Lessons Learned in Tree Removal and Pruning
by
Megan Aubrey
(IC: blogger)
I love how our home has beautiful, mature trees. I think they add a lot of beauty and value to our property. However they definitely devalue property value if they come falling down. Since we had a few rotten ones we decided to be proactive and take two diseased trees down and limb three.
Lesson It pays back into your pocket to shop around. Our quotes were all over the place, some double what others were going to charge us. Pick the one with the price tag and reliability you are comfortable with.
Lesson Make sure they are licensed, bonded, and insured. Taking down trees is tricky and somewhat risky. You do not want any liability on your property.
Lesson Be persistent. Contractors are busy. I like to stay on their radar and check in with them every few weeks. It’s a thin line to tread of being persistent and not annoying. You want a good relationship but you do want them to come.
Lesson Make sure to mark your septic tank if trucks could be remotely near them. When I was growing up we once had an incident with this and heavy machinery running over our septic tank. Now I am paranoid on marking it when any vehicle comes near it.
Lesson Ruts happen. Just see it as a chance to reseed your lawn and just make it greener and fuller for next year.
Lesson It pays back into your pocket to shop around. Our quotes were all over the place, some double what others were going to charge us. Pick the one with the price tag and reliability you are comfortable with.
Lesson Make sure they are licensed, bonded, and insured. Taking down trees is tricky and somewhat risky. You do not want any liability on your property.
Lesson Be persistent. Contractors are busy. I like to stay on their radar and check in with them every few weeks. It’s a thin line to tread of being persistent and not annoying. You want a good relationship but you do want them to come.
Lesson Make sure to mark your septic tank if trucks could be remotely near them. When I was growing up we once had an incident with this and heavy machinery running over our septic tank. Now I am paranoid on marking it when any vehicle comes near it.
Lesson Ruts happen. Just see it as a chance to reseed your lawn and just make it greener and fuller for next year.
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Published November 4th, 2013 8:44 PM
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7 of 13 comments
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Carole on Nov 28, 2013I would add to ensure that you know what is included in the price if you don't want a huge pile of wood chips or the timber left on your property. Are they going to cut the trunk and larger limbs up into small pieces and remove it completely from your property and if so, is there an extra charge for that. Can you keep the pieces and are they useable for firewood once they have seasoned. Will they take any woodchip away, or can you use it on your property to mulch garden beds - check whether it is suitable to do this. Some wood chips you might not want on your yard as they can be quite acidic when they break down - such as pine trees. Are they charging you by the day or by the job. Sometimes this type of work can take longer than expected, especially if they hit any problems. If you have especially large trees in a tight spot - might a crane be the way to go to remove them more safely and quickly. If so, what additional cost for the crane? We have a lot of large gum trees (30 metres or 90 feet tall) on our property and have had a fair bit of tree work done. If you find someone who is fully insured and very competent who you feel comfortable with - they come when they say they will, they work hard, they leave the yard clean when they leave, they do what they say they will do and do it safely - then stick with them! Sometimes the cheapest quote is not the best quote! I agree that a good relationship with your tree surgeon is crucial. I would also never use anyone who rocks up to my place on spec looking for work. If they are good at what they do they don't need to scratch around for work they will be booked months in advance. Always ask to see their insurance. You have a right to see it. There is potential for huge damage to you or your neighbours property if they stuff up and if they are not insured you will be left trying to sue them or wearing the expense yourself. If they take offence at that request then I would doubt their insurance and credentials. I have stood and watched our tree guys work and they work very hard, very safely - I have never felt in any danger even though some trees we had removed were barely 1 metre from our house (a row of 8 huge pine trees).
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Jeffrey Goodman on Apr 07, 2016That is crazy to see just what a little pruning can do and to help open of the yard. I will have to look into pruning the trees at my house. When is the best time to prune? http://www.meadtree.com/services/tree-care.php
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