tree + stump removal cost?

[gorcorps]

I have a couple of river birch in my backyard that I want gone. They've grown and the roots are getting close to the foundation, plus they're close to the back of the house so they need to be taken down properly. As is typical for birch, two stumps grew into several fairly large trees.

TREES

I had a guy come out today and they want $975 for tree and stump removal. I'm not sure what the going rate it, but that's a little above what I hoped. Since there's so many trees that came out of those stumps I kind of understand, but just wanted to check if others think that's high. I could get some other quotes buy my neighbors got some work done by him recently and they all said he was one of the lower costs of who they checked.

 

[DrPizza]

I was going to say that $975 was cheap for tree removal, then I saw your picture. I'd cut them down for you for a 6-pack of beer. And, cut them into firewood size lengths for you. Then, you'd only need the stumps ground out. Stump grinding isn't cheap though. You could always grab a cheaper chainsaw for something like that - that's the type of thing Poulan's are made for, smaller jobs. So, $125 for a chain saw, then drill some holes and pour in potassium nitrate and let the stumps sit for a year, then burn them out. Or, at least usually, (afaik), birch don't have the strongest root system in the world. You could probably dig one of those stumps out in a day. (That works out to $50/hour if you're paying yourself.)

 

[gorcorps]

I was going to say that $975 was cheap for tree removal, then I saw your picture. I'd cut them down for you for a 6-pack of beer. And, cut them into firewood size lengths for you. Then, you'd only need the stumps ground out. Stump grinding isn't cheap though. You could always grab a cheaper chainsaw for something like that - that's the type of thing Poulan's are made for, smaller jobs. So, $125 for a chain saw, then drill some holes and pour in potassium nitrate and let the stumps sit for a year, then burn them out. Or, at least usually, (afaik), birch don't have the strongest root system in the world. You could probably dig one of those stumps out in a day. (That works out to $50/hour if you're paying yourself.)

I didn't get a good shot of the top of the trees but they got pretty tall. Everyone I've talked to that has chainsaws and has removed trees themselves said they'd want to use a man lift to get at the tops first, which I'd need to rent. It doesn't seem to be as simple as falling with a chainsaw I guess.

 

[ControlD]

Sort of off topic, but river birches have to be about the messiest trees I have ever dealt with. We have a very large one fairly close to the house (10 feet from the garage probably) and the amount of sticks that thing drops every time the wind blows is staggering. Mine is a fair bit bigger than the ones in your picture, but you have two to deal with so I imagine it is about the same. I don't blame you for wanting to get rid of them.

$975 for those two trees plus stump removal would be a good price around here for an insured removal service, even better if they are hauling everything off. You might ask if they are going to clean out the pits once the stumps are ground. That is a decent amount of work and will be a lot of waste to get rid of otherwise.

 

[gorcorps]

Sort of off topic, but river birches have to be about the messiest trees I have ever dealt with. We have a very large one fairly close to the house (10 feet from the garage probably) and the amount of sticks that thing drops every time the wind blows is staggering. Mine is a fair bit bigger than the ones in your picture, but you have two to deal with so I imagine it is about the same. I don't blame you for wanting to get rid of them.

$975 for those two trees plus stump removal would be a good price around here for an insured removal service, even better if they are hauling everything off. You might ask if they are going to clean out the pits once the stumps are ground. That is a decent amount of work and will be a lot of waste to get rid of otherwise.

Yup, that's part of the driving factor of getting those trees out. The twigs and branches are pretty annoying (especially after a storm).

All towards the goal of less yard maintenance... AND to make room for a paver patio

 

[KentState]

Coast me 2900 to have two 80 foot trees cut down, smaller 20 foot, stumps ground, 6 other tree's trimmed and all waste removed. Stump grinding was $50 per tree.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Looks like that is within reason, I'm assuming it includes cleanup and disposal.

Lots of factors including access, proximity to buildings and other complications. From the looks of it there's nothing too serious going on there.

You might save some money but if you do make sure you check for insurance, there are fly-by-nighters in every industry and while cost is important, if it's the only consideration you're asking for trouble.

 

[KentState]

Good point. They should carry a good amount of insurance if a tree wipes out your house, neighbors house or someone dies.

