Plant Life: Balancing Beauty and Health in Your Home

Jamie: 00:00:01

Welcome to Thoughts from the Crawl Space, a podcast where our goal as home inspection experts is to support and serve our community.

Whether you're a homeowner, home buyer, real estate agent, or investor, we believe everyone deserves solutions to their homeownership challenges and inspiration along the way. Your path to success starts here. Welcome back to another episode of Thoughts from the Crawl Space.

Today, we're going to dive into a topic that you see every day around your house. And you can have some good, you can have some bad.

Today, we're going to talk about vegetation, the benefits to it in your house and some of the things to look out for and some of the problems it can cause.

So we're going to talk about vegetation not only outside the house, but inside the house that can help your air and can help eliminate the need for some of those artificial fresheners and such. So let's talk talk about the positive first. So vegetation really makes everything look beautiful, whether you have a green thumb or not.

You can go buy your way to a house that is lush, that looks tropical, or it looks however you want it to look. All right, you can buy plants for big areas, you can buy them. For small areas, you can buy healing plants and so forth.

So, number one, plants add to our house with curb appeal and aesthetic value. When they're properly maintained, plants really provide a great addition to your curb appeal.

Lush greenery makes your property feel more welcoming and adds layers of texture and life, whether it's a tree in the front yard or flowers along the sidewalk. You know, even a little flower in a box hanging on the side raw. You can see apartment buildings.

Sometimes they're drab and they all look the same, except, boom, you got one flower box hanging on the side of somebody's wall with some beautiful flowers in it. So we have the ability, through nature, through color and greenery and so forth to really enhance the value and the aesthetic appeal of our homes.

And especially if you're trying to sell your house, you want that to look really good. Of course, if you live there, you want it to look good, too. Whether you take care of them, you hire somebody to take care of them. You.

You hire somebody to help you design a layout in your landscaping. Whatever you choose to do, that's a really good idea to help not just have it look better, but also some benefits of actually having flowers.

Here's an idea. Number two, energy efficiency. Here's how this works. On the north side of the house, you tend to have the stronger, cooler winds.

If you plant some kind of trees like evergreens, that would block that wind. It could really help with heating in the winter. All right, so that's one area. Trees and shrubs actually help you reduce your energy bill.

Well placed trees provide natural shade, cooling your home in the summer and potentially reducing your need for air conditioning. This can help lower your energy consumption.

Obviously, we frequently will do inspections on homes that have large shade trees overhanging either all of it, two thirds of it, half of it. Especially if you have shade trees on the south and the west side of the home, it will help to shade that.

And we've seen homes without air conditioning. It's hot outside, but it really feels pretty good inside. And that's all just because of natural shade.

And in the, especially in the summer, it's going to really help your energy bills.

Now, the downside to that is if you like a lot of sunshine and you like that heat gain that the sun provides, especially in the winter, that can limit that. So there's a trade off there.

But especially in the warmer months, if you don't have air conditioning or you just simply don't want to run it, they want to save energy. Trees are a great addition to that.

So I know we have, we've planted trees and you know, the parts of the grass that it shades are more lush, they grow quicker, they're thicker, and it just all around makes things much better on a house. Another way that plants help is number three, natural air purification. Obviously this is going to relate to plants inside the house.

So plants absorb carbon dioxide and they release oxygen, just like you learned in school, right? But the benefits don't stop there.

Plants also filter out pollutants like sulfur dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen oxide, and they improve air quality around your home. Snake plants, they're a big filter, they don't take much water.

They look attractive because they have variegated colors and they filter out, filter the air constantly. And so how can you beat that? It doesn't take much care.

It does take a little light sunlight to grow, obviously, and a little water, but it filters the air, purifies the air, and it looks good to boot. And they generally grow up and not out so that they don't take up a whole lot of room so they can go in a corner or something like that.

So consider some plants that you can use for air purification in the home to enhance the beauty of it and also enhance the quality of the air in it. And of course, another benefit to vegetation is privacy and noise reduction. In a subdivision, you don't want your neighbors seeing everything you do.

And you don't really want to see what your neighbors do. And so one way to mitigate that is to plant shrubbery, trees, whatever is allowed.

