HomeFairfax General ForumArrest/Ticket SearchWiki newPictures/VideosChatArticlesLinksAbout
Fairfax County General :  Fairfax Underground fairfax underground logo
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Curmudgeon ()
Date: June 12, 2014 09:42PM

by a licensed and insured tree removal company.

50 foot high dead tree -- easy access.

also, do they tend to remove the stumps or is that on me afterwards?

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Rockhound ()
Date: June 12, 2014 10:00PM

I'm not sure on price, but this is their busiest time of year. I would wait if you could, they'll slow down again in the fall and you'd be more likely to get a better deal.

A few years ago I brought a few down with a friend, it was pretty fun.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Large Landowner ()
Date: June 12, 2014 10:18PM

Curmudgeon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> by a licensed and insured tree removal company.
> 50 foot high dead tree -- easy access.
> also, do they tend to remove the stumps or is that
> on me afterwards?

Should be a little less or a little more than $1000, but lay out every detail in advance. Trunk hauled away or left after being split into fireplace logs? Limbs chipped, shredded, and hauled away or left for you to deal with on your own? Stump to be ground down to below the soil surface, or left to rot away of its own accord (which will take many years)? Like a log splitter, a stump grinder is a special piece of equipment that will have to be brought in. The grinder creates impressive amounts of what is basically large-scale sawdust. You will want it raked up and put somewhere other than on your lawn. It decomposes fairly quickly, so use as mulch or fill would be fine. Make sure that all these specifics are discussed, negotiated, and written down up front. Virtually all operators are licensed and insured. At least the ones with teeth are. You should ask to see the paperwork anyway, which they will have readily available since everyone asks. They should have recent references available as well. It's a good idea to call one of them and ask about the type and quality of work that was done.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Large Landowner ()
Date: June 12, 2014 10:32PM

Rockhound Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not sure on price, but this is their busiest
> time of year. I would wait if you could, they'll
> slow down again in the fall and you'd be more
> likely to get a better deal.

Often eneough, the best deal RIGHT NOW is the one you want.

> A few years ago I brought a few down with a
> friend, it was pretty fun.

Yes, it is fun to play Paul Bunyan and sing the Lumberjack Song. And every tree is like a puzzle that has to be figured out, and when your solution works, it can be quite satisfying. The problems come when trying to tackle a tree that is simply too big or too complex for an amateur to handle. Once you make a cut, the laws of physics are going to take over. Period. There are no do-overs. A fifty-foot tree is not at all something for a homeowner to be toying with.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Stabitha ()
Date: June 12, 2014 10:33PM

Plenty

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Stabitha ()
Date: June 12, 2014 10:43PM

Large Landowner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rockhound Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm not sure on price, but this is their
> busiest
> > time of year. I would wait if you could,
> they'll
> > slow down again in the fall and you'd be more
> > likely to get a better deal.
>
> Often eneough, the best deal RIGHT NOW is the one
> you want.
>
> > A few years ago I brought a few down with a
> > friend, it was pretty fun.
>
> Yes, it is fun to play Paul Bunyan and sing the
> Lumberjack Song. And every tree is like a puzzle
> that has to be figured out, and when your solution
> works, it can be quite satisfying. The problems
> come when trying to tackle a tree that is simply
> too big or too complex for an amateur to handle.
> Once you make a cut, the laws of physics are going
> to take over. Period. There are no do-overs. A
> fifty-foot tree is not at all something for a
> homeowner to be toying with.

I remember a neighbor decided to be Paul Bunyan and take down about a 100 ft tree in his yard. It was leaning right over his house so he had the brilliant idea to chain it to his tractor to pull it away from the house. Had his brother on the tractor while he did the cutting. One major problem. The tree weighed many tons.......tractor weighed maybe 1 ton. As the tree fell it just pulled the tractor right across the yard and the tree ended up smashing his house. I'll never forget the look on his face.

