Need Cheap Tree-Removal Company

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by ACWhite

How do you figure that? The $150 has to cover operating expenses so it's not equivalent to salary, let alone salary plus benefits. And if it were equivalent to salary, at an average 2000 working hours per year, and assuming that the recipient were paid for every single working hour--highly unlikely--that would be $300000. For example an arborist would have to spend a lot of time driving from 1 hour job to another 1 hour job to another, etc. In actuality, s/he probably clears the equivalent of about $125k per year.

We pay our plumber a lot more than that. We often get a bill above $150 when he's here for a half hour or less.

Exactly. Paying someone for an hour's service does not equate to them making that same wage 40/hours a week.

[BOS2IAD]

We've used The Care of Trees (a Davey Tree company). Unlike some tree removal companies, when you call there either is someone answering the phone right away or they return your call quickly.

In the past, we've dealt with tree companies who don't return calls or promise to get the work done in a certain time frame then don't show up until you tell them you're going to call someone else.

The former^ was a company that got good reviews on Angie's List but never returned our call. After a week of waiting, we told them to forget it. The latter was a company who took down a neighbor's tree, then approached us about taking down our dead tree. We agreed, he promised to come within 2 weeks---nothing. We called, they strung us a long for another couple of weeks. Finally, I called and said that if we didn't hear from them by close of business, we're finding someone else. Well...I went out to do errands and while I was gone, he showed up and took down the tree.

People think The Care of Trees is pricey but they really know what they're doing. Last year, we had a dead ash tree on our property which was so big they had to bring the truck with the cherry picker on top. Needless to say, it wasn't cheap but we're glad we had it done.

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by NC211

Bartlett Tree Experts. They're certainly properly insured as they have locations coast to coast. They saved 10 Leylands that screen our house to our neighbors a few years ago (they're now 15 years old) when the former owner of my home accidently hosed everything down with RoundUp (he was an idiot). My neighbor paid to save them himself. He brought in Bartlett, and everything they worked on, is alive and well today. Everything they didn't, died (some 15 others, all the shrubs, flowers, etc.)


they've got an office in springfield. Google it and you should find them.

Even my arborist (from Bartlett Tree) said that you shouldn’t hire them to take down a tree. In his words, “you pay us a premium to save your trees. Don’t pay us a premium to take them down.”

[NC211]

No argument there, but I was thinking more along the lines of an outfit being insured, permitted and experienced to make sure they don't drop anything into the dinning room, but can fix it pronto if they do.

[Flamingo13]

Did you ever get someone?

[lchoro]

There's not enough information in the original description. The cost depends on the size, height, and wingspan of the tree, and on the hazard the tree poses to the house, fence, or power lines. You have to use cables to prevent branches from causing damage, and it takes at least three people to work on the tree. There will be the climber, the cable guy, and someone to haul away the debris. You could be looking at $250/hour and probably a minimum billing of 4-6 hours to cover travel to your site as well as actual work. If it's out in the yard and away from everything, the cost could drop by 75 percent.

[Carlingtonian]

Our massive old diseased tree has now been removed. I ended up using G&V Tree Service, a family-owned/operated company out of Lorton. Their quote was the lowest (by just a couple of hundred dollars), and the crew did a great job. They were on time, cleaned up very well, and didn't damage anything. (Just a few minor nicks on the fence, but it was very close to the tree.) The five guys took about seven hours to remove the 100-foot oak with two trunks, load the wood into the dump truck, grind the stump, and clean the site. They even swept the back patio. I would absolutely recommend them.

Below are the other companies who gave me a quote, from lowest to highest price. I would post the actual prices except that every job is going to be different, and prices will go up over time. (That said, if you really want them, send me a polite PM and I may oblige.)

But first, few tips on getting quotes:
1) Ask for the price using a credit card and if there's a discount for using a check.
2) Once you have it narrowed down, check the company website to see if there's a promotion for new customers. Some will also take off a certain percentage for having the work done in the winter, when business is slow.
3) I'd advise letting them come out when you're not home if need be, so you can get more quotes.

Here is how it all shook out. Lowest estimate is first.
G&V (For a general idea: Removing this massive twin-trunk oak from the backyard and getting rid of everything was just under $4000.)
AAA (Very competitive)
Arlington (The written quote was $400 higher than what the estimator had told me verbally. And they wanted to leave the wood on the curb for the County to pick up! That would've been several tons of wood sitting there.)

These were a few hundred higher:
Chapingo
JL

And these two were more than $1000 over the latter two:
Quality
Freedom

[FCNova]

Thanks for the info Carlingtonian. We bought a house last year that has a couple huge trees too close to the house I wouldn't mind being rid of someday. This might come in handy.

[lchoro]

A lot of people go out to the far rural counties to get cheap tree cutters. We had a tree fall on the roof of the house on the investment property. The tree was about 50 feet tall and similar size of the crown. We used a group from Rappahannock on the recommendation of our realtor that brought a crew of 5 or 6 to take down the tree and remove it for $1700 in 2007. I would expect the cost today for a similar tree and required level of care to be between $2500 and $3500. RTEC treecare has a video on costs, and that price would be at the upper end of the range due to size of the tree and other factors. Our next door neighbor used Butler from Culpeper to cut off branches that posed risks to her house and was charged $1350. The cost was high since they climbed at least four trees for the job.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by fcyolo

hourly pay of 150 dollars is then equivalent to an average annual income of $300,000 per year.

No it isn't.......guy needs utilities/licenses/insurance/truck/equipment and there is no guarantee he is working 40 hours each week X 52 weeks a year. Deduct all the expenses and I'd be surprised if the guy is netting 1/2 of that 300K a year.