There's some subdivisions, the HOA won't allow certain types of hedge type bushes, but in general, a row of dense shrubs or well placed heads can create a natural privacy barrier. And on top of that, trees especially can help absorb sound.

If you live near a busy highway and that noise just drives you crazy, vegetation is the key. You can't change the road, you can't move your house. You can create a barrier that's going to help absorb some of that.

Now, obviously, the bigger it gets, the more it's going to absorb. When they're small, there's not much you can do about that unless you just want to buy trees that are large to begin with.

But of course, that is more expensive.

So some real benefits to vegetation around your house, just to review, the curb appeal and esthetic value is enhanced, the energy efficiency of your home is enhanced, it has natural air purification qualities and it provides privacy and noise reduction. Okay, now about some of the drawbacks of vegetation around your home.

One of the biggest things I see on inspecting is the folks, especially at newer homes, that they'll plant a shrub that's this big a foot from the house. It looks cute, it looks good right there. But you know what that plant's going to do, right?

It's going to grow and most shrubs are going to be three to five feet in diameter. So now you're a foot from the house and you got 18 inches to 2 1/2ft of radius going one direction, growing right into the side of the house.

In our opinion, the minimum distance from any part of the vegetation should be about 12 to 18 inches from the house. That allows you to get behind it, that allows natural airflow that won't hold moisture against the sides of the wall and on and on and on.

And this is especially true if you have wood siding. Wood siding needs to be able to dry out. It needs airflow, it needs sunlight, and you don't want to plant vegetation against it.

That's going to maintain and hold moisture and block out sun, especially on windows with, with wooden windows, the wood trim around the windows over and over again. We see rot in these areas and problems associated with vegetation being too close to the wall.

So make sure if you plant shrubbery, you know how big it's supposed to get and you account for that when you plant it. I agree, it looks kind of silly. When you plant a shrub Five feet from the foundation and the shrubs only about this big, about a foot wide.

But give it a few years and it's going to look perfect. It's kind of like when you raise a child.

There are certain things a child does when he's young that you think are cute, and you let it go, and you let it go. And as it blossoms and gets bigger, it can become destructive. And by then it's almost too late. Right. This is a similar scenario.

If you plant a shrub too close to the house, eventually you're going to have no choice but either to remove it or dig it up and move it out further, which is very difficult to do without killing the shrub. So that's just a kind of an overall rant, so to speak, on vegetation, because we see that over and over and over.

There are some houses we get to, we can't even see the foundation because there's so much vegetation around it. So, number one, one of the potential drawbacks around your home is roots and foundations.

Tree roots can grow into your home's foundation, causing cracks or shifting over time. This is something to keep an eye out, especially for older homes with aging foundations.

Larger trees like oaks, maples, and pines are known for expansive root systems. This is true in this regard. Oaks and maples, the roots tend to go out. Pine trees, they go down.

Any type of evergreen tree, the root, the tap root is going to tend to go down. Of course, they go out some, but the bulk of it's going to go down, whereas oak and maple are going to go out.

And if they're real close to your house, they can affect the foundation, especially if you have concrete block walls, especially if you have fieldstone walls. Fieldstones in general are very strong, but they also have gaps in them. You have moisture that gets in there.

And the tree root generally is not going to go after a foundation. It's going to go after moisture. So if you have moisture sitting against your house or running toward your house, it's going to want to follow that.

All right, so obviously grading and draining is a big thing here. But here's another thing that large trees around your house do that maybe you don't think about.

I would say it's fairly rare to see it truly a root system pushing in and bulging a foundation, pretty rare.

But what we do see is cracks in a basement wall, most likely in a concrete block wall where you have the mortar and it goes follows the mortar joints. And the reason is because the tree has absorbed so much moisture.

The bigger it gets, the more Moisture it needs and it sucks up the moisture in the area and that allows things to settle and the footer settles and then the wall settles. And so it's indirectly affecting the foundation, maybe not directly by pushing against it. Either way is bad.

But that's more common what we see than it actually pushing into the wall. Then there's number two, probably closely related is water damage.

Some trees or plants, especially ones that are overgrown or poorly maintained, can cause drainage issues leading to water pooling near your home's foundation. So you want to make sure that you get trees away from the house.

