I have 2 sweet gum trees that are about 10 feet from the house . One is about 60 ft tall and the other is about 45. What is a fair price to have it topped or even removed?
By Adam E from Zebulon, NC
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The last time I got a bid for removing trees that big, they wanted $1,000 a tree, which seemed high to me. I think you can get them done significantly cheaper if they aren't close to any houses, but when they are, it's usually a 2 or 3 person team and fairly expensive and time consuming because of the care they need to use in removing branches and cutting the tree down in small sections. Having said that, get several bids, just make sure that who ever you choose is bonded, so that you are covered if they drop the a chunk of tree on a person, house or something else they are supposed to.
The time of year, where you live and the number of business specializing in tree removal in your area and drastically change the price you are going to have to pay, so multiple bids is a must. And if someone bids lower, but you had a better feeling about a tree removal service that bid higher, call and ask if they'll match the lower bid. It's not rocket science, but it's important to have someone who you are confident in what they are doing.
I had 5 trees of pine and oak cut down at a cost of $500. It was a two man team. You really have to contact your local arborist and have them quote you a price.
Check with your local extension service before accepting that lowest bid-the cheapest often isn't the best and you could be dealing with people who don't know how to safely remove trees of that size.
The extension service will have a page on its website telling you how to safely remove a large tree, and that information is what you should use in choosing a service. The company that knows how to safely remove trees that big will be happy to describe the process they would use for your job-if they either don't describe the right process, or are unwilling to tell you precisely how they will remove your trees then that is not a company you should trust to do a good, safe job.
Taking down a tree is complicated, dangerous work. It has to be done carefully or you will have a real mess! An inexperienced or unskilled tree removal can cause quite a lot of damage-tree roots could be wrapped around your gas and water lines for example, a qualified company knows how to figure this out before causing you unexpected surprises.
Part of the job estimate should include removing the debris (but see below for more info on removal of debris), and grinding any stumps left in the ground.
You can usually work a discount by asking the company to run smaller debris through a chipper and then using the resulting chips as decorative mulch; any good company will also offer to cut and stack the wood for seasoning to use in your fireplace. They will charge you for that.
Some tree removal companies will try to charge you for removal of 'debris' that they will actually sell on as firewood-make sure your contract precludes them making double dips! If they are going to sell your 'debris' on, you should get a bit of a discount on the removal.
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