Next year, I'd like to plant a tree in the spot circled below.  It's on the south wall.  I'd like to plant a Hardy Chicago in this spot, but unsure if roots will mess with my foundation later.  It would be about 2 feet from the house and the soffit would overlap the tree by a few inches.  What do you all think?

Big time issue!
In a few years it will/could damage your foundation.

I think you should rip out the 3 shrubs you already have there and plant 4 fig trees.

It'll be fine to plant it where you have it just move it down the hill a little

You obviously know the answer and we will not talk you into it, LOL.  There are some measures that the bamboo people use to direct the roots so that they are somewhat controlled.  Figs are somewhat shallow rooters and therefore you can manage them to a certain degree.  You can use dura-rock board shaped in a v to direct the roots away from the footer/foundation but it is a lot of work in digging deep enough for the board and you may still get root intrusion.

I would find another spot.
Good luck

Ok, so it's not looking like a good idea, especially with that rock wall so close too, now that I think about it.
What about using that spot for planting a potted tree?  I know this would limit its growth due to cutting roots to remove the pot each winter, but would it be the better option?  Thanks for the input thus far!

I like the idea of the potted plant with removal each winter.

Frank, earlier this year, due to a death, we remodeled and updated a house to be sold, belonging to my husband that his mom lived in for over 40 years.  There was carpet on the floors, and the tile in the entry was lifting.  Then came the leak.  Then came the structural engineer.  Then came the bad news!  Roots had invaded the slab, and they made us rip out and replace the entire slab in two large rooms.  Several thousand dollars later, everything was fixed, and the house sold for more than we asked.

We are searching for property now, and one of my priorities is to check how close the roots are to the house, and I walk around the entire foundation looking for cracks.

Good luck to you!

Suzi

You could buy a large round clay pot (about 15 Gal.) and bury it.  This will allow you to have greater control of weeds, soil composition, and fertilizer.  Just leave the top 2 inches of the pot above ground, but mulch well to prevent the pot from wicking moisture away from the tree.  I've grown 8-10 ft trees in a 15 gallon pot!

Roots should not be an issue. I have had my Vista 18" from the house for 25 years.

Jon,

I started to say what you just said based on what you have said in the past but I didn't....I figured you would chime in.

Does anyone else have their trees planted next to their house without problems? How close and how many years? Asking because I was planning on doing the same as Frank this coming spring.

Part of the issues with roots is determined by how large you let the tops grow.  If a trees canopy is unchecked by freezing or pruning the roots will eventually get huge.  A good rule of thumb is 1.5 - 2 times the spread of the canopy.  If though the canopy is controlled by whatever means the roots are automatically controlled.  You are not going to get a house lifting set of fig roots from a 10 foot tall fig.   

The Japanese in the stepover growing method also use a heavy layer of mulch which helps to keep the figs roots compacted.  I am not sure of why that works but could just be the plant is happy in it's mulch filled spot and with the limited top has no need to expand.

Or you could do what the Italians do....pour diesel along the foundation yearly though don't tell the EPA :) 

I'm really interested in this discussion also as I am thinking of doing something similar and have heard mixed messages on this topic.

There are many types of ficus (fig). Tropical ficus, such as Banyans and Rubber trees have very aggressive roots (think Angkor Wat). Ficus carica does not.

So this might not make sense, but are there barriers, like a thin sheet of concrete/metal that can be inserted in the ground beside the wall of the house to prevent the roots from growing through it?  Maybe a 4' x 3' sheet?

The fig tree have highly developed root system, fig is native to dry regions where there is little rainfall and its roots can reach a few hundred feet away from the tree. But in our conditions we have enough rain and moisture in the ground so that it is not necessary for fig tree to make that big of a root system. I see plenty of fig trees growing next to the houses here in Atlanta and never see any structural damage. So i think you should be fine if you plant your tree there  close to your house.
Soon i will take some picture and post them here so you can see.

I've seen them near houses/foundation. With no problems. I asked that same question to a fig grower that grew up in Italy this morning. She said not to worry. I plan on putting one against the south side of my house next year.

A lot of it depends on the soil. if it is open and friable the roots will most likely be less of a problem than if they have to claw their way around on top of clay or rock. It looks like you have plenty of room if you move it away from the house, say about 8'. Seriously. And you may have to go to bed without your supper for suggesting removing those photinias but, as someone who makes her living by landscaping, those are going to be a problem too. Again, seriously. My guys and I get a lot of business fixing things like this :> On the other hand, figs love being close to houses.

I have seen a fig tree that is over 50 years old, planted within 20" of an old house with a sandstone foundation (irregular chunks of sandstone mortared into a 24 " wide foundation). The tree has frozen to or near to the ground many times over its 5 plus decades. there is one spot where a branch grew through the mortar space on an outside corner of a fireplace build out and has pushed out one of the bricks a little bit. The owner said there is no root damage to the foundation evident from inside the basement. Only because it is an older (maybe 100 years) structure was the mortar missing from that one corner to allow the shoot to grow through it and because of not much maintenance, grow to over 1'' diameter.
My point is, that even though some of the main stems of this old clump of stems (about 10' long in this 24 inch piece of dirt between driveway and structure) are over 6" diameter, there isn't any observable damage to the foundation. I have 13 plants planted within 24 inches of a two level school building I take care of. But the oldest in the ground is only 5 years, so the roots aren't very large yet. I have no worries however, because under the building is dry, so there is no reason for the roots to want to go there. They may go a little under the footings, but I doubt they will do any harm.

I recently found some termites in my house.  To treat the termites a chemical had to be applied around the entire perimeter of the house.  The guy who came to apply the chemical told me that they are not supposed to apply the stuff within 10 feet of food plants because the plants absorb the chemical.  He said the termite insecticide stays active in the soil for 5 years.  If you ever have to have your house treated for something it could affect the tree and make it unsafe to eat the fruit.  Just something to think about.

I really appreciate everyone's input.  As of now, I'm not sure if I'll be planting a tree there without a pot in the ground.

Alexis,
Thank you for that info.  I did some Googling and there were a lot of comments about removing photinias that are close to the foundation.  I never knew what they were!  Thanks again.

I haven't had foundation issues with roots (that I know of),  I did have a problem with roots in the pipes from the commode!!!  The bathroom is at least 15 ft from any side of the house. 

We do have a good amount of trees and shrubs, so I don't know which one was the culprit.  We had a red tipped photinia also, about 30 years old (I think) since we have been here for 20 and was a good size when we moved in, so maybe that was the culprit. I didn't know photinias could be the cause of that much damage.

It wasn't all bad - I gave the bathroom a light remodel since the plumbers had to jack hammer up the floor to replace the pipes.

Haven't ever heard of any foundation problems from figs, and I have seen a lot planted next to houses. Figs are notorious for clogging up septic lines especially the old segmented clay pipe.