Hire a pro. Or have good homeowners insurance.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Another out come ()
Date: June 12, 2014 11:08PM

Unless you have done this before or are one of those natural handy type people...hire a pro. There has been several people killed trying to cut down trees on their own over the past few years.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Curmudgeon ()
Date: June 12, 2014 11:08PM

very helpful information in this thread. thanks.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Burke girl ()
Date: June 12, 2014 11:13PM

Try JL Tree Service. They took down two of ours -- both close to 50 feet, easy access -- for around $650 or so each (and hauled the debris away.) As someone mentioned earlier, we waited until December when they were less busy.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Interesting ()
Date: June 13, 2014 12:59AM

You guys seem to be getting some really good deals. I would have guessed about $2,000 for a big tree.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Woody ()
Date: June 13, 2014 01:06AM

Precision Tree also is worth a call. They were the least expensive by a bunch of those that I had come out and they did a good job on a big-ass tree. Done in one day (i'd have guessed two at least) and didn't tear the place up otherwise even in a very tight location.

Stump removal always will be extra with any of them.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: cantorbratted ()
Date: June 13, 2014 01:12AM

$895,000. $3,000 for their time and $892k for knowing how.

They'll do your female family members for free if they like you.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Eby ()
Date: June 13, 2014 08:31AM

Tree Bark Tree Service.Over the years they've taken down 3 of our trees and ground down the stumps.Lowest quote of the ones I got. Their clean up is immaculate.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Large Landowner ()
Date: June 13, 2014 08:49AM

Interesting Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You guys seem to be getting some really good
> deals. I would have guessed about $2,000 for a big
> tree.

You could pay that much if you wanted to. Or if it were an 80-foot tree with overhang or power line issues. But a 50-foot tree without complications shouldn't be that much.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: SIP ()
Date: June 13, 2014 10:24AM

JL Tree Service is good, but pricey IMO. We were quoted $650-750 each for two trees about the size you described cut flush, debris hauled/chipped, wood left on premise.

There was a tree company doing work on my cul-de-sac and they eventually sold work at 4 other houses including mine. They quoted me $1000 for the trees mentioned above and dropped 3 others along with raising the overall canopy in the backyard for a total of $2300 which included having the stump removed from a tree in the front yard.

I know that this project would easily have been $3500-4000 with one of the bigger companies.

Quality work? Yes. Skilled climber? Yes. Super professional? Not really...a bunch of guys from Culpeper who need to work on their customer facing skills. However, I would recommend and use them again.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: eesh ()
Date: June 13, 2014 10:29AM

$1000 a tree is the industry norm. The closer the tree is to a power line, the more expensive the removal becomes.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: Chipper ()
Date: June 13, 2014 10:44AM

If the tree is dead, expect to pay more since it could be more dangerous to climb and therefore necessitate the use of a crane or cherry picker.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: how much $$ can i expect to have a tree taken down
Posted by: JohnGalt338 ()
Date: June 14, 2014 09:55AM

Buy yourself a chainsaw and several cable winches. Watch all the tree falling videos on youtube. Remove any low hanging branches that are on the side away from the direction where you want it to fall. Winch the hell out of the tree in the direction you want it to fall. Make the correct falling cuts. Have wedges to help it go the direction of choice and then cross your fingers.

I have taken down dozens of trees - including a number of 100 footers - verified by measuring. I took down one 100 footer within 10 feet of the house. While it got hung up once it started falling, it eventually went the direction I wanted.

Cost - @$500 for good chainsaw and cable winches and you can cut down dozens of trees.

Options: ReplyQuote


Your Name: 
Your Email (Optional): 
Subject: 
Attach a file
  • No file can be larger than 75 MB
  • All files together cannot be larger than 300 MB
  • 30 more file(s) can be attached to this message
Spam prevention:
Please, enter the code that you see below in the input field. This is for blocking bots that try to post this form automatically.
 ********  ********  **     **  **     **  ******** 
    **        **     **     **  ***   ***  **    ** 
    **        **     **     **  **** ****      **   
    **        **     **     **  ** *** **     **    
    **        **     **     **  **     **    **     
    **        **     **     **  **     **    **     
    **        **      *******   **     **    **     
This forum powered by Phorum.