kickinbull
Well-known member
What are your thoughts? Has anyone built in forest? How far back to make a clearing?
Building a home in the woods?
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Jogeephus
Well-known member
I live in a forest. Lumber for the cabinets, framing and floors came off the same piece of dirt. Remembering Hugo, its probably wise to have no tree within its height's length of your home but what's the point in living in the woods then? That aside, I wouldn't want any trees within 20 feet of my house unless they are trees whose roots can't mess with your foundation. Also, if you are using a septic system be sure this area is devoid of trees else you will have troubles. Other than that, enjoy the shade and just don't expect too much out of your lawn grass but have enough lawn grass and cleared land to give you a buffer from wildfire.
hillbilly beef man
Well-known member
They sure are purty till one of the trees comes to the supper table.
skyhightree1
Well-known member
hillbilly beef man":79azt0hr said:
I can vouch for that. When I built this house I cleared all the trees off but maybe 30 trees on 5 acres at the house. The trees are in the back WAYYYYYY BACK.
cowboy43
Well-known member
I went to a 8 Hr Fire Wise meeting today for rural home owners. The topic was how to make your home safe from fire by proper landscaping and having trees and shrubbery a certain distance from your house. Having your roads where large trucks can get in and out, they said if the trucks can not get in and out safely , they will not go in. In 2011 we had the Bastrop Pine Forest fire 37000 acres burned and 1700 homes, the home owners had pine trees overlapping their houses and pine needles inches deep up to the house, pine needles clogged the gutters and were on the roof, it was like building your house In a brush pile waiting for someone to set a match to it. The homes that had done proper landscaping were spared from the fire. Also using fire resistance building material is a must to safe guard your home.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
kickinbull":1w4hged9 said:
I walk out the front door turn right or left and there is sixty miles of woods both ways.
Here how far back you clear depends on how much you are willing to pay for electricity.
After three poles you are buying the poles and line here.
sim.-ang.king
Well-known member
Cardboard box houses are really in style these days, and would be great for living in the woods!
Jogeephus
Well-known member
skyhightree1":u503nah7 said:
I bet your light be is around 30% more than it could be.
Building in the timber is pretty common around here, that or claring everything including bushes then complaining about how barren it is. If you clear 1 1/2 tree lengths and build there you won't have many issues other then leaves (if deciduous trees) clogging the gutters. Here the best looking places in the timber clear that distance then thin the timber so that it's kind of park like. That is oak and hickory.
highgrit
Well-known member
I like oak trees but the one in my yard scares me. I have a very large one that some of the branches could fall on the house. Been thinking about cutting it back, but afraid I might kill it. Not many oak trees larger than it left around theses parts. I better knock on wood now.
skyhightree1
Well-known member
Jogeephus":1qzueuyu said:
I bet you are right :lol2:
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
highgrit":7p50t79h said:
I have three large White Oaks and a couple Red Oaks.
Had a tree trimming company come out after Rita.
They topped them all and pruned as well the trees have thrived.
They went through Ike not even a limb in the yard.
I have trees all around my house. Close enough that when the sun starts passing over after noon, they start shading it. Trees on all sides. I love my trees. Sure makes the place cooler. Saves on the electric bill too in the summer time.
Some thing to look at is the type of tree and how far the roots will reach. Big oaks for example next to your house are not good for the foundation.
kickinbull
Well-known member
Thanks for comments. We had a place that the house set right next to a former pine tree grove. We were on a plateau right next to the pines that were on the west side of house. On the SE side were walnuts. In the summer we only had sun at noon day. In winter we were sheltered from NW winds. The place we live now has no trees. We always have felt it was tempory. We sometimes talk about building in our woods. Or at least on the south side which opens to a field. Thanks again.
The trunks are a good ways back from the house, but the canopy is tall and wide. I didn't plant any anchoring trees close to concrete such as Maples, etc.... I have a couple of those in the front yard, a long ways from the house. They are home wreckers, but have beautiful foliage in the Fall. I planted a red, sugar and a Norway maple beside each other. I thought those three colors in the fall would be so pretty. Red- pinkish yellowy orange, and a yellow. But my Norway croaked. I think someone hit it with the tractor.
kickinbull, Here is something that I wished I had known about trees years ago, but some drip sap and it gets on your windows and car. The wind will carry it a bit too. Make sure you find out which ones do this. I have never had trouble with the oaks, but a pecan tree used to leave speckles of sap all over the cars, and some of the windows on the house. Wind would carry it too. I don't know if Walnuts do it, or pines.
Maples were the ones that I tried to avoid. Beautiful leaves in the fall, but they bust up concrete bad. They have anchor roots that grow sideways, and septic tanks, sidewalks, driveways and house foundations, are what the roots go looking for. Or it just seems that way. I planted some in the yard a long ways away from any structures. Three different colors for the fall and I made sure that they would eventually touch so I could see the colors mixing. A red, orange, and a yellow one.
Maples were the ones that I tried to avoid. Beautiful leaves in the fall, but they bust up concrete bad. They have anchor roots that grow sideways, and septic tanks, sidewalks, driveways and house foundations, are what the roots go looking for. Or it just seems that way. I planted some in the yard a long ways away from any structures. Three different colors for the fall and I made sure that they would eventually touch so I could see the colors mixing. A red, orange, and a yellow one.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Here the least likely to blow over is Hickory first cousin of the Pecan and Black Walnut.
I have both in the back yard and they make mowing very interesting at times.
Now none is worse about self pruning than a pecan.
White and Red oak have a good root system I wouldn't leave a Live or Water oak anywhere in the yard.
Pines are horrible about the top third breaking out in a storm.
I have both in the back yard and they make mowing very interesting at times.
Now none is worse about self pruning than a pecan.
White and Red oak have a good root system I wouldn't leave a Live or Water oak anywhere in the yard.
Pines are horrible about the top third breaking out in a storm.
