Protecting A Concrete Slab Foundation with Root Barriers

When I had my foundation inspected, one of the recommendations from the engineer was to install a root barrier. The purpose of root barriers is to stop the roots of nearby trees from getting under the concrete slab, removing moisture, thus causing the foundation to settle. This typically happens in regions where homes are built on expansive shrink-swell clay soils as in the Dallas and Houston areas of Texas.

The engineering report called for the root barriers or “root walls” to be made of concrete 10 inches thick and three feet deep, or plastic with a minimum thickness of 20 mil buried to the same depth.

The contractor I hired uses corrugated vinyl sheeting similar to what you would use for patio or awning roofing. It is flexible enough to bend into the semi-circle design two of the root barriers called for yet thick enough to deflect new root growth.
Heavy corrigated vinyl sheets
The crew hand dug the trenches with “sharp shooter” shovels, and used clippers and axes to create a 8 inch or so gap with the tree roots cleanly cut on both sides of the trench. The vinyl sheeting was placed in the ditch and held upright while the trench was back-filled.
Root barriers go in
The top portion of the sheeting was trimmed to ground level and also put in the trench.

Root barrier is trimmed at top and soil back filled

In all, we had four root barriers installed. Three are to divert the roots of trees on our property and a fourth one to keep a neighbor’s tree roots at bay.

We also had a row of Nellie R. Stevens holly shrubs removed that had been planted right along the foundation on the west side of the home. That type of bush quickly grows into small trees if not kept pruned back. The contractor thought it would be good for the foundation if they were dug out. I would have to trim them back two or three times a year, they are prickly and I’m allergic to them so it is without tears that I bid them farewell.

To be sure, there is debate between tree lovers and engineers as to how much damage tree roots can cause a concrete slab foundation built on expansive clay soil.

Many arborists don’t like root barriers because they inhibit the tree’s ability to take up water and nutrients and view the claims of damage to foundations as exaggerated.

Engineers will tell you a good sized tree can remove hundreds of gallons of water from the soil through transpiration and contribute to foundation settlement. They see root barriers as a compromise to removing trees entirely. If installed properly root barriers can create an atmosphere where tree and slab can remain pals.

Finally, the contractor re-worked the soaker hose system. He thinks that with the root barriers, removing the large shrubs along one side of the foundation, faithful use of soaker hoses, and a decent amount of rain, we can reverse the settling and get some up-lift in the slab. I hope he’s right.

Comments

    • Les
    • July 25, 2008

    That plastic roofing sucks

    • Indro
    • November 27, 2008

    Can you email me which contractor you used ? I need something similar done.

  1. How many companies actually know how to prune trees correctly?

    • m zantow
    • July 16, 2011

    It has been some time since you put in the root barriers. Did they work? I live in the Dallas metro area and we are experiencing 100+ temperature for over 14 days. I need to know if this is a viable solution for foundation problems. Thank you for your help.

  2. The root barriers have worked for me. Also removing very large Nellie R Stevens holly bushes from around the house. That and faithful use of soaker hoses have stabilized the foundation. And yeah, I live in your area too. This summer has been a scorcher.
    Best,
    Digger

    • Tony
    • October 24, 2011

    Digger – Hi. Did the root barriers and soaker hose system give you significant slab uplift (more than an inch) and prevent the need for piers? Thanks.

  3. Tony,
    I haven’t had any measurements done since the root barriers went in, but I’m happy with the results. I know the soaker hoses have helped quite a bit.
    Still, I’ve got some cosmetic sheet rock cracks again. I’m in the extreme drought vs. soaker hose battle. It’s been so dry here my driveway has dropped.
    -Digger

    • Jkllew
    • October 13, 2012

    Ingenious to use the corrugated vinyl as the root barriers, probably way cheaper than the official root barriers ($136 for 52′ roll x 18″ wide x 3 mm)! I think I might try this and I like that it’s wider than 18″ so it’ll go deeper. I have sidewalk next to my trees, so I’d like to discourage the roots deeper and have them surface further away.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.