Question
We have three white pines about 12 to 15 feet from house foundation. The trunks are 1 to 1.5 feet in diameter and trees about 20 feet high. They are beautiful 15 years old trees. The problem is that roots are lifting the pavers from our driveway and walks and when we lifted pavers there were pine roots all over. Roots were from 0.25" to 3" in diameters.  Some roots were next to foundation of the house.  We cut and removed some of the roots . Do we need to cut those trees down ? We hate the idea of  destroying them, but we worry about damaging the foundation. Will roots damage the foundation and concrete floor of our basement apartment over time?  Is it possible to do something to prevent future damage from the spreading root?.   What do we need to do  if we end up keeping the pines. Can we prune them to slow their growth and height. We like the coverage and bushy branches.

Answer
Normally pine roots tend to go down into the soil instead of spreading out.With pines there is little risk of the tree roots causing foundation problems. The only risk is possible wind damage from a severe storm. Not enough to think about taking the tree down. Pines live 60-80 years so if the tree is about 20+ it is "young". As long as the foliage is fairly dense and green and Healthy looking you should have nothing to worry about.  

CONFIRM THE INVOLVEMENT OF TREE ROOTS FIRST Before any tree is cut down, the presence of tree roots at the base of the foundation should be confirmed. Many trees have been cut down needlessly just because they were nearby. Roots normally grow horizontally and not very far beneath the soil surface. Sometimes when roots encounter the looser backfill soil near the foundation, they can abruptly start growing down. You may be able to locate these roots, if they exist, by digging a foot or two deep within a few feet of the foundation. If you find a suspect root, cut it off. Unfortunately, in some cases excavation down to the base of the foundation may be necessary. This may have to be done anyway to repair and stabilize it. Cutting the roots should prevent future problems, especially if a root barrier is installed to prevent re-growth. As long as there is not a leak in the foundation where water might seep out the roots will turn with the solid foundation--roots tend to seek water.

Root barriers an be installed along the foundation but may not be necessary. Here is a wen link for more information on root barriers. http://www.4specs.com/s/32/32-9452.html