You bring up some very good points and they are things I think about on a regular basis. Especially the established neighborhoods that are sought-after for their mature tree canopies. Especially in Atlanta, there are a lot of those neighborhoods.
Then again there are also a lot of disasters when there's an ice or wind storm that blows through. You see a lot of cases with a tree that had collapsed on a house.

Something else I think about is that the building materials used in the construction of a home reportedly weather faster if under a canopy. You may also have more insects or mosquitoes and have to clean your home more frequently for mildew or algae if it doesn't dry out.

Personally, I think the shade and the other benefits are worth some risk. While I don't plan on being alive in a hundred years when my trees get to maturity, I still try to plan in the event they lived that long. I wouldn't want any branches hanging over the roof. That's really my big thing. Trees will cast a shadow and that will cool the house for the majority of the day whilst giving the house some time to dry out in the middle of the day. I can see what happens to tulip poplars when they decline and snap in half. It can destroy a house and kill people inside.

If a tree is declining or has outgrown it's space then it's time to remove it before it becomes a hazard. Until then, plant away.

As for foundations, my experience with that has been more of a lesson really... don't plant trees with aggressive root systems or surface roots near a house.

I see a lot of commercial buildings, shopping centers and shopping malls mostly where there are large trees planted only 3 or 4 feet from the foundation and haven't noticed them doing damage. I'm not saying that's a good practice though... it's only a matter of time those trees will have to be removed. Such a waste of money and time. The trees are usually maples and elm too, both notorious for aggressive surface roots.

Where you plant a tree to cut energy use depends on the side of the house it is planted. And how far away from house at maturity. And the species gives you the distance. That is: I'd plant a JM much closer to the house than I would a NRO. And I'd plant a JM for ornament and a NRO for shade, and the NRO to the W or SW or SE for maximum benefits in that order. But that depends upon infra conflicts and other siting considerations. So there is no template, just knowledge and art. In short: the list only bounds discussion so far and restricts many considerations.

Dan

i just cut down a 20 foot butternut.. that i planted about 12 feet from the house.. who thought it would get so big.. so fast ... and then it started producing the huge nuts.. and then i started having nightmares about it raining nuts.. and rabid squirrels ... etc ...so down it went ...

the oak that is about 20 feet from the house .... seems to be about the right distance ...

to don's list.. i would add prevailing wind patterns .... at my place .... it is from the NW... and if i were to grow a tree to hang over the house .... and feared a wind storm... i would plant so that a falling tree ... used the wind to miss the house ...

frankly.. i fear trees falling on me in my sleep .. i would never plant one to hang over the house .... you do whatever pleases you ...

ken

PS: foundation and soil issues seem a far stretch for most peeps .... roots are not going through cement .... they are not going to lift your house like a sidewalk .... perhaps a call to your local soil conservation dist office.. will get you information regarding what trees will work best in your area ...

"(Roots) are not going to lift your house like a sidewalk."

Although this does happen, it's more common to see the foundation being pushed out from under the home by tree roots.

In general 18-24' distance. Have seen several arborvita and Eastern Red Cedar planted inside of 12 foot with no apparent damage to house down here.

The general rule of thumb is to plant a tree no closer to a strucure than one half of its expected mature canopy spread. The reasons most often given are that in planting closer, the tree branches will encounter the siding, gutters or roof, resulting in the need for unnecessary pruning or the potential for damage, both to the tree's branching/growth habit and to the structure. Inadequate air circulation also created by too close planting can lead to disease issues as well.

If the foundation is structurally sound, there is minimal chance tree roots, which extend well beyond the canopy dripline - as much as 2-3 times - will penetrate or damage it. And it is only with regards to specific soil types that seasonal shrinking or swelling can place pressure on foundations or other structural elements and potentially cause damage.....and this can happen without benefit of any trees as well :-)

Some trees, certain maples, cherries, liquidambar, etc., just tend to develop a lot of larger surface roots as they age and these can crack or lift concrete slabs like driveways, patios or paths. If that is a potential concern, then it is probably wise to place them well away from these surfaces or select another type of tree less likely to produce at the surface or above ground roots.

I am not sure you can simplify down to just a tree species - varous cultivars will have attributes that might make them more appropriate to be planted closer to a structure or further away. For example, an 'Armstrong' or 'Bowhall' red maple could sited much closer than say an 'October Glory'.

And not all weeping cherries are tiny, little delicate things :-) Try placing this puppy one foot away from your house!
{{gwi:461053}}

Honest, I would have been the guy to put that 1foot from my house thinking IT needed protection!

Wow

10 paces or 30 feet

I want to plant a Northern Red Oak 15 feet from my house. Thoughts?