Another thing right along with that, not just water damage, but truly physical damage. A very high percentage of homes we inspect with trees near the foundation have branches that are either rubbing on the siding or the roof.

And recently I saw a roof that was had been rubbed by the tree and it a relatively new roof, but it rubbed a hole in about a three foot section of shingles. And so this can obviously lead to leaks and problems associated with even the structure if it gets too bad.

Another thing obviously with trees is the branches will overhang the roof. And when you got branches overhanging the roof, when they fall, that's only one place they're going to go.

They're going to hit the roof and they're going to drop acids and they're going to drop seeds and clog up your gutters and they're going to drop leaves and clog up your gutters and whole drainage system. And another thing that overhanging trees do that folks don't think about too is carpenter ants. Carpenter ants nest in trees.

Typically they're going to climb the tree, climb the branch onto your roof and they're going to find a weak spot into an upstairs bedroom or something like that, through a window gap in a window. So carpenter ants, that's a big one.

Squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, all those pests can all be a problem in your attic or in your house simply because you have overhanging trees. This isn't even discounting dead branches.

If you see any kind of dead branches over your roof, especially of any size, you want to get those cleaned, trimmed as quick as possible.

That can be expensive, but it's not as expensive as repairing your roof or having insurance come out after a limb's gone through your roof and in a heavy rainstorm and flooded most of your house. So trees are pretty, they provide shade and beauty, but they also can provide critters. They can fall on your roof, they can be constant maintenance.

And so you have to take these two in account and balance out whether I need to get rid of this or whether I need to trim it or if I need to do anything. So that was number three, roof and gutter damage.

Very common to see gutters that have a, have had a ding in it and it's almost always because of a branch that has fallen. I did a house, inspected a house a few weeks back and the gutter was bent and about three feet up was a patch job on the roof.

And a few feet higher that was another patch job. And then at the very top there was another patch job, a large branch, it falls right on the roof and damaged it all the way up.

So just know that if you have overhanging your branches, I mean look at your yard after a heavy windstorm, even if you don't have them overhanging the house, you're going to see branches in the yard because they fall. The dead ones are weeded out in a windstorm and you don't want that weeding out to affect your house.

Another issue with vegetation is pests and insects. We touched a little bit on the type of pests that can be invited by having a tree and again to review that.

Squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, carpenter ants, anything else that wants to get into your house and uses a tree for transportation and even things like termites and beetles. And that's because especially on a wood sited houses, you got the vegetation against it.

Not necessarily trees, but anything dense that holds moisture.

And a lot of these critters, like termites and beetles, they love moisture and they're going to use that as an advantage, shelter from them, it protects them from enemies.

And so you really want to cut that back and get it away from the sighting because it does, it really does no good to have vegetation up against the siding. So we've talked about some of the positive aspects of vegetation on the house. We just talked about some of the negative aspects of it.

So now let's talk about maintenance. What do you as a homeowner do about vegetation? How do you know when to rip it out? Start over, call somebody. What do you do?

Put it off for another year and hope it doesn't fall. What do you do? Number one, regular pruning. And this is on trees especially. But get those things pruned before they become a problem.

The ornamental type trees that are generally planted closer to the house, you just want to keep those trimmed. Those are usually manageable size wise. You can get on a ladder and trim those back to a nice Shape so they're not rubbing on the siding.

Bigger trees that have branches 30, 40ft in the air, you're going to have to call somebody that knows what they're doing or you're going to end up hurt or worse. And it's expensive, but it's the price you pay for having large trees in your on your property.

For shrubbery, hedge trimmers, keep them trimmed, keep them looking good, keep them from getting against the foundation and against the sighting. Root barriers. Number two. If you're planting trees or large shrubs near your foundation, consider installing root barriers.

These barriers redirect roots away from your foundation. Essentially, it's just an additional barrier between your house and the foundation. And those aren't real common.

And I don't know if I would rely on that to, you know, protect your house, but it isn't. It is an additional option for you. Number three, mulching.

Mulching around your plants help maintain soil moisture, suppresses weeds and regulates soil temperature. And this is going to be more on the keeping your house beautiful side of things. We want things to look nice. We want things to grow well.

