"rtreter" wrote in message
...
Hello -

I'm planning to have a retaining wall built to hold back a 1 metre height
difference between two gardens, It will be built from blocks mortared
togther. I guess the concrete footings will extend about 1 metre below the
surface of the "low" garden. There are some trees within 30 cm of the
planned location of the wall, their trunk diameters range between about
5cm
and 20cm. I don't want to kill or substantially harm the trees.

The builder I'm getting a quote from says he will put lintels into the
wall
and footings so that roots larger than about 1cm in diameter don't have to
be cut. Is this a sensible approach, for the trees and/or the wall?

Thanks



Plan B:

Just build a wall to do the job. Prune roots that are in the way.
Plant a couple of trees elsewhere as a form of 'guilt offset'.

mark,