The first thing we did with both of the houses we have owned, after moving in, we cut all the trees.
My parents did the same thing.
mature trees are nice if they are healthy and farther away from the house. Personally I think most town yards are WAY too small for the silver maples, cypress and willow trees most people plant all over town. Within a few years the utility companies are out butchering them. They also cause thousands of dollars of damage to roofs, sewer/water lines, sidewalks/paved areas, not to mention fall on the house. They drop pollen, fruit, leaves all over the roof/gutter and driveway and are just a nuisance. The other thing is, people plant trees that get too large and then wonder why the landscaping around the house looks so awful...well it's sucked to death by the tree roots! For sure not conducive to gardening, and cost a small fortune to have one taken down should it be needed. Not only that, but most of them are so huge in smaller yards that it causes disputes with other landowners and having to worry about it damaging someone else's home/utilities.
