There is a product called Bio-Barrier which uses a system of controlled release antiroot chemical (for want of a better term)which is attached to a flexible sheet in little nodules. This is pretty widely used under driveways and sidewalks. It does work (for how long is another matter) but requires a lot of excavation and careful placement. I'm not at all familiar with the trees you want to use, but anything with roots this close to a foundation is courting future difficulties in my opinion. Bio-Barrier or something like it in a trench on the foundation side may indeed work, but it would involve a lot of digging and considerable expense. Digging right next to any foundation is never a terribly good idea anyway.

We started 3 weeks after you (Oct 25th) and as you know, we're in the same area (90 mins away), so same weather. We finished framing yesterday. And the shingles are going on the roof today. The only time our house had absolutely no work done was for 4 weeks after pouring the basement. We had to wait for the framing crew to finish another house. So we should be 7 weeks behind you, roughly. It seems like we're at the same point though. Our house is 2200 sq ft, so I wouldn't think the extra 500 sq ft would make that much of a difference. At least, not a 7 week difference. Maybe though, depending on how complicated the house is. I don't know. But anyway...to answer your original question...yes, there have been people there pretty much every day except for that 4 week wait for the framers. And a day or two because of the wind (building on a hill, surrounded by open fields = very windy!). It still seems to take forever though! Pearl - We were told it will take 6-9 months to build our house, but we signed a contract allowing for 12 months. As far as I know, there isn't a huge financial penalty for not finishing in 12 months in our contract.

Time for an update - we had all the popcorn removed and all the walls repainted except for the bathrooms. We've moved in and are waiting, waiting, waiting for the tile people to come and do the bathroom floors. Our condo hasn't sold, although we have yet another offer. This is the 4th one - they keep falling through, mostly related to Covid issues, and it's incredibly stressful. Because of budgetary constraints - we paid cash for the condo 2 years ago and need some of that money to really do what needs to be done at the new house - I resorted to Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor Market for furnishings, since this house is twice the size of our little condo. The house has ivory carpet on the main level, so since we're renting it out this summer to Texas Hill Country tourists, we've bought runners for all over the place. The house looks pretty good, and as soon as those bathroom floors get the tile they deserve, we're outa here and back to California for the summer. I can hardly wait. The pictures I posted in the original listing were from the real estate listing - none of that furniture was mine - it's gone. I'm going to get some graph paper, map out the current kitchen, take pictures, and figure out what to do with it once we sell our condo. I can cook in it (I can cook over an open fire if needed), but it's pretty ugly. The kitchen is straight out of the 1980s, and it's in desperate need of everything. The cabinets are truly awful, and it's got mauve formica counters. The appliances are old, like original to the 1980s, although they work just fine, but a 31" refrigerator is way too small for someone who loves to cook. My husband and I struggle over what to get for flooring. Once the kitchen goes, the carpet in the main living area is going to go, too. The kitchen floor is ceramic tile - it's chipped in a few spots and it'll go. There's an attached, carpeted dining area that's adjacent to the living room with continuous carpet. Not only do i not understand bathroom carpet, I do not understand carpet in a dining area, especially ivory carpet. If it was up to me, I'd get ceramic/porcelain tile on the whole thing - kitchen, dining, living, entryway. He doesn't like tile - says it's too cold on his little tootsies. He talks about wood, but we have hardwood in our other home and I know it scratches. We have white oak floors there - the kind you lay down the piece, sand, stain, and finish. It there any kind of pre-finished wood flooring that's more durable, and doesn't have sort of rounded edges? I don't like those little grooves between the boards. We're not getting vinyl plank - I thought about it for the bathrooms, and on seeing real samples just couldn't do it.

@HU-765755942 In some areas, yes! We just moved from a house in an area with no building permits required. Same with my aunt's place in Oklahoma. There might be a few inspections with new builds, but they just default to the state's building code and no permits are required to be taken out for the work. Want to build a garage? Go for it! It's great when you know what you're doing or hire a competent professional. Otherwise it can be a nightmare! Yeah... and I wonder why our homeowner's insurance doubled when we moved from VA to AL. I guess they figure a storm or tornado is going to take out the homes anyway. I joke... well, sort of. We bought a 1931 house and it was built solid, but the (updated) electrical was a mess when we opened up a few walls. We corrected the issues that we came across (hiring a pro). We loved that house but are now back in Virginia. And while building permits suck to pay for, at the same time, I can sleep a little better at night.