The soil above and within root balls is not the only compression-sensitive area in a typical Hyde Park house lot. Many of our houses continue to have sewer lateral lines out to the city main line that are made of either clay pipe or an asphalt based material plumbers call Orangeburg (from where it was made, I believe). Both of these can be crushed by the weight of large vehicles driven through a yard, like a cement delivery truck or roofer's truck. Realistically, the only person who cares about protecting the structural integrity of your sewer line or even knows where it is, is you, the homeowner. About where the
Most homeowners with an old (pre 1950s) house, and even some with post-Korean War houses, can count on replacing at least three major elements in their dwelling and probably would be well advised to replace two others, as well. The likely mustdos are: the house lateral sewer line; the cedar post foundation; and, probably sooner than later, the roof. The other items, optional in that they can probably be postponed for a while, are the internal distribution plumbing and the house wiring and entry panel. The sewer line work, the foundation and the roof replacement all have potential pitfalls for landscaping subsurface damage. Any major work involving equipment on the lawn can threaten the underground sewer lines through overpressure on what may be rather fragile pipes. Some thought beforehand about our personal portion of the underground environment and an insistence that contractors take care can save your trees, as well as substantial amounts of your money.
| -- | Gary Penn HPNA Co-President (512) 452-3103 garypenn@swbell.net |
