roots are common, annoying and rarely structural. They're a landscaping problem more than a house problem.

Pipes are different. Roots don't break sound pipes, but they're exceptional at finding pipes that already leak, especially older earthenware sewer lines. If a drain blocks repeatedly and there's a thirsty tree nearby, get a plumber's camera down it before blaming the tree outright.

Slabs and footings are the rarest issue but the one worth respect. Very large trees very close to the house, on reactive clay soils, can matter. That's a case-by-case assessment, not a rule of thumb.

What we don't recommend is pre-emptively killing a good tree out of general worry. Shade over a west-facing wall in a Queensland summer is worth real money, and removal is permanent.

If a specific root or a specific crack is bothering you, that's a fifteen minute look for us. We'll tell you if it's a real problem, a plumbing problem or no problem at all.