Interesting approach, but honestly, rerouting plus barriers sounds like more hassle than it's worth. I just went with a deeper trench and gravel fill—been two years and no issues yet. Might be simpler depending on your layout?
I get why you'd think barriers and rerouting might be overkill, but honestly, I'm not totally sold on the gravel trench method either. I mean, sure, two years without issues sounds promising, but tree roots are sneaky little devils. They can take their sweet time before causing noticeable trouble.
When I moved into my place last year, the previous owner had done something similar—deep trench filled with gravel around the sewer line. Seemed solid at first glance. But when we had a plumber out for an unrelated issue (leaky faucet drama... don't ask), he scoped the line and found tiny root hairs already creeping in through microscopic cracks. Nothing major yet, but enough to make me skeptical about gravel alone as a long-term fix.
After some digging around online (pun intended), I ended up going with a hybrid approach: trenching plus a flexible root barrier membrane. It wasn't as complicated or expensive as it sounds—just dug down about 18 inches, lined the trench with the barrier fabric, then backfilled with gravel and soil mix. Took me one weekend and a couple of trips to Home Depot. So far so good, though it's only been about 10 months.
Not saying your method won't hold up—maybe your layout or tree species makes it less risky—but I'd keep an eye on things just in case. Roots have a way of surprising us when we least expect it...
"Roots have a way of surprising us when we least expect it..."
Haha, ain't that the truth. I went gravel-only about three years back—felt pretty confident at first—but now I'm eyeing my backyard suspiciously. Might just borrow your hybrid method if things get hairy again...
"Haha, ain't that the truth. I went gravel-only about three years back—felt pretty confident at first—but now I'm eyeing my backyard suspiciously."
Gravel's a solid choice, but man, those roots can be relentless. I've seen them sneak under concrete slabs like it's nothing, so gravel alone might not always cut it. Your hybrid idea sounds promising though—definitely worth a shot if things start creeping back. Had a client recently who thought they'd won the root war after laying down heavy-duty landscaping fabric... nope, roots found a way around it eventually. Nature finds a way, right? Anyway, hang in there—sounds like you're on the right track.
Gravel's decent, but honestly, roots are sneaky little devils. Had a similar issue at my old place—thought gravel and fabric would do the trick, but nope. Ended up digging a trench and installing a root barrier around the perimeter. Bit of extra work upfront, but it kept things under control way better than gravel alone. Might be worth considering if your backyard starts looking suspicious again...
