Somehow, we have finally made it to the last month of 2020. It seemed to have flown by while also feeling like a century has passed. To really wrap up 2020, I’m going to be sharing each week various stump grinding jobs we’ve completed in different towns across Johnston/Wake County, while also touching on important aspects pertaining to stump and tree removal as needed. It’s been a wild ride this year, but we’re thankful for all the clients we have been able to meet along the way! This week we head to Smithfield to grind a stump right next to a church foundation.
We found ourselves at a building addition in Smithfield. There was a stump pretty close to the new foundation of a building being built at a church. When adding any sort of structure, shed, carport, concrete pad, footings, etc. it’s incredibly important to have the stumps removed! You may think “well, concrete will cover it, why would I spend extra money if no one will know the stump is even there at all?”
As the stump begins to rot, you will lose the structural stability of the concrete pad as it slowly begins to sink. You may even be more susceptible to wood destroying insects, like termites (who love wet, deadwood). By eliminating the stump beforehand, you protect your investment and don’t have to worry about termites already being in the vicinity of your new building. Another thing to think about is root systems. We talked about roots in our previous post, and how far they can extend. Leaving roots in place than building over them can cause issues, like roots that have found the surface may try to re-sprout & continue growing. You also risk foundational issues in the future when building near tree stumps that haven’t been removed.
Elizabeth United Methodist Church in Smithfield reached out to us for tree removal & stump grinding very early this year, as they were looking to expand on their church and add a new building to our property. After we got the first round done, and building commenced, they called us back to get the last stump left.
See how close the stump is to the new building’s foundation? If the stump had been left, they risk the issues we spoke about earlier. Thankfully, they got the stump removed just in time to have their building completed.
We use a super-compact, remote-driven stump grinder that is ideal for tight, hard-to-reach stumps like this one. Grinding stumps that are on top of structures isn’t an issue for us, because we can grind the stumps quickly with fine-tuned precision. If we had used a tow-behind stump grinder (attaches to the tow hitch of your truck & grinds based on forwards and backward driving) it would have been near impossible to get in there & get every bit of this stump removed. When hiring a contractor of any kind for your property, always take into account what type of equipment they bring to the table, and consider the efficiency that comes with it. If you hire a contractor who is using inefficient equipment, you’re taking a gamble on the final results, while also increasing the amount of time the contractor will need to complete the job- potentially driving your cost up.
With the stump removed, the rest of the building can be completed without any worries or concerns of structural integrity. Stump grinding is often seen only for “aesthetic” purposes, for landscaping and laying sod- when in reality, having stumps ground can allow you to do so much more.
We’ve done countless jobs in Smithfield this year alone grinding stumps, but this one seemed like a good one to touch on due to it not being a standard “stump removal”. Don’t forget to come back next week and see another job we’ve knocked out this year in Johnston/Wake County!
Until next time,
Brent
