I live just west of Philly, zone 6b/7a, and I would like to plant some figs on the southwest facing wall of my house to protect them in the winter and help shade the house in the summer. My yard does slope away from the foundation and I have never had water problems in this area. My foundation is made of stone. Will the figs cause problems with roots getting into the foundation, and what is the closest you would recommend planting figs to a building?

I have an older fig tree about 3 feet from the foundation to our garage and have never had any problems.

Given that your land slopes away from the foundation the roots probably will also grow away from the house in search of the water that drains away.

I would just space them out 15 feet between trunks so they do not shade each other and would have a plan in place for winter protection before you plant them permenantly. We bend our tree down and stake it to the ground and cover with tarps.

Now I am growing figs in containers with the intent to line them up going down my driveway so I can pick and eat different varieties as I walk to the mailbox. :-)

Check out this tree in Wilmington. It looks to be planted about 3 feet away as well and no sign of damaged bricks that I saw, the top has leaned forward to get away from the wall. I think that type of old house might have a stone foundation even. Trees will be easier to manage at more than six feet, but being close to a wall can make a big difference in winter.