SeanKroll
Treehouser
Did you cut the prop from the top of the tree over the roof? Trying to envision where you got it and how you moved it into position?
Also: when you “cut the supporting portion near the roof…” did it have any inclination to start falling before your final cut ? I know this is difficult to put into words for the curious but inexperienced! Probably the cognoscenti know exactly how you did that.
Think of it like a bicycle standing on the wheels, the butt and either the prop or piece touching the roof. As the trunk was partially undercut tipward of the prop, multiple times, the pressure shifted from roof to the prop. The trunk balance or will only fall to the side. The bottom of prop was angling downward, off-plumb, so gravity wanted to tip the trunk to the dropzone, helped with a push from me on the roof.
My concern was about the basically vertically- oriented hinge failing, starting on the underside/ tension side .
The prop was part of the tree that I cleared from the roof. Lumber, attached together, like (2) 4x4's or 2x6s could have worked.
The eave is weak. Once the tree top is cut 'outside' of the wall, it is a concern that it could break the eave and damage the building more. The tree was not heavy, as it was largely dry. The prop was not pushing upward much at all, just fighting settling.
Digging out for the base of the prop and putting down a board or similar would support a heavier tree better and would have been needed to get any lift on the trunk.