Does this house has a solid foundation? I've never seen a tree causing damage to a house from such a long distance. It would be interesting to see, how thick are the roots close to the house. A small 1 m deep trench would probably reveal this secret.
You would think that 3 engineers who are in agreement that a mature maple tree is at the 'root' of the problem would have checked other possible causes for damage to the house. "All three engineers say my house shouldn’t move anymore (if the tree is removed)."
Silver Maple is known to have invasive roots that can cause foundation damage and destroy septic systems at some distance. I can't see the bark very well, but it could be that. In which case, it's not as though it's a precious tree... Unfortunately, trying to cut roots in the direction of the house would probably destabilize it, and risk the whole thing coming down in a storm. Is this just city policy, or is there a protection order on the tree for some specific reason, I wonder?
I'm an engineer myself. I can easily find several engineers who would consider the foundation to be of poor quality, if the tree indeed damaged it from such a distance. I would suspect an earthquake: 3.9 magnitude earthquake rattles Ottawa Or poor building quality. Without any field work it is impossible to be sure, what is the true cause.
Looks like Sugar Maple to me, though they never give you a clear look at the tree to make it certain. But the bark fits, and so does what little one can see of the foliage.
I have hidden three replies here. This was just posted as an interesting situation, is nothing that really involves us. There is no need for us to be getting other forum members upset.
