I know that we'll need a CPA to get official advice, but I'd like to have a general idea of how it goes before going into that meeting.1) There are a lot of expenses not relating directly to the construction of the home, such as permits, construction of utility lines, tree clearing, surveying, etc..

They are 93 and 87.I am managing their home of 70 years which consists of 1 acre with a 4-bedroom, 2-bath home which needs updating, grounds, trees, a 4-car garage, a shed and an adjacent .6 acre lot zoned agricultural.  

I joked that I could dump several loads of fill dirt out there, plant some palm trees, and create some islands which I could sell once the lake fills back up.

These are the neighborhoods with low crime, mature landscaping, tree-lined streets, "pillars of the community", etc.  

Best to nip the problem in the bud before it blossoms into a full blown trouble tree.

Hiring him to redesign the landscaping or plant several new trees is a CE. 

I suspect that the partial culprit is an enormous tree in the tiny backyard that is maybe 6 feet from the house, but don't know much about this type of thing.

Consider this, Beverly Hills has each tree numbered, impeccably maintained and each street has only one kind of tree (45?)

I also spent a shiny penny repairing a broken sewer pipe, and removing a very large palm tree in the front yard (to eliminate maintenance costs, seedlings & scorpions, eww to all).

Tree root got into it?