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Ivy on shed - remove it?

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  • 27-07-2009 3:30pm
    #1
    fjon
    Registered Users Posts: 2,084 ✭✭✭


    I've moved into an oldish house. The shed (made of pebble-dash bricks) has a huge amount of ivy growing all over it. It's got to the stage where it's starting to enter the shed through little holes in the wall, and it's interfering with the wooden door and doorframe.
    I quite like the ivy, but I think I should trim it back a lot, if not completely remove it.
    What are your thoughts? Trim it back aggresively? Attempt to remove it completely (nightmare job), or leave it be?


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    #2
    Sleipnir
    Registered Users Posts: 5,514 ✭✭✭Sleipnir


    I'd take it off. The weight and the damp they entail can only damage the building.

    I love to see an ivy-covered house, but I'd hate to own one!


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    #3
    Gordon Gekko
    Registered Users Posts: 435 ✭✭Gordon Gekko


    Sleipnir wrote: »
    I'd take it off. The weight and the damp they entail can only damage the building.

    I love to see an ivy-covered house, but I'd hate to own one!

    Trim it back but don't remove it. Ivy will only seriously damage a very unstable, weak structure. If the ivy is genuinely in danger of causing damage to the shed, I'd be more worried about the structural integrity of the shed tbh.


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    #4
    fjon
    Registered Users Posts: 2,084 ✭✭✭fjon


    Ok, will hack away at it a bit. The only part of the shed that's worrying me is the roof - it's quite old and wouldn't think it's too solid.


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    #5
    Sleipnir
    Registered Users Posts: 5,514 ✭✭✭Sleipnir


    Gordon Gekko wrote: »
    Trim it back but don't remove it. Ivy will only seriously damage a very unstable, weak structure. If the ivy is genuinely in danger of causing damage to the shed, I'd be more worried about the structural integrity of the shed tbh.

    That's a good point actually. The ivy could be what's keeping the shed up!


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    #6
    fjon
    Registered Users Posts: 2,084 ✭✭✭fjon


    Well I spent a good half day on it last Saturday. Where the ivy was attached to the wall I managed to pull huge parts of it off using my hands - very satisfying, although bagging it up was a nightmare.
    The bits that seemed more delicate, e.g. around the door frame and wooden trim on roof I cut away by hand. Even despite doing it carefully I did rip quite a few pieces of wood off with the ivy.
    Looks a lot better now, but it means I'll have to give the shed a lick of paint very soon!


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