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  Aug. 30, 2011 2:32 p.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

  For all the bad mouthing we do about home repair contractors, I think I've got to say the tree removal people are worse.
  

  In the past year we've managed to get one estimate on dropping a big old oak tree. Just one. Good god, what an estimate. Over $5k to bring it down. Just the dropping. Cutting it up was several grand more.

  One other guy keeps promising to send us the estimate, but in the months since he's been here, he keeps managing to "forget". We really wanted to hire him because he did another similarly huge tree next door for a very good price. But it just seems it's not going to happen.

  The only other person who ever showed up to look at the tree and left muttering about helicopters and such. He never did send an estimate. Really, helicopters. I almost wanted to see his estimate just for the giggle factor.

  The rest have been no-shows.

  For the record, I'm not doing it myself. It's an 80+ foot tall oak, with a 6+ foot trunk, center rot, and it's leaning about 15 degrees. I ain't touching it with my saws.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 2:34 p.m. madmallard Reader

  those kind of size works require a crane. Not cheap.

  Most tree removal companies dont own a crane that will handle stuff bigger than 40'. They have to wait til its available, and can be scheduled to transport to where the site is

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  Aug. 30, 2011 2:42 p.m. Bobzilla SuperDork

  We ran into the same thing with our 100' Cottonwood a few years ago. I had a guy I worked with that got into contractor type work and cut us a deal. Cost us ~$1500 to drop it, cut it and haul it. That was a big f'n tree....

  This was the part that fell:

  The rest of it measured out at 98' that was still standing, and the base was 6' across. That's my 5'8" wife in the picture with it.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 3:13 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

  foxtrapper wrote: For the record, I'm not doing it myself. It's an 80+ foot tall oak, with a 6+ foot trunk, center rot, and it's leaning about 15 degrees. I ain't touching it with my saws.

  That's going to be a lot of work, with a lot of risk for the contractor. It's going to require a number of skilled employees on site, with a bunch of heavy equipment, and it's going to take them a long time. Unfortunately, it's also going to cost a lot of money, but that's the way it is. Compare it to what it's going to cost if the tree falls on your house or car.

  I've been using the same tree company for probably 20 years now. They do trimming, have removed trees when necessary, and also periodically treat my elms against dutch elm disease. They're expensive but they know how to work in close urban quarters with houses and power lines in the way, and they're good at it. In fact, I just had them out on Friday to remove a big branch that was hanging over my garage, because it had started to crack away from the tree trunk. It cost $1100, but it's just one of the costs of maintaining my property. I had to have a massive maple tree taken down a couple years ago; it was in between my house and the neighbors with no place to drop it, so they had to bring it down piece by piece. That one cost $6500, but there wasn't much I could do about it - it had to be done.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 3:24 p.m. AngryCorvair SuperDork

  several years ago my neighbors had a huge non-evergreen tree removed from a precarious spot between 3 houses (inside but near the apex of the V in a V-shaped corner of the block). big-ass crane parked in the street in front of the house, "NO PARKING" signs posted for a week or so prior. Crane went up over the utilities (old 'hood, no buried lines there), over the roof of the house, secured the tree to the crane from above, and lifted the tree up and over the house, then put it down in the street to be "disassembled". was probably quite expensive, but consider the cost of getting it wrong at nearly any step of the process. was cool to watch, iirc it took about 6 hours and there was a lot of guys working.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 3:24 p.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

  I think Arborists in general are bad that way. We have an Ash tree on the property....about 3 stories tall and in bad shape. SW Ohio (as well as most of the south and midwest) has a problem with the Emerald Ash Borer insect killing these trees. There is a remediation that can be performed on the trees to remove the pests and cure the tree, reversing the damage. Ive called 7 pros in the area. Exactly 1 came out to my yard to look at it. He said he thought it would be maybe $300 to kill the pests and help rejuvenate the tree, but he would send me a quote in an email for posterity. Well, between all the other no-shows and reading the horror stories of a grand+ cost for the same process online, I wanted to get the guy out quick! Magically he evaporated. Phone line turned off, no more website, no more anything. When he came out he had a company shirt, company letterhead, a company truck, his website was well established, and he was even on Angies list, so I thought he was a pretty solid choice...guess not. Now, the only other Option I can see is going with a fairly "name brand" tree service co. in the area, and their website states in no uncertain terms the cost starts at $800 .

  guess Im gonna have to bite the bullet...if this thing dies, its gonna fall on my house for sure...

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  Aug. 30, 2011 3:31 p.m. fastEddie SuperDork

  4cyl, have you tried these guys? I haven't used them but have heard good things.

  http://www.sherdectreeservice.com/

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  Aug. 30, 2011 3:41 p.m. Hasbro Dork

  I'm a certified arborist but I don't mess with large tree removal as I work on my own and am more oriented towards maintaining a tree and, hopefully, preventing trees from becoming firewood. For the big stuff I use another certified guy that arrives usually the next day, is cheap, and leaves the place looking very clean. I don't envy people needing a large tree removed - so many horror stories.

