help saving trees

I live in a pre-war coop. We have three mature maples behind the building that survived Sandy and Irene and are in great shape. The board wants to redo the cement work around the back of the building so that water drains away from the walls. The first contractor consulted wants to chop down the trees, which are about 15 feet away from the nearest wall. The building wants to keep the trees if possible. I also think that the contractor should provide us with drawings prior to our agreeing to the work so that we can see exactly what we are paying for and how it will look when finished. Does anyone have experience with this type of situation? We would really like to save the trees if possible.

tm07

in Construction 12 years ago

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tm07 | 12 years ago

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Marie-Helene- Are you an architect or associated with an architect? I’ve sold the building’s board on the idea of open pavers/permeable paving for the backyard. I’m looking to hire an architect to work with us and any building company that we hire to redo our back courtyard. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks, Tracey

esteamshower208 | 12 years ago

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Arkady | 12 years ago

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I’d get a tree specialist to meet w/ the contractor to see if they can work out a happy medium.

marie-helene | 12 years ago

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Absolutely. That’s another concern with paving over the entire surface. The water still has to go somewhere, and your neighbor’s below-grade backyard could become flooded in heavy rains. It’s good to have a concrete edge around buildings, to prevent water infiltration, and also bugs and/or rodents. At the same time, you need to leave enough unpaved surface to absorb rainfall. Most people who go for the concrete yard do so out of concern for maintenance, but that’s not a concern with three large maples: the surface roots are very good at absorbing all the water and nutrients, and do a very good job at outcompeting weeds.

tm07 | 12 years ago

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Thank you – I was wondering about that situation. The water has to go somewhere and if the yard is covered entirely with concrete and pitched away from our building walls, it will either drain into the side neighbors yard, which is below grade, or a second retaining wall, which is actually in good condition, and is supporting the back neighbors yard, which is above grade. I live in Queens and there were flooding issues in Forest Hills after homeowners cemented over their entire front and back yards. My instinct was that part of our problem was caused by the back yard being entirely cemented over. The front yard has lawn and the exterior walls have not been water-damaged.

marie-helene | 12 years ago

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Some maples are notorious for their extensive surface roots. They are not compatible with a full-on concrete courtyard, because the roots seek the surface when covered, and will crack. If the contractor deals mostly with concrete, he will see a Norway maple as a problem. With a different perspective (wanting to keep the trees), the solution lies with a different hardscaping material. You could have concrete immediately next to the building, and then pavers and gravel in the courtyard.