Question
Good Evening.  We have a 6 year old Live Oak Tree out our front door.  It's trunk is approximate 8 feet away from house wall.  That's where the contractor planted it.  We have notice this year that one of the roots is at the surface--the side that our house is on.  Should we be concerned?  And if so, what's causing the rise from below the ground?  We are in Austin TX area.

Answer
How big is the tree?  From what I've seen, some Live Oaks heave out of the ground over time.  Every situation is unique, and Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana# are genetically variable.  If you dig a trench near your foundation and find no roots, I wouldn't stress over the issue just yet.  Live Oak roots are somewhat shallow and very widespread, but not as bad as the Maple.  Pruning roots isn't that tough when they are small, and adding a root barrier now #halfway between house & tree) may save you a headache later.  

They are occasionally prone to root-sucker:  http://www.public.asu.edu/~camartin/plants/Plant%20html%20files/Quercus%20virgin

It will eventually become a very LARGE, spreading, shade tree, and in a few short years having such a large tree growing so close and possibly over your house is another issue entirely.   

You can attempt to "train" it to grow away from the house.  I personally planted a nice Valley Oak about 8 feet from my house, but they have a more erect form, and over time I am pruning it to avoid branches rubbing on the house wall or over the roof.  My son had to cut down three large, beautiful trees that were planted right up against the foundation by the previous unwitting weekend gardener, not thinking about how big a TREE will get in 20 short years.

Here are some images of a mature Southern Live Oak -

Baby: http://www.blanketcreektreefarm.com/images/southern-live-oak-texas.jpg

Adult: http://austinnativelandscaping.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Quercus_Virginiana

Grandpa: http://0.tqn.com/d/orlando/1/0/x/U/mustree401.jpg

Will it fit in the space you have?  Only you can tell for sure, and moving or heavily pruning a tree NOW is a lot easier than 10 years from now.  Hope it helps. ~m