Landscaping with trees - cost?

[lecach]

We are trying to sell our house. Some of the feedbacks says back yard not private enough. It IS fenced. Probably just needs trees along the back. Maybe 10-12 spruce trees? How much should something like that cost? We guessed $1000 but our realtor laughed at us like we were joking.

 

[cglaura]

We are trying to sell our house. Some of the feedbacks says back yard not private enough. It IS fenced. Probably just needs trees along the back. Maybe 10-12 spruce trees? How much should something like that cost? We guessed $1000 but our realtor laughed at us like we were joking.

For me to have them put in one 5 foot dogwood would have been $170. That included the price of the tree, which I think was $90.

The issue you will have is it takes many years for a tree to get to a height that would be selling point privacy. A spruce could easily run you $500 per (for a nice one...could be $250-300 for average), depending on how mature (tall/wide) you want them. Plus the cost of transport if they are really heavy, which a mature one would.

Smaller ones you could plant yourself would be much less, so not sure if the selling point is privacy now, or that they are planted and there will be privacy.

ETA: I just found this online, it is totally random as far as location, etc., but an example of pricing:
http://www.westerville.org/Portals/0/replacementtreelisting.PDF

 

[bicker]

For trees that will serve as screening... yeah, $1000 is going to be a bit short. Around here, you're talking about a few hundred dollars for a tree that is already full-enough to serve your need, and then you've got to get 'em in the ground...

 

[jsmith]

We have professional landscapers starting next week-i dont want to shock you so i wont tell you what the whole project is costing-but we are getting 5 two inch diameter dicedious trees ( thise will be 12 to 15 feet tall)-at 270 dollars each and one 8 foot colorado blue spruce in a rock area at 470 dollars-with that as pricing the 10 or so you are talking about would run in the neighborhood of 5K-however you DO not want to plant a large number of spruce trees in you back yard. the acid in needles when they drop kills grass and the get HUGE over time-10 spruce trees is not back yard privacy it is a wind break.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Dig your own holes then pick up some trees at Home Depot using their truck for $19 for the hour and you'll be fine. No sense in paying big $ for something you won't be around to enjoy.

 

[laurie31]

How big do you want the trees to be? They get exponentially more expensive as they get bigger.

You can get small trees for about $100-150 each, but I think you may be interested in larger trees, which would be more like $250-500 or more each.

We just lost almost all our mature hardwoods in April, and bought 5 trees to replace them. Retail cost was $2200. That was including delivery but NOT including planting, which was another $150 or so. And that was just to have the holes dug. DH and I planted them ourselves, and that was a big mistake. It took about 2 hours just to plant one (they weighed over 500lbs each) and I thought we were going to kill ourselves.

I'm thinking what you are talking about would run at least $3000-6000. Maybe more. Go check out a local nursery and see what the size tree you think would work costs.

Or better yet, see if you could put a "tree allowance" into your selling price, so the buyer could choose the trees they like.

 

[java]

What type of fence is it? Maybe even just planting a few trees would help. But yes spruces of a decent size are going for around $250 here a piece. Go check out your local nursery.

 

[RitaZ.]

How big do you want the trees to be? They get exponentially more expensive as they get bigger.

You can get small trees for about $100-150 each, but I think you may be interested in larger trees, which would be more like $250-500 or more each.

We just lost almost all our mature hardwoods in April, and bought 5 trees to replace them. Retail cost was $2200. That was including delivery but NOT including planting, which was another $150 or so. And that was just to have the holes dug. DH and I planted them ourselves, and that was a big mistake. It took about 2 hours just to plant one (they weighed over 500lbs each) and I thought we were going to kill ourselves.

I'm thinking what you are talking about would run at least $3000-6000. Maybe more. Go check out a local nursery and see what the size tree you think would work costs.

Or better yet, see if you could put a "tree allowance" into your selling price, so the buyer could choose the trees they like.

This is the best idea, IMO. Let the future homeowners choose what they want.

Have you thought about offering additional money to the realtor that brings you a buyer? My friend did this with great success. I can't remember the exact amount that she offered, but that additional incentive brought a lot of potential buyers to her house. It didn't take long for her house to sell.

Good luck!

 

[golfgal]

How many people have said that the backyard isn't private?? If it is just one couple, I wouldn't do anything. You are never going to please everyone and "backyard privacy" to me sounds like an excuse to cover that the house is out of their price range because that is EASILY corrected .. Now if they were saying that you didn't have a main floor bedroom or that the kitchen was too small, ok, that's not easy to change.

We put in a 6' spruce about 5 years ago, it was $250 planted.

 

[stevenpensacola]

Crepe myrtles...grow anywhere...fast growing...pretty blooms...interesting bark/shapes....IF you don't commit crepe murder.

Oh...and they're cheap.

 

[LilyWDW]

Dig your own holes then pick up some trees at Home Depot using their truck for $19 for the hour and you'll be fine. No sense in paying big $ for something you won't be around to enjoy.

If privacy is the issue that they are trying to solve (and quickly), nothing at Home Depot is really going to help. Anything you get there will not yet be mature enough to create the height or fullness required.

