Is Ivy Like This Harmless or Should I Remove It?

Thargor

Hi, as per thread title, I like the look on an otherwise very bland house but if theres a chance its doing damage to the roof or foundations Ill get rid. Im guessing theres a reason you dont see this much growth on most houses though:

Jim_Hodge

It lifts roof tiles, and guttering. It also can cause damp in the wall. Easier said than done to remove all that.

shane b

I would remove it or get it well trimmed back. It obscuring to view from the top window too.

Ivy as a habit of finding its way into any weaknesses in the blockwork too.

looksee

I was getting an old shed re-roofed and ivy had not only gone over the tops of the walls but the guy who was doing the job had to demolish the top of the gable as the ivy had grown through the wall - literally through the (lime) mortar and between the stones. I like the look of it but I agree, take it down if you can, and certainly cut it away from the guttering area. Its also providing a great ladder for all kinds of livestock into your attic.

blackbox

I made the mistake of cutting something similar at the bottom to let it die.

It is actually easier to remove it when it is living or at least fresh.

I definitely recommend removing it from below the roof area, but the rest of it makes a great habitat for small birds and insects.

alias no.9

Cutting it back is definitely not the answer, it'll just stimulate growth in whatever is left, you need to remove that completely. It can look nice but it is one of natures finest tools for reclaiming man made structures.

looksee

I'd guess it has already gone between the wall and the soffit, whoever takes it off is going to have to be pretty careful or the soffit will get broken or dislodged. Probably the same between the guttering and tiles.

wildwillow

I would remove it carefully. Easier to pull when still growing. I too have seen it come right through a stone and lime wall which is more than a foot wide. I cut it back on my side and use a weed killer to kill off any new shoots that appear. It is doing a lot of damage to the wall but the people on the other side just ignore it.

There will be loads of insects living in it but your house takes priority.

the_amazing_raisin

This thread has taught me that we should be building houses out of ivy 😁

steinbock123

Get rid of it pronto. It might look nice on some buildings, but it’s very bad news for the same building. I’ve seen it go through two feet of stone wall when left to its own devices. Get rid!!

Furze99

Think of the wildlife, the insects and the bees, the birds love the berries etc!

looksee

But the insects and birds are not paying the mortgage and if the house is destroyed the ivy will be gone anyway! Ok so I am exaggerating but the entire bird and insect population is not going to die out because ivy was removed from one house!

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120471973#Comment_120471973

...if theyre willing to pay the bills from the damage, fair enough, but....

...maybe plant other vegetation, but under control, to try encourage such activities.....

Alun

There could well be birds nesting in there right now, so if you do decide to remove it, hold off for a while.

Girl Geraldine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120471973#Comment_120471973

Rats is all you are going to get. Rats will hide in it and climb up it to get into the attic.

And I wouldn't want my house festering with 100 species of creepy crawlies, shít eating flies, and wasps.

Pull it all down.

Furze99

Tut, tut.. I hope no card carrying and voting Greens here advising destruction of this piece of nature!

artanevilla

I'd keep it if your house number is four, as it looks very useful.

If not, get rid of it.

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472449#Comment_120472449

😀 I had to go back and look at the photo!

micks_address

we had something similar on our house when we moved in 20 years ago and i removed.. it was growing in around the windows and very messy... hard to remove from the walls.. wire brush was what i used in the end.. it clings on there!

standardg60

Worth pointing out that it's a bred variegated variety, and these are nowhere near as bad as the common stuff, but as above keep it below the gutters and roof tiles if you want to keep it. It could do with a trim back to the wall as well as the more it grows away from it the more likely it could be blown off altogether.

Sigma101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472198#Comment_120472198

I agree with this. Leave it for a few more months. There could be dozens of nests in there.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472439#Comment_120472439

fcuk the planet...

...green voter!

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120471973#Comment_120471973

I'm extremely wildlife friendly but, honestly, get real. There are limits.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473989#Comment_120473989

More likely to be in use in a few months. Examine it for nests when removing it, sooner rather than later. Another Spring spurt of growth will only do more damage.