 

[DrPizza]

Weird. They don't look like they're that tall. Are they any taller than that pine tree in the background? As trees go, they seem really small.

 

[KentState]

Weird. They don't look like they're that tall. Are they any taller than that pine tree in the background? As trees go, they seem really small.

Now that I look at the pictures, it does seem expensive compared to the size of trees I had removed. For example:





You could probably talk the guys down to about 300/tree plus 50/stump grinding.

 

[herm0016]

i agree with DrPizza, I would get a line in the top and fall them. last fall my broinlaw and I did a 75 foot silver maple about a 30 in dia. trunk. I harnessed up with a saw and did the top with him pulling out the limbs. Then top roped and pulled it over.

 

[saturnred]

I have had more than my fair share of tree issues including one falling on my car while I was traveling @40mph. I still haven't physically gotten over that, but I had no recourse because there was no way to substantiate that the property owner knew that the tree was diseased. However, 2 weeks later all the trees on the property anywhere near the road were downed.

Also had 6 Locusts that came down in Hurricane Irene. They domino-ed and 3 landed on the house. We took those down ourselves and attempted to burn the stumps out. If I had to do it again, I would probably go for a Pro.

 

[saturnred]

Cheap service might not happen this time of year KentState. Not sure where you are located, but I am in New York and this is prime tree removal season, I guess it is early enough there might be some deals out there but that loop will close soon. I agree with 3ChordCharlie on the insurance issue. Do not know if you have ever watched any of those world's biggest idiots video tape shows, but trees are nothing to fool around with. We had an engineer here when we took ours down after the hurricane and there were still a few sketchy moments.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Those multi trunk tree stumps can be a pain in the ass to remove, but at that size you'd probably want to use an excavator anyway. I'd buy/rent a chainsaw then rent an excavator to rip the stump out. Try to cut into the ground to break the roots so you don't damage your weeping tiles or any underground service in case the roots extend that far. Sounds like it could be a fun job. I'd give it a few months till ground is thawed out.

Get a cable locate to be safe. Though looks like a pretty large property and can't see there being any service running in that area.

 

[saturnred]

gocorps is right. Not all tree services are created equal. Be sure to ask about clean up. A buddy of mine is in the tree business. He quite often gets calls to clean up the mess left behind by one of his competitors that tends to low ball prices. Discouraging for him since he does a bang up job the first time around. Unfortunately, lots of people just look at price and I must say I have been guilty of this myself. But you live and learn.

 

[saturnred]

I got stuck with a wood chipper after hurricane Irene that just did not live up to expectations. My significant other keeps reminding me about how much we spent on equipment to take down those locusts and a year later we still ended up paying to have the 2 largest stumps that were already partially pulled out of the ground removed. Those 2 big trees were multiple trunks also. God I loved those trees. They all propagated from a stick the kids planted one Earth Day. I never would have guessed that they would have come down. There are a lot of huge Locusts in our area that have undoubtedly been there for years.

Unfortunately, I did not know my tree business buddy back then. I keep asking him where he was when I needed him.

Red Squirrel, cable locate is an excellent idea unless you are sure there is noting in that area. Certainly do not need any other headaches. You cannot play it too safe.

 

[joutlaw]

Stump grinding is cheaper the more stumps that need to be ground in my experience. I got around 20 small to medium stumps a couple large ones for $240 in the SE US. I had a open yard so the guy was able to use his big grinder that was remote control. Pretty cool to watch.

 

[saturnred]

Lots of good input in the tree removal cost thread. While I am a great supporter of DIY. There is a point where you may be better off leaving it to the pros. I hate to spend money as much as the other guy, but in this case, unless you have a lot of experienced help and the correct equipment including safety gear, this kind of a project is an accident waiting to happen. It is not enough to be a man, you also have to be a smart man--smart enough to know if you are in over your head. You also have to put a value on your own time. And unless you just love bringing down trees and cleaning up the mess afterward--I am speaking from experience on this one. this project can snowball into something might wish you had kept the lid on.