Hey, I was part of this thread back in 2009! and now again in 2017!

Wellnitzandrew, what part of the world are you in and what is their average mature size there? A Southern Magnolia can be planted CLOSE to a house here at the northern edge of their range but not in Southern Georgia where they grow tall and wide.

In general I don't think 15 feet away is going to damage your home but if you have a few more feet you can save future you pruning time and costs.

Here is a cheap story:

Electricity is cheap now and air conditioning works well. Back in the 1950's my home's previous owners planted a couple white ash fifteen feet from what became my home. In the 2000's as they developed defects I felt I had to remove them lest they crashed on my bedroom or garage. The one planted about 45 feet out is still alive and doing well.

Well, red oaks, from what I have read, tend to rot out from the inside out earlier than oaks of the white oak family (white oak, overcup oak, etc.) So, maybe you should go with a Shumard Oak (if you are in the south) because they reportedly can live to 400 years. The red oaks around my area (Atlanta) seem to rot apart and drop big branches at around 110-125 years of age.

However, 15 feet should be fine. As an aside, I am firmly in the camp of “plant close to your house" because my house has six giant pines, two giant poplars, a moderate water oak, a massive sweet gum, and a few moderate sweet gums all within 15-20 feet of my house. I have so many trees, you can barely see my house from Google satellite view! Keeps my property feeling 15 degrees cooler at the height of a hot summer's day.

I would, however, prune your oak to train it to grow straight and tall. And not to lean too much over the house, if possible.

Shumard is a Red oak, if I were in the south I would plant a Live oak Q. Virginiana, they grow sorta fast down there, and are strong wooded, but, I see why someone may want a deciduous oak, sorry Sweetgum trees seedballs are tough they can puncture tires, and make you fall on your you know what. I think if I were to move to say Ga, and no trees existed and I had room, I';d plant a Live oak on the south side of my house, and it's georgia so no basement, just a slab. You may need to provide water if your soil is clay in a drought situation, or the tree could suck the soil dry. But, really that may not matter if you don't have a basement. If you are in the south and they don't have basements, just a slab, I don't know that there would be a problem, or would a Live oak roots go under the slab and crack it? I was going to have a White oak near my basement wall, but, I came to my senses and I have a big yard for a white oak not so close to my house, so why risk it? I would say, just make sure your soil near your house (and the tree) is semi moist or not dried out, and the roots won't have to make a desperate search for moisture under the pad or foundation, they'll never get under a house foundation with a basement, roots don't go that deep. Clay soil and a slab seems to be the big problem.

I'm up here in Michigan, and was just CONSIDERING building a new house in a particular spot (in the woods) on my property under a nice cool canopy of silver&red maple, and an Elm or two...

I'd already figured I'd need to take 3or4 trees out, and I'll end up with a capital letter J (with the bar ontop of the J) structure so I could weave the dwelling in without much disruption to the nature...

My issue is, I know it's gonna end up rather skinny everywhere with the footprint, but I need to make sure I'm far enough away from the roots so that I dont kill/hurt the trees by digging the foundation, or simply wasting my time with this idea...

In case it matters or makes a difference, I was figuring single story fieldstone walls with an A-Frame type roof (for bedrooms) on a slab...

TIA for your opinions and/or ideas & knowledge!

It is much harder to place a structure within a planting of existing trees that it is to judge where exactly a new tree should be planted :-) Depending on the tree species and soil conditions, the root system could be quite widespread and with little chance of not damaging them during construction. It would be best to bring in a consulting arborist to advise on this onsite.

"I'm up here in Michigan, and was just CONSIDERING building a new house in a particular spot (in the woods) on my property under a nice cool canopy of silver&red maple, and an Elm or two..."

While silver and red maple aren't really short lived trees from what I've read, they're not extremely long lived, and I don't know how old those you aim to plant near are. Silver maple has a reputation for being somewhat weak wooded, and thus a hazard when high winds or ice come calling, given that it can make a large tree and drop limbs.

Also consider that root systems of some trees, such as silver and red maples, aren't desirable near a septic system, tank or leach field, which I'm guessing might be needed for a house in the setting you describe (if you can ditch 3 - 4 trees and still have plenty of canopy, perhaps this is a rural setting?).

Maybe it'll work out fine for you and I misunderstood what's going on, but just in case, wanted to broach the issues. Good luck.

Plant strong wooded trees, NO Silver Maples and Poplars, and try for at least 40 feet away. My guestimate. I have an oak about 30 feet on the West side of my house, I am NOT about to move it, though. It was acorn sown (seed sown) and so I am thinking it should have many nice deep roots and it is YOUNG so I am not worried.