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I had a home inspection done today and the inspector told me this was a first:

In the crawlspace there was a large box filled with concrete. It looks like this:

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Image source

The builder was there at the end and he said they were not able to grind it down or remove it, so this is what they did.

The inspector says we should speak to an arborist to understand if this strategy is effective.

I've read around that the wood could rot and cause damage underneath. Now, this isn't holding up the structure obviously, but it still seems like a strange solution and I wondered if anyone has ever seen anything like this.

Niall C.
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JoshGough
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    Weird.. hopefully it’s really a tree stump and not something else dead... I certainly wouldn’t want all that wood on earth contact like it looks—termites will move in – Tyson Jun 07 '18 at 02:37
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    I think he's cutting off all light to it so that the side shoots don't get an funny ideas. But then again, it's a basement and there's no light there anyway, lol. Weird but on a past demo I witnessed vines growing between the stucco and inside sheetrock. They were white, like albino, but they were alive. – vin944 Jun 07 '18 at 17:23
  • @Tyson I’m sure the plywood form will be removed – Kris Jun 07 '18 at 21:23
  • Is this a new build? Or a remodel? – Kris Jun 07 '18 at 21:25
  • @kris I’m not sure that would happen. Who thought this crazy idea up anyway? You think they know what needs to happen? If they did, this wouldn’t exist. OP is at home inspection point... all work should be complete. – Tyson Jun 07 '18 at 21:37
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    Was your crawl space pre treated by a termite professional? Does the termite company have an issue with this arrangement? – Kris Jun 07 '18 at 22:07
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    That is totally bizarre, there is enough room in there to dig a stump out, depending on how long ago the tree was cut down I would want it removed for multiple reasons first I cut an apple down this year the above ground portion of the base is on my burn pile sprouting suckers, if the roots are still intact I would expect it to send up new shoots. 2nd if the stump was that large and it rots are the rotted roots going to cause more problems in 10+ years and last what a waste of $ and space as someone else said. – Ed Beal Jun 08 '18 at 08:11
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because you're not asking about a problem, just "have you seen this before". This site is here to deal with specific questions about specific problems. – The Evil Greebo Jun 11 '18 at 16:50
  • When was the tree cut down and tell me again why it couldnt be ground down? The termite bond does you no good with a newly dead tree stump...termites come once it begins to decompose. Did they drill into the freshly cut stump and pour roundup in holes? I hopeyou got a great deal because your builder may have made some wierd choices elswhere in the house. In his defence, he consulted with others (but it may have been way after he passed the point of no turning back). – Ednamae Smith Nov 20 '18 at 08:18
  • My bigger concern is that the builder built a house on top of an intact stump. That's construction 101: remove the stumps before putting a house there. I'd be wary of everything else this builder has done. – DA01 Dec 20 '18 at 15:51

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WOW! I would be upset. It's a huge loss of space. I have never seen such a thing. Unless it's petrified, there is no reason for it. Any tree can be removed even if petrified. That is weird. Looks like cost savings to me. Hard to get a grinder in a basement. I'd talk to an engineer or architect if you don't care about the space. I

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    I can't believe the bulldozer that dug it could nor remove it. Did it have termites? I could be a structural problem if termites ate it and the roots go under the foundation. –  Jun 08 '18 at 02:11
  • Update: the seller told our agent that they had it evaluated by a structural engineer and they have an approval for what they did. They also agreed to have an arborist evaluate it, and they agreed to provide a termite bond. – JoshGough Jun 09 '18 at 02:57