  You might try: http://www.isa-arbor.com/faca/findArborist.aspx

  Tree removers will be back logged after Irene for a long long time, probably companies will be coming in from afar and staying in hotels.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 8:45 p.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork

  I've had tree people out. They wanted like one large a tree just for starters. My MiL hired them a couple times to drop some trees.
  

  So, "I heard" these guys were working for the local utility company. They were, "I heard," clearing the right of way for the co-op power company. "I heard" my, err, the lady of the house go out and talk to them about dropping some dead trees I had, that were kinda in danger of hitting the shop or a car or house, you know, "stuff." Just put them on the ground, not in the driveway and not on top of anything important. Big trees, 60-70' oaks, etc.They said, "I heard," how much you payin? She said, "I heard," how about four hundred? They said "Sure." After they finished working for the day, they showed up (4 man crew, bucket truck), dropped about 5 trees took their check and left. I'm talking one man climbing 50' up the tree, tying off a branch, cut the branch, other guy lowers it down, on to the next branch or trunk section. Best four bills I've ever spent.

  So, what I'm suggesting is to find a crew working on trees. They are probably subcontractors, especially if out in Co-Op territory. Ask them if they want a little side work, just drop the tree, not on the house.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 8:53 p.m. jhaas Reader

  I've been dropping trees for almost 20 years. my rule of thumb is I'll do it for half what any other contractor quotes, and I still make a killing!
  

  but it helps having a 65' bucket truck...

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  Aug. 30, 2011 9:00 p.m. madmallard Reader

  and thats the rule, goto the guy with the biggest shovel, pay the lowest price generally speaking.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 9:23 p.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

  Just up the insurance a little and wait.

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  Aug. 30, 2011 9:53 p.m. carguy123 SuperDork

  I just had 4 big ones cut down and chopped up - $400

  I have one that's almost the size of yours that needs to be cut down and the roots removed and my bid's been $600. So I'd say shop around.

  I guess this is one good service for illegals

  BTW I never called a tree removal service, I called landscapers

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  Aug. 31, 2011 5:29 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

  I'm not arguing the job would be difficult and expensive in town. Though I'm on a few acres, and the tree is out back, and can simply be dropped crashing to the ground.
  

  My ire is I can't get anyone to actually come and price the job.
  

  1 person in the past year has given me an estimate. Only two others ever bothered to show up, and neither of them would bother to give me the estimate.
  

  I would gladly pay someone to drop it. But no one seems to want to get paid to do work in this field.

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  Aug. 31, 2011 6:50 a.m. Toyman01 SuperDork

  Dr. Hess wrote:

  I've had tree people out. They wanted like one large a tree just for starters. My MiL hired them a couple times to drop some trees.
  

  So, "I heard" these guys were working for the local utility company. They were, "I heard," clearing the right of way for the co-op power company. "I heard" my, err, the lady of the house go out and talk to them about dropping some dead trees I had, that were kinda in danger of hitting the shop or a car or house, you know, "stuff." Just put them on the ground, not in the driveway and not on top of anything important. Big trees, 60-70' oaks, etc.They said, "I heard," how much you payin? She said, "I heard," how about four hundred? They said "Sure." After they finished working for the day, they showed up (4 man crew, bucket truck), dropped about 5 trees took their check and left. I'm talking one man climbing 50' up the tree, tying off a branch, cut the branch, other guy lowers it down, on to the next branch or trunk section. Best four bills I've ever spent.

  So, what I'm suggesting is to find a crew working on trees. They are probably subcontractors, especially if out in Co-Op territory. Ask them if they want a little side work, just drop the tree, not on the house.

  This.

  The last one I had dropped was a 60' oak. On the ground and blocked was $200. It took four guys 30 minutes.

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  Aug. 31, 2011 7:37 a.m. 1988RedT2 Dork

  Irene knocked down a perfectly good twin-trunk oak, maybe 80 feet tall, trunks 3 to 4 foot diameter. Now to cut it up. Huge freakin' tree. Gonna take weeks, neighbors, and cases of beer.

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  Aug. 31, 2011 10:06 a.m. slantvaliant Dork

  HOW NOT TO REMOVE A TREE

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  Aug. 31, 2011 8:51 p.m. fastmiata HalfDork

  In this area, most guys become tree trimmers or whatever because they dont qualify for anything else. Usually the rap sheet is long and ugly. Working in the legal system, I usually know which ones I want near my house.
  Dont take their word for it: ask to see their license and insurance certificate. Watch out for unauthorized alterations to the certificate. Yep, it is done frequently.
  My mother hired a jack-leg crew and had to pay for the damage done to the adjoining owners fence and property.
  YMMV

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