Can Ivy Damage The Walls Of Your Home?

It can make a building look very pretty but is ivy damaging the walls of your home? The short answer is, maybe.

Whilst ivy roots are not usually strong enough to create cracks in your brickwork, if there are already crevices and cracks in your walls, the roots can take hold. This ultimately means that the ivy could cause damage to your walls.

In addition to the risk of roots penetrating any cracks and crevices, the plant life will hold a certain amount of water. Having wet leaves, roots and branches close up against your walls always carries a risk of the damp leaching through to the inside of your home. No home owner wants to find damp, which is why it is a good idea to consider removing the ivy from your brickwork.

The biggest problem that ivy can cause and probably the number one reason that we are called out to remove plant life, is that it eventually finds its way into your gutters and causes blockages. Keeping your gutters running free is essential for the long term health of your property, so finding that ivy has wound itself around your guttering, fascias and soffits is far from ideal. As with anything that requires working at height, it is always advisable to employ a professional to remove the ivy from your gutters.

There is no denying that it can look very beautiful and it is unlikely to cause your house to fall down any time soon, but ivy covering the walls of your home can cause a whole host of problems, which is why we believe it is best to get it taken down.

If you would like to speak to us about ivy removal, please do get in touch.