My neighbor cut down a huge oak tree about 6 months ago. The tree was maybe 40 feet from my house. Now I'm seeing new cracks in my basement walls that I swear weren't there before. Is it possible removing their tree caused my foundation problems? This seems crazy but the timing is suspicious.
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Actually yes this is a real thing. When a large tree is removed, the soil can rehydrate and expand because nothing is pulling moisture out anymore. This is called heave, and it can definitely cause foundation movement. The opposite of settlement but just as problematic.
Wow I had no idea. So the soil is actually pushing up? That would explain why the cracks are different from what I see in pictures of settlement damage
Worth noting this usually takes 1-2 years to fully stabilize after tree removal. If the tree was removed 6 months ago youre probably in the middle of the soil adjustment. Monitor the cracks but dont panic yet, they may stop once the moisture levels even out
What kind of soil do you have? If its clay this is almost certainly whats happening. Clay swells dramatically when it gets wet after being dried out by tree roots for years. If youve got sandy soil, less likely to be the tree.