Tree surgeon costs and recommendations
Discussion
Having moved into our house nearly a year ago we're starting to get around to a few more jobs, one in particular being tending to the trees at the end of the garden. There are 6 poplars in a row which I would guess to be around 100ft tall each. The neighbors at the end of our garden are understandably a little concerned at the height given the proximity to their house so we're looking at our options for reducing their height.
I guess I have two questions, firstly if anyone has any recommendations of tree surgeons in the Camberley area? We've had one quote so far and it was eye-watering to say the least...
This leads me to my second question, how much do you think would be the going rate to reduce all 6 to 50ft? Access is fairly good with roughly 30ft wide and 50ft long of lawn to aim for dropping them. We're happy to hold onto the trunks and shredded branches, so I'm hoping having no disposal will keep costs down?
I'd kind of based my estimates of costs on a 3 man team for 3-4 days, but this really is only based on vaguely comparable jobs I've found elsewhere so may be well out.
He're a photo of what we're dealing with, taken from our house looking down the garden:
Thanks for your help!
I guess I have two questions, firstly if anyone has any recommendations of tree surgeons in the Camberley area? We've had one quote so far and it was eye-watering to say the least...
This leads me to my second question, how much do you think would be the going rate to reduce all 6 to 50ft? Access is fairly good with roughly 30ft wide and 50ft long of lawn to aim for dropping them. We're happy to hold onto the trunks and shredded branches, so I'm hoping having no disposal will keep costs down?
I'd kind of based my estimates of costs on a 3 man team for 3-4 days, but this really is only based on vaguely comparable jobs I've found elsewhere so may be well out.
He're a photo of what we're dealing with, taken from our house looking down the garden:
Thanks for your help!
I use the guys below very good and price is right.
Speak to Lawrence he will sort it out.
http://www.hedgesntrees.co.uk
Speak to Lawrence he will sort it out.
http://www.hedgesntrees.co.uk
Speak to Steve Arnold at Tree Solutions. He’s an Arboricultural Association approved contractor.
I know Steve very well and he employs a very experienced team of climbers and grounds men.
http://www.treesolutions.org.uk/
I know Steve very well and he employs a very experienced team of climbers and grounds men.
http://www.treesolutions.org.uk/
Speak to Steve Arnold at Tree Solutions. He’s an Arboricultural Association approved contractor.
I know Steve very well and he employs a very experienced team of climbers and grounds men.
http://www.treesolutions.org.uk/
I know Steve very well and he employs a very experienced team of climbers and grounds men.
http://www.treesolutions.org.uk/
Yipper said:
Thousands of years of evolution have allowed those trees to grow safely to that tall height. Seems a shame to cut in half such cool and old trees. And chopping them in half runs a fair risk of killing them through shock.
Lombardi poplars, you are having a laugh, at that size they are more than likely full of rot at the base, very brittle trees and quite prone to snapping out large sections.Thanks for the replies and suggestions so far.
There's definitely no question that we at least want them reducing in height. Although we've only had one quote so far we've had two tree surgeons around and both have said they appear stable, but the neighbors that mentioned them have been more than reasonable in their request so I want to try to keep all parties happy.
Treehack, the quote we had was only verbal for the time being so I can't give you lots of details but to half the height of the trees was given as £6.5k, and to remove them completely more like £9k. As I say from my back of fag packet maths I was expecting more like £1.5k-£2k especially as there is no disposal; do you think this sounds more accurate or am I dreaming?
There's definitely no question that we at least want them reducing in height. Although we've only had one quote so far we've had two tree surgeons around and both have said they appear stable, but the neighbors that mentioned them have been more than reasonable in their request so I want to try to keep all parties happy.
Treehack, the quote we had was only verbal for the time being so I can't give you lots of details but to half the height of the trees was given as £6.5k, and to remove them completely more like £9k. As I say from my back of fag packet maths I was expecting more like £1.5k-£2k especially as there is no disposal; do you think this sounds more accurate or am I dreaming?
Edited by JustADay on Saturday 25th November 21:53
ks by the way 
Given the cost, that they may well look pretty ugly after a half chop and that you might end up paying the same again to remove them in full at a later date, is it not worth taking them out completely now and planting something more appropriate in their place?
Re costs, I've no idea of the complexity of topping Poplars but in Hampstead I paid £1,100 to remove an enormous old beech that had sadly died and last week I paid £650 to have a large Leylandii taken down in the Cotswolds, the stump and 6 other old stumps ground out and everything cleared except the bits large enough to be good firewood, which they cut ready for splitting next season. I actually thought it was too cheap and was expecting a disaster but they were excellent.
Re costs, I've no idea of the complexity of topping Poplars but in Hampstead I paid £1,100 to remove an enormous old beech that had sadly died and last week I paid £650 to have a large Leylandii taken down in the Cotswolds, the stump and 6 other old stumps ground out and everything cleared except the bits large enough to be good firewood, which they cut ready for splitting next season. I actually thought it was too cheap and was expecting a disaster but they were excellent.
Edited by DonkeyApple on Saturday 25th November 22:26
JustADay said:
Thanks for the replies and suggestions so far.
There's definitely no question that we at least want them reducing in height. Although we've only had one quote so far we've had two tree surgeons around and both have said they appear stable, but the neighbors that mentioned them have been more than reasonable in their request so I want to try to keep all parties happy.
