We have recently moved house and in the past couple of months have
experienced a large amount of cracking in the property. We feel that this
is largely due to the heavy snowfall/wet weather etc and the surounding soil
being very much clay-based.
However, a largish crack at the front of the house has worried us and a
structural surveyor has suggested that this is due to a climbing rose tree
which is planted outside the front of the house. We are dubious as we
weren't aware that such plants were deep rooted.
Is this likely to be the case? We do not know an awful lot (if anything)
about roses so any info would be helpful.

Jo

On Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:20:10 -0000, "Jo" wrote:

We have recently moved house and in the past couple of months have
experienced a large amount of cracking in the property. We feel that this
is largely due to the heavy snowfall/wet weather etc and the surounding soil
being very much clay-based.
However, a largish crack at the front of the house has worried us and a
structural surveyor has suggested that this is due to a climbing rose tree
which is planted outside the front of the house. We are dubious as we
weren't aware that such plants were deep rooted.
Is this likely to be the case? We do not know an awful lot (if anything)
about roses so any info would be helpful.

Jo


It's a case of what came first. Our climbing rose grew into the small
cracks and made them wider. The builder had to put some of those
twisty rods into the wall when the cracks were repaired. The rose was
cat down at the same time. It took a while for it to grow back up the
wall but there are no new cracks. My conclusion is that roses don't
cause cracks but they will grow into any cracks that already exist.

Steve

--
Neural Planner Software Ltd www.NPSL1.com

Neural network applications, help and support.

In article ,
says...
We have recently moved house and in the past couple of months have
experienced a large amount of cracking in the property. We feel that this
is largely due to the heavy snowfall/wet weather etc and the surounding soil
being very much clay-based.
However, a largish crack at the front of the house has worried us and a
structural surveyor has suggested that this is due to a climbing rose tree
which is planted outside the front of the house. We are dubious as we
weren't aware that such plants were deep rooted.
Is this likely to be the case? We do not know an awful lot (if anything)
about roses so any info would be helpful.

Jo



Roses are deep rooted but the idea they can cause structural damage is a
bit far fetched and sounds like surveyor speak for covering my back, much
like the well used but completely useless " The roof will eventually need
replacing"
Sounds like you have some real problems, try and avoid advice from any
surveyors linked to your insurers and possibly get a second opinion from
a reputable builder as well.
See if any of the proffesionals can give an idea how old the cracking is
as you may well have a claim against the original surveyor or even the
vendors if they knew about the problem.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Jo" wrote
We have recently moved house and in the past couple of months have
experienced a large amount of cracking in the property. We feel that this
is largely due to the heavy snowfall/wet weather etc and the surounding
soil being very much clay-based.
However, a largish crack at the front of the house has worried us and a
structural surveyor has suggested that this is due to a climbing rose tree
which is planted outside the front of the house. We are dubious as we
weren't aware that such plants were deep rooted.
Is this likely to be the case? We do not know an awful lot (if anything)
about roses so any info would be helpful.

Having been dealing with a property with subsidence this last year I feel
for your plight. I cannot believe the rose has anything to do with your
problem. Have you got another large tree in the area or has someone removed
a large tree lately causing land heave?

If it's subsidence the cracks usually get wider the higher up the building
you go and the first thing to look at is the drains. In the case we have
been involved with we employed our own very well qualified Surveyor to do a
report on the cracking which we then sent to the insurance Co who then sent
round their own Surveyor/Structural Engineer. The first thing that then
happened was CCTV of all drains which found a completely blocked soakaway
and damage to and leaking of the main drains to the sewer, the Water Co
sewer was also slightly leaking. Once these problems were cured then the
house was stapled/bonded back together (they don't monitor the problem for a
year or underpin any more).

Tell your Insurance Co you suspect subsidence and get them involved asap.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On 28 Feb, 11:52, Charlie Pridham wrote:
Roses are deep rooted but the idea they can cause structural damage is a
bit far fetched and sounds like surveyor speak for covering my back, much
like the well used but completely useless " The roof will eventually need
replacing"
Sounds like you have some real problems, try and avoid advice from any
surveyors linked to your insurers and possibly get a second opinion from
a reputable builder as well.
See if any of the proffesionals can give an idea how old the cracking is
as you may well have a claim against the original surveyor or even the
vendors if they knew about the problem.
--
Charlie's right, I certainly wouldn't expect a climbing rose -even the
seriously vigorous ones like Kiftsgate cause that kind of problem. You
need to look elsewhere, as others have already said.
Rod

"Jo" wrote in message
...
We have recently moved house and in the past couple of months have
experienced a large amount of cracking in the property. We feel that this
is largely due to the heavy snowfall/wet weather etc and the surounding
soil being very much clay-based.
However, a largish crack at the front of the house has worried us and a
structural surveyor has suggested that this is due to a climbing rose tree
which is planted outside the front of the house. We are dubious as we
weren't aware that such plants were deep rooted.
Is this likely to be the case? We do not know an awful lot (if anything)
about roses so any info would be helpful.

The short answer is no, a climbing rose will not cause your house to crack.
He's just trying to get away with it!
I know this as I've had to have my house underpinned which fortunately my
insurance company didn't try to blame on my conifers near the house, let
alone a rose.
They were really good about it.
I had four years of monitoring the cracks, but they bit the bullet in the
end. £23,000 worth of work to the side and back of my house in 2003, but
now the front is cracking and I hardly dare tell them.
Not least because it was a dreadful experience and I don't want to go
through it again. I'm trying to ignore the cracks breaking through the
wallpaper.
Tina

On 28 Feb, 14:49, Janet Baraclough
wrote:
The message
from "Bob Hobden" contains these words:

If it's subsidence the cracks usually get wider the higher up the building
you go and the first thing to look at is the drains. In the case *we have
been involved with we employed our own very well qualified Surveyor to do a
report on the cracking which we then sent to the insurance Co who then sent
round their own Surveyor/Structural Engineer.

* I would *endorse that.

Aye.

A structural engineer friend, on looking at some cracks in my walls said, "A good rule of thumb is if you can get your hand in the crack then get it dealt with urgently, if you can get a finger in them them start getting some quotes and think about it, otherwise ignore them until they get bigger."