Bushes against masonry

In Chicago, I see a lot of bushes against masonry walls. Since bushes against siding causes the wood rotting concern, should I report bushes against masonry as a problem?

Oh, I thought you meant President Bush’s daughters, Jenna and Barbara, falling down: :wink:

bush-daughters.jpg

I prefer my bushes trimmed…and clean.

I’ll get Kenton to post a narrative for you tomorrow.

No…

Vegetation against exterior walls
Vegetation growing against the exterior walls may introduce pests and/or accelerate deterioration of the exterior wall covering by retaining moisture. Watering this vegetation will introduce moisture to the soil which may eventually reach the foundation. Moisture in soil supporting the foundation can affect the ability of the foundation to support the weight of the structure above and can cause damage from soil heaving or settling, depending on soil composition and other conditions.
The Inspector recommends trimming or removal of the vegetation from contact with exterior walls. Consider replacement with vegetation having low water requirements.

Why not?

With Leon’s question concerning brick/masonry alone, I see no problem.

Kenton’s narrative is more elaborate concerning the house/building in general.

Leon’s question, and Kenton’s narrative are exactly why I always report on vegetation *if it is within 12 inches of masonry. *At a minimum, I comment on the need for regular maintenance.

You have never seen damage to masonry such as spalling due to the moisture in the wall freezing? Perhaps you need to move those shrubs out of the way more often! :twisted:

I look behind shrubs, The “bushes” in OP pic. do not require watering, unless during a severe drought. They have a shallow root system and actually remove moisture from soil, not retain it.

Or you could write this…

… write a check for $99 and buy 8,000 of Kenton’s well-written narratives: www.nachi.org/narratives.htm

It’s not the roots that are the problem in relationship to moisture and siding. It is the leaves give off moisture during transpiration. The brick is porous and absorbs the water. The bushes also abrade the surface but it’s not as big of an issue with brick.

Brick is a reservoir cladding, meaning it holds water, but in addition to transpiration, leaves against the brick may slow drying.

Exactly, thank you… and when it freezes in a few more weeks here… spalling to the bricks, damage to the mortar, etc… happens!

Good way to put it Kenton.
Chris had me going for a while there when I saw his post last night.

I was thinking how brick gets wet anyway so maybe there is no harm or foul.

Please share with us Bob. This should be good. :wink:

Btw… it doesn’t really matter ‘how’ it get’s wet, just that it does.

PS… pee’ing on it after a few drinks does the same damage as a dog pee’ing on the A/C. JMHO. :mrgreen:

HUH :shock:

I had to shove my way through thick, tall bushes once to see the exterior walls. I noticed a lot of patched woodpecker holes. All of a sudden this godawful, terrible loud, shrill screaming started right at my feet! 'bout gave me a heart attack. They had installed exterior speakers with a recording of a bird in distress on a loop, turned up full volume, trying to keep the woodpeckers away. I happened to start my inspection at the silent part of the loop.