Treehack, the quote we had was only verbal for the time being so I can't give you lots of details but to half the height of the trees was given as £6.5k, and to remove them completely more like £9k. As I say from my back of fag packet maths I was expecting more like £1.5k-£2k especially as there is no disposal; do you think this sounds more accurate or am I dreaming?
Somewhere around the 2.5 would be a fair price if everything is left on site, you do have to realise that there will be ALOT of wood and brash there though, probably 3x what you imagine.There's definitely no question that we at least want them reducing in height. Although we've only had one quote so far we've had two tree surgeons around and both have said they appear stable, but the neighbors that mentioned them have been more than reasonable in their request so I want to try to keep all parties happy.
Treehack, the quote we had was only verbal for the time being so I can't give you lots of details but to half the height of the trees was given as £6.5k, and to remove them completely more like £9k. As I say from my back of fag packet maths I was expecting more like £1.5k-£2k especially as there is no disposal; do you think this sounds more accurate or am I dreaming?
Edited by JustADay on Saturday 25th November 21:53
I always recommend getting a few quotes from different companies, if you can go with recommendations from people if you can. Just don't use our caravan dwelling friends .
treehack said:
Somewhere around the 2.5 would be a fair price if everything is left on site, you do have to realise that there will be ALOT of wood and brash there though, probably 3x what you imagine.
I always recommend getting a few quotes from different companies, if you can go with recommendations from people if you can. Just don't use our caravan dwelling friends .
Thanks for this treehack. It's a little more than I'd hoped for but certainly much more palatable than £9k! I'll look to get a few more quotes.I always recommend getting a few quotes from different companies, if you can go with recommendations from people if you can. Just don't use our caravan dwelling friends .
DonkeyApple said:
Given the cost, that they may well look pretty ugly after a half chop and that you might end up paying the same again to remove them in full at a later date, is it not worth taking them out completely now and planting something more appropriate in their place?
It's certainly a consideration. I like the privacy but as you say they can always be replaced with something else.To be honest the problem we really have is funds, hence the reason for looking to only half them in height and to hold onto the cuttings/trunks to save removal. My wife is currently on maternity leave with our first so with only one income we are very tight as it is, especially after only moving in last year. Whilst the trees were on our to do list at some point we just haven't budgeted for this work at this time. I want to be as understanding as possible to the neighbors that have approached us regarding this work- I can totally understand their situation living so close to the trees- but we simply don't have thousands of pounds just sitting around at the moment.
Is it worth having a proper survey of the health of the trees and any risk they pose carried out to reassure your neighbors and to explain that you'd like to cut them but with your current situation it's just too big an expense? The majority of people tend to be very reasonable and it'll give you time to save the funds for a job that probably needs doing but isn't essential to do right now.
PArbor1 said:
I don't speak to anyone who uses the word "solutions" in his business name. So there.....
JustADay said:
It's certainly a consideration. I like the privacy but as you say they can always be replaced with something else.
To be honest the problem we really have is funds, hence the reason for looking to only half them in height and to hold onto the cuttings/trunks to save removal. My wife is currently on maternity leave with our first so with only one income we are very tight as it is, especially after only moving in last year. Whilst the trees were on our to do list at some point we just haven't budgeted for this work at this time. I want to be as understanding as possible to the neighbors that have approached us regarding this work- I can totally understand their situation living so close to the trees- but we simply don't have thousands of pounds just sitting around at the moment.
See if they'll chip in with some of the cost. They may well be your trees, but it's to their advantage to have them chopped...To be honest the problem we really have is funds, hence the reason for looking to only half them in height and to hold onto the cuttings/trunks to save removal. My wife is currently on maternity leave with our first so with only one income we are very tight as it is, especially after only moving in last year. Whilst the trees were on our to do list at some point we just haven't budgeted for this work at this time. I want to be as understanding as possible to the neighbors that have approached us regarding this work- I can totally understand their situation living so close to the trees- but we simply don't have thousands of pounds just sitting around at the moment.
I think it’s quite reasonable that if the neighbours want the work done then I’d say to them that if they pay for a decent company to do the works crack on with it.
I was in Bracknell but did cover camberley and have now moved into the consultancy side of things. The prices that you have been quoted are well over the top and are in caravan dwellers price list. A decent firm your looking at about £750 per day for a 3 man team. Solutions may not be liked in the name but there bloody good at what they do and you would be in safe hands with them.
I could fill a few pages of company’s on the area of who not to use.
Two local Tree surgeons, one from crowthorne and another from bracknell have both been put away for murder!!
I was in Bracknell but did cover camberley and have now moved into the consultancy side of things. The prices that you have been quoted are well over the top and are in caravan dwellers price list. A decent firm your looking at about £750 per day for a 3 man team. Solutions may not be liked in the name but there bloody good at what they do and you would be in safe hands with them.
I could fill a few pages of company’s on the area of who not to use.
Two local Tree surgeons, one from crowthorne and another from bracknell have both been put away for murder!!
One thing I found that happened quite often is that neighbours who don’t like the trees for what ever reason will pounce in the new owners to get work done.
Like some one else wrote, you can get a arboricultural consultant to inspect the trees and write a report on the trees. A defect may be found and some work may have to be carried out or they may have no visual defects but the report will discharge your obligations.
If you want to go down this route try Simon holmes who is in Arborfield.
http://tree-surveys.com/
Like some one else wrote, you can get a arboricultural consultant to inspect the trees and write a report on the trees. A defect may be found and some work may have to be carried out or they may have no visual defects but the report will discharge your obligations.
If you want to go down this route try Simon holmes who is in Arborfield.
http://tree-surveys.com/
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