Tree surgeon costs

doonrocket

doonrocket

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I'm having to get a couple of trees sorted out at the back of my stables, a sycamore taken down and disposed of to a height of 6 feet. (Going to use the remainder as one pole in a pole barn.) I am also having a large 40-50ft beech tree 'cleaned' out of dead wood and cross over branches. Had a quote from a V. reputable company but with VAT seems quite a lot. Any one got any idea what sort of price I should be paying? Ta.
 
Prices for this sort of work are very local. The only way to really tell what sort of price is average for your area is to phone a couple of other tree surgeons and ask.

Bear in mind that most LAs require tree surgeons to pay to dispose of the cut wood - so you should be able to reduce the cost slightly if you remove disposal from the quote. But this also sounds like you'll need someone with an arial chainsaw license and those guys don't come cheap. (I know - I'm married to one!)

Watch out for the lowest quote as you may find that they are not properly licensed or insured. (They may well be - but do check!). If something comes down on a stable or a horse you need to know they are covered. Plus if you hire someone to use a chain saw up a tree and they are not properly licenced and cut thier foot off, by a bizarre twist of law you could actually become liable yourself. If they are reputable then a quote will reduce if you remove the disposal element. If they don't reduce the quote you need to wonder what they were planning to do with the waste.
 
i paid £60 last year to have a eucalyptus tree taken down and removed, and I think ti was another £30 to have another tree trimmed.

I'm in Lancashire though.
 
Shay said:
Prices for this sort of work are very local. The only way to really tell what sort of price is average for your area is to phone a couple of other tree surgeons and ask.

Bear in mind that most LAs require tree surgeons to pay to dispose of the cut wood - so you should be able to reduce the cost slightly if you remove disposal from the quote. But this also sounds like you'll need someone with an arial chainsaw license and those guys don't come cheap. (I know - I'm married to one!)

Watch out for the lowest quote as you may find that they are not properly licensed or insured. (They may well be - but do check!). If something comes down on a stable or a horse you need to know they are covered. Plus if you hire someone to use a chain saw up a tree and they are not properly licenced and cut thier foot off, by a bizarre twist of law you could actually become liable yourself. If they are reputable then a quote will reduce if you remove the disposal element. If they don't reduce the quote you need to wonder what they were planning to do with the waste.
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My OH and eldest son are tree surgeons, son is also a climber. You're right, it's not cheap. But you have to decide if you want cheap or safe really. Insurance is a must! Best to get an idea of local prices as stated, and make sure you see all relevant certification before work starts.
 
Hi, having worked for a Tree Surgeon as PA for the last 12 years I would like to add my input... Its definately always worth obtaining at least 3 quotes to compare, always ask to see a copy of their Liability Insurance and their qualifications i.e: NPTC units... All reputable Tree Surgeons are required by their Insurance Companies to hold them even the groundies must have the basic chainsaw use on the ground.

You need to be aware that the Sycamore tree you mentioned is to the rear of the stables and it sounds like instead of cut and drop they would need to rope off the branches, cut and lower them down... this all takes time and extra people on the ground... If you keep the wood then this is again a bonus and will cut the cost as well as allowing them to chip the wood on site which you could spread under a hedge etc.,

People constantly call and ask if I can quote over the phone which is unreasonable as there are so many different factors when quoting for a job... but photos via email are not a bad way to get an approx. price for a job... always go for people that have been recommended and also your local Council whowill have their own list of approved Tree Contractors which would have been vetted to be on the list in the first place.

Hope this helps :) x
 
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