The Continental Op

OP you can keep it if you really want to. Firstly as already pointed out its an ornamental form which may not be as vigourus as the ivy I've just been out in the garden pulling out. Secondly you can keep it under control but it will probably need intervention 2-3 times e a year. Thirdly ivy only damages walls that were already in a bad condition, it does nothing but stick to good render.

If you keep it what you need to do is cut it back about 30 cm from the windows and 60cms from the eves. Then when it starts to encroach on either cut it back. You also need to do a once yearly cutting of all the growth that comes forward off the walls. Its a bit late for that now with nesting birds but normally late March would be a good time.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120477822#Comment_120477822

I wouldn't say already in bad condition, it should certainly be removed from old lime and mortar and poured walls, as it roots into the crevices and as they expand they destroy the wall, but agree on a modern house wall they will have little impact.

Thargor

Oh wow loads of replies thanks all, I was wondering why nobody cared about my ivy problem! Not getting notifications for some reason.

Do you think I should get a professional in to look at it? My father is all in favour of just cutting it at the roots so it dies but I told him to hold off for now. Thats good news about it being ornamental not aggressive native stuff anyway.

One good thing is at least its on the north facing side and so is in shade most of the time. Thats the main bathroom window looking out on the street thats being encroached btw so not as bad as a bedroom (house has been extended to the back and sides and attic converted so bit of an odd layout internally).

Current plan forming I think is to get a professional to go up and make sure its not ingressing, cut it back a load from the top and roof and then just give it a brutal cull 2-3 times a year with a hedgetrimmer from then, I really do like the look of it.

Thargor

Or maybe as I look at it its just a bit too scary and I should get rid of it ASAP, cant decide tbh.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120494030#Comment_120494030

In the long run keeping it will be more costly in time\effort, but if you like the look of it...

You can go with this plan for now:

Current plan forming I think is to get a professional to go up and make sure its not ingressing, cut it back a load from the top and roof and then just give it a brutal cull 2-3 times a year with a hedgetrimmer from then, I really do like the look of it.

And still change your mind later to get rid of it all.

But you can't do that if you blitz it away now.

The Continental Op

OP I think its all down to how confident you are on a ladder or even have a suitable ladder? Provided you can regularly (yearly?) cut back the very top by a couple of feet then you are in control and then take whatever other actions you decide.

looksee

 then just give it a brutal cull 2-3 times a year with a hedgetrimmer from then

I'm not sure how you would do it, but, while you could probably cut the face of it, I am not seeing a hedge-trimmer cutting the top?

c.p.w.g.w

I know that house, that ivy has been there for 20+ years, I don't know if that makes a difference to how you tackle it's removal

Deub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473989#Comment_120473989

While I agree to wait because there could be some nests, there is certainly not dozens of them. It would be 3-4 at maximum. Birds don’t like nesting on top of each other like we do.

Sigma101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120603112#Comment_120603112

House sparrows mightn't agree! Our neighbours a couple of doors away in the estate had ivy covering the front of their house. It must have housed at least a hundred sparrows in the Summer. The neighbours killed off the ivy and removed it a couple of years ago, there was a nest literally in every square foot of it!

From our house 25 metres away the sound of a hundred birds chirping in the morning was amazing, although living with that racket right above your front door mightn't be that great. We had lots of sparrows visiting our garden when the ivy was there, but now we have none.

Sigma101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120603351#Comment_120603351

This article from RSPB appears to confirm how close sparrow nests can be to each other. I think we tend to underestimate the impact our small actions have (both positive and negative) on the natural world.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/house-sparrow/breeding/

normanbond

If you are going to remove it and are looking to mitigate the damage to your house, best plan is to completely cut it as low to the ground as possible. Wait at least a month to allow it to perish and then carefully remove it.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120608174#Comment_120608174

Have you ever removed Ivy from a wall? It comes off a lot easier when its still alive. Once its dead its like the glue it uses to stick to wall goes hard making it very difficult to remove.