Neighbours' tree

[Newton]

Write him a letter explaining the entire situation. Surveyors are an analytical bunch and professionally fair and reasonable. I am sure there are other options to be considered to give him the shade he wants whilst losing the tree!

I would offer to have it removed expertly......good luck!

[endymion]

Hi what about getting advise from the local council? worth a try for some more legal advise
x

The council won't get involved unless it's an evergreen hedge.

Best idea is to ask them round when you know your garden is most shaded, then they'll see the problem for themselves. But if they like their trees and don't want to prune or fell them then there probably isn't much you can do, although you could point them in the direction of this article and drop heavy hints about subsidence and heave caused by willow trees.

Don't panic though, it's probably not big enough to have caused any problems yet.

[Florence Fennel]

I think you're going with the most sensible idea of inviting them round when the shade is at its darkest. A bottle of wine, some cheese & biscuits and you'll crack it I'm sure. Good luck!

[Nicos]

I'd go with that idea too.
Maybe offer them some of your produce to taste too????

[Glutton4...]

When do they go on Holiday????





Only jokin' I'm all for the polite approach; you do have to live next door to each other, after all!

[baldrick]

our neighbors have a horrible leylandi but they are so lovely about my dogs and chickens I dont like to complain either. Think Id be concerned if it were closer to my house walls tho.

[mothhawk]

How did you do that?

[WendyC]

Just plucking up the courage to go round!

[janeyo]

The danger of informing the counil about large trees is they have then bene known to slap a TPO on it, preventing it from being taken down at all - and then even pruning has to be done with their consent.

*speaks from experience

[snohare]

Hmm, I'm inclined to think a quantity surveyor is to a building surveyor what an electrical engineer is to a software engineer. (i.e. Not very similar ! ) But if they are nice folks, inviting them round so that they can literally see things from your perspective will probably be enough, after all they want to get on with you.
Never mind the idea of shrinking soil, the thing that immediately springs to my mind when you mention willows is that their roots are notorious for blocking drains. In essence, they smell out moisture from a long way away, and will insert themselves into the tiniest crack in a drain, then grow to fill and/or block it. It's more of a problem if you have old fashioned clay land drain pipes, but worth watching out for nearer to the house, at inspection pits etc.
The good news is that you can hack away at them, reduce them to one trunk etc, and they won't care, so you can experiment with "vigorous pruning".

[Hilary B]

If the tree is on the boundary, you can hack it off in line.
Quantity surveyors work out how much you need of each item in order to do the building (how many bricks, how many tiles, how many feet of which size timber etc....
They do usually know a fair bit about what makes a house work as well, but it isn't their proper job.
In a house built since 1976 (the drought!), there should be no problem with tree roots and house foundations; before that, wall foundations should be fine as far back as 1950s, but concrete floors might suffer in dry conditions (which a fast-growing thirsty tree tends to exacerbate). This assumes clay subsoil (which you may or may not have). If it isn't clay the potential for problems of that sort is much less.
Yes, there is a possible drain risk. I don't think Salix Caprea is as water-seeking as some other kinds of willow, but still needs treating with respect!
If it is shading YOUR garden, is it also shading theirs, or do you get the 'benefit' more than they do anyway?

[WendyC]

I have cut it back in line with our fence and so looks rather odd if the truth be known! We must get more shade than they do as due to the shape of the next door garden being triangular the morning shade is on the pavement outside the garden and only really gives them shade in the middle of the day. We have all the shade from 2pm to total shade over the garden from 4:30. No evening sun to sit in unless I go in the greenhouse!! I suppose I should be thankful for that. Three quarters of our boundary is covered by their two trees.
Wish I hadn't mentioned surveyors - was only to illustrate that as someone who has links to building should know something about it. We are on clay, the houses were built late 1980s so have deep foundations.
Still trying to find a sunny day when we're in to invite round.

[Hilary B]

I have access to a surveyor, home and work! My OH does surveys for people buying houses, and I assist.
If you want to water YOUR garden with salt water, that is entirely YOUR business, as close to the fence as you like (but not beyond).
That might well make the tree look sick enough to make them want rid of it.

[WendyC]

Not keen on the salty water idea - I'd need a huge amount anyway to even make any difference.

[Hilary B]

You might be surprised, but it isn't ideal......