ᐅ Prospects for a Giant Sequoia in a German Front Garden

Hello,

we have purchased a plot of land and there is a huge giant sequoia tree in the front yard!

The tree was one of the reasons we bought the property because we find it so fantastic and impressive. At the notary appointment, the seller told us that the tree will keep growing. It is this tree here:

Sequoiadendron giganteum

I doubt it will reach the size it has in its native habitat, but I think we should start considering what to do next.

Ideally, we want the tree to remain. The house will be demolished and a new one built. We are happy to adapt the construction somewhat to accommodate the tree and to make compromises if needed.

BUT:
1) We are afraid the tree might eventually fall on the roof.
2) Since we want to include the tree in our planning, we would like to know its expected lifespan and how healthy it is. Can it even tolerate a new construction with the related ground and soil work?

I have contacted three different tree experts – so far only one has replied (who would have thought this profession is apparently so busy that they do not need to respond to customer inquiries?). The company I contacted will send me a written contract for a tree assessment.

Question for the community:
Does it really have to be a formal tree assessment for our purposes? Even though I haven’t received the letter yet, it already sounds very expensive. Does anyone have an idea how I could get a reasonable evaluation more cost-effectively? Or is it really worth investing in such an assessment?

Good luck
Oliver

R.Hotzenplotz schrieb:

[...] The house will be demolished and rebuilt. We are happy to adjust the construction a bit to the tree and to make some compromises if necessary.

BUT:
1) We are worried that the tree might eventually fall onto the roof.
2) Since we want to include the tree in the planning, we would like to know its expected lifespan and how healthy it is. Can it even tolerate a rebuild with all the related ground and soil activities? [...]

I don’t think the tree will fall onto your roof.
I would be more concerned about the potential root system. See Wikipedia:

Roots

In their natural range, giant sequoias develop a shallow but extensive root system. The roots of older trees usually do not extend deeper than about 1 meter (3 feet) but can spread laterally up to 30 meters (100 feet), covering areas of up to 0.3 hectares (0.74 acres). In Central Europe, younger trees have shown taproots reaching depths of up to 1.80 meters (6 feet).

The tree is located quite close to the currently basemented house. Do you think the roots have, so to speak, adapted to the masonry basement? At least, I haven't seen any breakthroughs at the bottom....

As you mentioned, it would probably be best to consult a professional for this. But most likely, the roots are just lying around the area.

The question also is what you plan to build there. With a basement or without? Also, how the water pipes, electrical wiring, and other technical aspects will be arranged on the property.

Alright, I will go ahead and commission the appraisal. I’m curious to see how expensive it will be.

We are still considering our options. Initially, it was clear to us that we wanted a basement. Currently, we are in discussions with two architects who have different proposals. One recommends skipping the basement and instead increasing the floor area due to the large plot, which would also allow for a small setback in the first floor to be better realized. The second architect can also imagine forgoing the basement but expects that we will eventually end up with a partial basement… (these are still preliminary discussions).

Great tree! I would definitely want to keep it as well. You can get free information about such trees from online nurseries, for example Pflanzmich. I always ask them whenever I want to know something about specific plants (you can submit expert questions directly for the plant species, and the answers are then available online).