Don't pile the mulch, the mulch too high. You don't want mulch above the base of your siding because that's going to, again, that's going to invite insects and rot, and we don't want that.

Number four, monitor the drainage. Check for signs of poor drainage around house. You got pooling water. You need to redo the landscaping so the water flows away.

And especially after heavy rains, it's one thing for a nice gentle rain where it all soaks away beautifully.

But those heavy rains, especially in maybe late fall, early spring, where they just dump and dump and dump, and that's not a place you want to have a bunch of water pooling. So plants that are too close to the house can disrupt the flow of water.

So ensure your vegetation isn't obstructing damaged drainage areas like downspouts or French drains. The roots get into the drainage system and block them up, and then obviously they don't drain and you got to get them cleaned out.

Here's a very simple one, and this you wouldn't think about with vegetation necessarily. But gutter cleaning, it's very simple, but it's essential. Clean your gutters at least twice a year, preferably after the fall leaves have dropped.

Leaves can quickly pile up and clogged gutters, which causes water to back up and leads to leaks leach in your roof or walls. So here's a stat that I learned early on when I was doing inspections. But roof and yard runoff accounts for 95% of basement water problems.

95% roof and yard runoff. The purpose of gutters and downspouts is to divert water away from the house. If it's not doing that, it's not doing its job.

If they're so clogged, water's running right over the top of them and dumping right beside the foundation, or it's getting into the gutter but it's not draining and then it's building up and flowing over or the downspouts are clogged. Whatever is keeping that water from being diverted away from the house is causing damage. It's a simple thing. Get your gutters cleaned.

If you can't do them, hire somebody to do them. Make sure they're sloped properly. Make sure they're not dripping at the time. Same seams and leaking.

I've had a front porch that for years has settled and we've had to get it fixed. Pumped up a little bit every six, seven years or so.

And I finally boiled it down to a gutter that was sloped improperly and had a leak at a seam and it was constantly dripping, drip, drip, drip. That makes a big difference in any concrete around the house. Just in your foundation. Over time it has. It's like Chinese water torture for.

Or waterboarding, I guess is what I'm thinking. Waterboarding for your foundation. Take care of it. Don't let it get to be a problem like I did and just keep putting it off.

Number six, plant selection. Choose plants that are suited for your climate and the specific conditions of the yard. Native plants typically require less water.

If you're going to get something that typically grows down south and you want to try to grow it here, it's going to have to be sheltered. Azaleas are not necessarily easy to grow in this environment, but they thrive at the mid latitudes and below.

All right, routinely water fertilize them and make sure that you have them spaced properly, not just from the house, but from each other. So we recommend avoid planting fast growing trees. You've seen those, they get advertised, you know, full size in three years or whatever.

And they basically grow like a weed. And people use them for barriers, especially if they live along a road.

But they grow fast, but they also die fast and their roots are pretty invasive and they can quickly outgrow their space and they just don't generally look very great. So finally, with regard to vegetation pest control, keep an eye on your plants or signs of pests such as chewed leaves or droppings.

If you spot pests, quickly remove them before they spread to your home.

You might use natural remedies like neem oil or insecticidal soap instead of a toxic chemical, or consider professional pest control control if the infestation is significant. So just to summarize, vegetation can add a ton of value to a home.

Folks that buy these houses with no landscaping and then make it look beautiful really enhance the home's value or at least perception of value to potential buyers or neighbors.

And I think it's just you can walk through your neighborhood and you can really appreciate people that put in the time to do landscaping well, to take care of it, to make it look good. And conversely, if you are not going to take care of your landscaping, then don't put it in because it's going to look worse.

It's probably going to lead to water problems or worse. So take these facts. Decide for yourself what you would like to do.

If you have questions or concerns about your vegetation and you want to ask us, feel free to call us. If we can't answer it, we'll recommend an arborist or someone that has expertise in that area.

And we just want you to have a pleasant experience with your house all the way around. So we wanted to put this out there for some tips on how to take care of everything.

Thanks for listening, thanks for watching and we'll see you on the next episode. Thank you for listening.

This week you can catch up on the latest episode of of the Thoughts from the Crawl Space podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. For more information about Gold Key Inspection Services, go to goldkeyinspect. Com.