 

[Disneefun]

Is it lack of trees that's the problem, or where other houses face? Around here, some two story houses look down/across right into other people's yards. If something like that's the case, no tree you can buy is going to fix it. You'd have to wait 20 years for something to grow really big.

I might look into creating a private "area" of the yard. Right now is a good time of year to buy something like one of those canvas outdoor rooms that has sides/screens you can raise and lower or tie back. You can get those for a few hundred bucks at home improvement places. Make it clear that the room will stay with the house.

 

[TaraPA]

You could plant 10-12 pines of the Home Depot size & variety for that amount - but they're only going to be up to 5 feet tall (if that) which isn't going to offer any privacy. We just had 2 white spruce & 1 blue spruce trees planted, they were 10-12 feet tall, and it was over $1000 just for those 3.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

Not sure around your area but we went to a couple of tree farms locally and were able to buy some 12 - 15 foot trees (various types from spruce to apple to birch) for about $50 a piece. If we'd bought them at the local nursery they would have at least cost 4 times the price. If we'd bought them at the big box store it would easily have cost 2 or 3 times as much.

Of course we had to transport and plant but check local listings (phone book, online lists, etc..) for tree farms to see if they have anything cheaper. If you're willing to do some transporting and some digging you may be able to get some nice trees for a decent price. (Even if you have some young trees in the ground your real estate agent can sell that in a year or so you'll have more privacy.)

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We are trying to sell our house. Some of the feedbacks says back yard not private enough. It IS fenced. Probably just needs trees along the back. Maybe 10-12 spruce trees? How much should something like that cost? We guessed $1000 but our realtor laughed at us like we were joking.

Trees are not going to make a backyard "private" unless you are sinking in some serious cash or putting in structure.

That will not make or break a sale. Frankly, I would do nothing and I am speaking as a landscaper/gardener person.

If you want a recommendation, post a pic.

 

[tlbwriter]

Has anyone had a good experience planting larger trees? About 10 years ago, our neighbors paid around $800 to have a large oak tree planted. It was at least as tall as their one-story house, maybe taller. The same year, we planted our own oak tree that was about 7 or 8 feet tall. Ours has tripled or quadrupled in height, and theirs has not even doubled. It hasn't filled out, either. Ours is very full, and theirs still has the same branches it was planted with. I don't know if this is a fluke, or if large trees generally don't do well.

 

[ilovepcot]

Has anyone had a good experience planting larger trees? About 10 years ago, our neighbors paid around $800 to have a large oak tree planted. It was at least as tall as their one-story house, maybe taller. The same year, we planted our own oak tree that was about 7 or 8 feet tall. Ours has tripled or quadrupled in height, and theirs has not even doubled. It hasn't filled out, either. Ours is very full, and theirs still has the same branches it was planted with. I don't know if this is a fluke, or if large trees generally don't do well.

No. A man we bought a ton of stuff from at a local nursery told me I'd be sorry if I spent money for "mature" trees the size I wanted. He explained that unless I could have them maintained by professionals with a written guarantee, I may as well burn the money. We bought the small trees he suggested and they did grow fast and all lived. A co-worker did buy mature trees very large and they ALL died. He was also warned but thought he could maintain them. Nope.

 

[tlbwriter]

No. A man we bought a ton of stuff from at a local nursery told me I'd be sorry if I spent money for "mature" trees the size I wanted. He explained that unless I could have them maintained by professionals with a written guarantee, I may as well burn the money. We bought the small trees he suggested and they did grow fast and all lived. A co-worker did buy mature trees very large and they ALL died. He was also warned but thought he could maintain them. Nope.

Well, my neighbor's tree is definitely alive, but its growth seems to be stunted.

 

[TaraPA]

Has anyone had a good experience planting larger trees? About 10 years ago, our neighbors paid around $800 to have a large oak tree planted. It was at least as tall as their one-story house, maybe taller. The same year, we planted our own oak tree that was about 7 or 8 feet tall. Ours has tripled or quadrupled in height, and theirs has not even doubled. It hasn't filled out, either. Ours is very full, and theirs still has the same branches it was planted with. I don't know if this is a fluke, or if large trees generally don't do well.

How large do you mean by "larger?" We've always planted 10-15 foot trees & have only had one die on us, out of about 20, so I consider those odds pretty fair! I've also heard that larger trees are harder to maintain, but so far so good over here. Our Crimson King Maples were planted at 12-15 feet and have SOARED - one is larger than our 2-story house & was planted in 2005. Maybe certain varities do better than others when planted mature. We've also had great luck planting large Douglas Fir, Norweigan Spruce & some deciduous variety of tree called Autumn Gold. We're in the Northeast so where you are could also play into the maintenance.

 

[Christine]

I wouldn't even bother. Unless your backyard is running right up along side a major thoroughfare or busy parkland, I think it's useless to sink that kind of money into something that some people made comments on.

The minute you add a bunch of trees in, the next person is going to comment that they don't want those big trees in their backyard because it obscures the view or causes too many leaves to land in the grass.

You cannot please everyone. Someone will like your yard the way it is.