Build under a tree?

[Ed_]

Thanks for all the great responses! After some consideration, we've decided that we can probably move the whole thing about ten feet farther from the tree, which puts it right on the edge of the drip line. That puts it a good twenty feet from the trunk of the tree, so it should be well away from the big concrete-pushing roots. I will take a look at hanging branches, too--thanks for the heads up on that point!

CK, the hackberry is (I think) more closely related to elm than oak. It's not what we would have chosen to plant, but of course the tree is older than I am. We actually have three of them, and they're pretty nice shade trees. (We did plant one more, and went with the swamp white oak for that. We'll probably never see it big, but somebody will enjoy it!)

Ed