But before you hand over our hard earned cash, do your homework. Check more than one tree guy and just like anything else, read up so you can ask all the right questions. Check first hand references and reviews. Make sure that there are some recent reviews. My experience is (and I am a marketing consultant) sometimes there are reviews that may have been solicited early in the businesses history. Kind of shady, but not always the work of the business, but his or her marketing firm. It really does not matter in the long run as long as you keep seeing new good reviews periodically to show customer satisfaction. If there are negative reviews, read how the business handles them. Sometime this give s you a better feel for the integrity of the company you will be dealing with. Ask to see insurance credentials. If they balk it is a red flag. Walk away.

What ever you decide to do- focus on safety and you can't go wrong.

 

[saturnred]

Stump grinding is amazing isn't it. Now you see it and now you don't.

 

[gorcorps]

You guys are right in that as trees go, it's not as large as some of the shit you guys have dealt with. However, it's plenty tall enough to cause plenty of damage to my house if it's not done right. It's hard to see in my picture, but the couple of trunks on the right side are bent back towards my house, so getting those down properly is what I think would be tricky for an amateur.

If I had friends that had more experience with this shit I'd try to tackle it myself, but as it stands I don't have the tools or know the right people to trust doing this myself.

I'll check with another place but this guy came recommended from neighbors so I already trust the work he does. Now I just need to make sure cost is in line.

 

[DrPizza]

Yeah, I suppose if you haven't cut down many trees, that lean could be a little tricky. Smart to play it safe and hire a pro. A rope, the right cut, and the other trees could easily make that thing pivot to wherever you wanted to drop it.

I have had to pay to have a tree cut down - but I chose to do all the work and clean-up myself once it was on the ground - probably saved me close to $1500. I enjoy that type of work. A second tree, the power company wanted to take down half of the tree - it would have looked stupid. So, I got them to agree to take the whole tree down - I'd clean up the mess if they did so. It had a split down the middle. Having cut that tree up, I can confidently say it would have stood for another 50 years. I posted the pics before - the first tree, I paid $160 to have cut down - they dropped it in 4 pieces - and then left. That's all I wanted done. It's a $2k tree for some of the other companies. My son delimbed the entire thing before I got home from school. The second tree, I cut up. Stump grinding - hella-expensive for those two trees; I'm hoping to burn them out this year. The tree grinding companies charge by the diameter. 7 or 8 feet across is a bit pricey.

pics.bbzzdd.com/users/drpizza/briantree.jpg
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/drpizza/DSCF3369.JPG
(LOTS of trees in this area that people need taken down are that size, hence thinking yours are on the smaller size - you don't have a tractor, but I've simply pulled/pushed a couple trees roughly that size out with the tractor. There's quite a bit of satisfaction hearing the snapping of the root system, then the whole thing finally breaking loose.

 

[saturnred]

You guys are right in that as trees go, it's not as large as some of the shit you guys have dealt with. However, it's plenty tall enough to cause plenty of damage to my house if it's not done right. It's hard to see in my picture, but the couple of trunks on the right side are bent back towards my house, so getting those down properly is what I think would be tricky for an amateur.

If I had friends that had more experience with this shit I'd try to tackle it myself, but as it stands I don't have the tools or know the right people to trust doing this myself.

I'll check with another place but this guy came recommended from neighbors so I already trust the work he does. Now I just need to make sure cost is in line.

Brandon I agree with you. So many things can go wrong. But shop around, as I said above all tree services are not created equal. Pizza man also had an Idea and we have done this in the past ourselves. If the can just fell it and if you have the manpower to do the clean up. that will keep the price down. On the other hand if you do not have manpower. a comprehensive service quite would be better. Anyone else agree or disagree?

 

[skyking]

for not getting your hands dirty, 975 is a good price IMO.
As far as needing a lift, is there any direction you can pull each tree down that will miss any wires, structures etc?
Little trees like that, I put a rope on and pull it where I want it to go, and cut it off. Takes two people.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

If the tree is over 30 foot and can hit the house I call a pro with insurance. I've felled a lot of trees but just won't risk it.

Last fall had a 60 foot pine removed for around $700.- in Jersey. The cleanup alone was worth every penny. What a sticky mess.

 

[paperfist]

Just FYI some rental places offer up stump removal equipment.

It's a messy ass job though and a huge clean up to contend with.

I paid about $1200 to remove 3 50' trees about 12" diameter all right together.

Paid another guy to remove the stumps as it was a fraction of the cost the tree removal guy wanted.