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[C.Ann]

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[Galahad]

We've had it done a couple of times here in Indy. Not sure what to tell you to look for. The folks that did ours used a LOT of guys to take down a large cottonwood tree and it took most of a day. It seems a much more complicated process than I would have guessed. They also had plenty of equipment and hauled away the peices as the took each one down. Pretty darned expensive too, but lots better than a tree on my house.

 

[hlbtimes2]

You will want to make sure they are bonded. If they are not, your insurance will probably not cover an accident, if there is one. We had two large (50+ feet tall) firs removed at our last house, and 2 (25+ foot) ones at this house. We had a couple people come give us quotes and went with the one that fit our needs.

You'll want to find out if they are going to chip and haul the limbs and branches. Do they take the wood? If they leave the wood are they going to leave logs or rounds? How about the stumps- will they remove them, and what will the charge be?

 

[padams]

Confirm with whoever you hire that they are going to take away all of the trees that are removed. DH just received a price quote from a tree removal company. The price was much better than other quotes DH had. Upon further questioning, DH learned that this company would cut down the trees, take the large (resaleable) logs, and leave the debris (limbs, twigs, leaves, etc.) for us to remove. If you want everything taken away, be specific.

 

[arminnie]

I don't really have any advice that hasn't already been given. Even if you don't have a lot of people in your area - see if you can get different estimates.

My next door neighbor was having a service in to take out a couple of trees and trim some others. I asked them for an estimate on removing a few limbs from my tree. They told me $600!!!!

The limbs were low and could be reached with one of those saws on a pole so I did not use them. I can't imagine what my neighbor paid them for tree removal.

I do know a LOT of people in New Orleans who are having trees removed, and it is not cheap.

 

[Crankyshank]

DH and I are looking to have this done this spring (we have a 50+ ft pine tree that needs to come down).
The advice I was given is to check multiple companies for free quotes, make sure they are bonded and insured, and specifically ask about stump removal and if there are any removal fees for the stump and the tree itself. Some less reputable companies will pile on the hidden charges.

 

[C.Ann]

......

 

[BunsenH]

C.Ann,

1. I don't think that having them leave the 'good' wood will affect the cost that much. If you want them to cut it into manageable lengths, that would offset the cost of them removing large pieces.

2. Stump removal is more for appearance. It will leave a hole that you'll need to deal with. I estimate that it adds 10-20% to the cost.

3. $1000 is not unreasonable for a large tree.

4. Have them quote the entire job.

Just my $0.02

 

[jonestavern]

all of the above-
we looked into having a large, dying maple--maybe 40" girth--removed from our front yard, try $3000 dollars! We have prices from 2 local fellows & 1 large company. Where the trees stand is not in a difficult area, either-
We actually have 3 dying(dangerous!) trees of the above size that have to be removed, but, wow! the cost
I have friends that had 2 smaller maples removed this past spring & even knowing the folks involved, price of 2--also in their front yard, not a difficult area--for $3000--& that was because they are friends with the contractor. That did include stump grinding--
if you can find a cheaper, insured & bonded person let me know!
I will say that the library here in town got Asplundh (spelling?) to remove a tree just a few weeks back. So check out what the town--or surrounding towns--do in your area-

Jean

 

[Servants of Evan]

I had three 40+ foot pines, a 35+ foot Black Walnut, and two dead trees removed this past fall by Broesh Brothers here in Akron. They chipped/ground the pines and dead trees and kindly logged the black walnut into 16" lengths for me to split into firewood. They brought in a stump grinder (never underestimate the mess those babies make) and did a nice job cleaning up. All totaled, it cost me $1,000. The price may have been good because they could easily reach everything from their huge boom truck. They also did not do a bit of damage to my son's swing set below! Watching them, it was like artestry in motion. No wasted movements, and between the boom and the ropes/pulleys they used everything was done in less than 5 hours. It was a crew of four guys and they worked fast, but safe.

 

[Steamboat Marti]

When we had ours done - we had the local electric company come and take a look at them because they were close to the lines. Not close enough for the electric company to remove them (at their cost) but one of the men on the team said he did it and gave us a very very reasonable cost. Maybe you could go this route ?

 

[Pixiedust34]

Our house is surrounded by large oaks.

We paid $2500 (no, that's not a typo) to have one cut. The *large* trunk was about 10 feet from the house, but the big problem was that almost the entire weight of the tree was directly over our roof. If it dropped branches, or fell for any reason, there's no doubt it would have cut my house in half.

We shopped around with different tree companies. The prices were all about the same, give or take a few hundred. We went with the company with a good insurance policy and the one that sounded like they would do the best job.

Stump removal was an additional $400. Mind you, this is a large stump, but still...........We decided to live with the stump rather than pay for its removal.

They asked us if we wanted to keep the wood and we didn't. They took the wood away at no charge. Make sure you know whether or not they will take the wood (if you don't want it) and ask if they charge for that service.

 

[rascalmom]

We had to have a very large elm removed from our yard last summer. Our house backs up to a wooded creek area & some of the branches on those trees needed to be cleaned up, as well as a large oak that needed some very high, large branches thinned out. Cost for all of it was about $1400. It was less to have it all done at one time, because they only had to bring their big trucks in once. This included taking a large section of my fence down to allow access for the big equipment & putting it back up. I did have the stump removed - the tree was fairly close to my house & I thought the stump woud look ugly. I also have some other elms in my yard & there was some concern about the disease that killed the one elm spreading to the others.

I was kind of shocked at the price, but I am really glad that we did it. Our yard looks a lot better & I don't have to worry so much about that oak taking out my kitchen, should a big storm come along.

 

[froglady]

The hurricanes took care of our large trees, so we didn't have to remove them.

A new neighbor was quoted about $3,000 for a large oak that was overhanging his house (the insurance company wouldn't cover him until he did) but he decided it was too expensive so he would do it himself with the help of some friends. I'm not sure what the co-pay was for a week in intensive care, 3 weeks in the hospital, and 6 months in a rehab (including loss of income,) but I suspect it was higher than the estimate.

 

[C.Ann]

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[golfgal]

We had a guy take down an apple tree in our back yard. It was $50. My in-laws had two HUGE pine trees taken down and that was $500 total. I can't believe how much some of you pay!

 

[DMRick]

Try Pete Davies 470-6998 (you know the area code). I'm not sure he would go that far, but I know he has worked in a similar area. Be sure to ask if he's bonded and to see the papers..the people I got his name from didn't seem to care. We burn wood and we have had a few trees taken down in our yard. If the trees are hardwood, they generally figure in the price differently, since they resell the wood, if we want to keep it. It's also extra if you want the wood cut down to size at all. We have other names as well, but I've been given this guys name by a few different people who were happy with him.
Go look for your car first..that way you'll be past the sticker shock LOL!

 

[DMRick]

It depends on size, how easy it is to get to, if a cherry picker or grinder can be brought in, how fast you need it done (so how many guys work) how far they have to drive, if you want the stump removed, etc. There is no one size fits all. The people next door had two big trees taken down and carted away, and were thrilled it was "only" $1000.

We had a guy take down an apple tree in our back yard. It was $50. My in-laws had two HUGE pine trees taken down and that was $500 total. I can't believe how much some of you pay!

 

[C.Ann]

..

 

[PamOKW]

We had a guy take down an apple tree in our back yard. It was $50. My in-laws had two HUGE pine trees taken down and that was $500 total. I can't believe how much some of you pay!

A lot has to do with "where you live". Everything in my area costs more (and takes twice as long to get done). The $3,000 per large tree is in line with what I've heard my friends and neighbors paying -- and that was the low quote.