What affects the cost of tree work
People are often surprised by what tree work costs. This is what goes into the price, so you know what you're paying for.
Access
Can I get a vehicle near the tree, or does everything come out through the house and down a side alley by hand? A tree at the end of a long, narrow garden takes far longer to clear than the same tree next to a driveway. Access is the factor people least expect to matter, and it routinely makes more difference than the size of the tree.
Size
Bigger trees take longer to climb, produce more material, and need more of it lowered rather than dropped. Height and spread both count. A tall, narrow conifer and a wide, spreading oak of the same height are not the same job.
What it’s next to
A tree in an open field can be felled in an hour. The same tree between a conservatory and the neighbour’s greenhouse has to come down in small pieces, each one controlled. Proximity to buildings, fences, roads and power lines is the single biggest factor in what a removal costs.
Whether it needs rigging
Rigging means lowering sections on ropes rather than letting them fall. It’s slow, deliberate work, and it’s often the difference between a straightforward job and a full day. It’s also the reason your shed is still standing afterwards. More on how rigging works.
Waste
Everything that comes off the tree has to go somewhere. Chipping, loading and dealing with the arisings is a real part of the day, and on a big removal it can be a substantial share of the time on site. If you want to keep the logs or the woodchip, say so at the quote, because it changes the job.
Insurance, training and kit
Chainsaws, climbing gear, rigging kit and a chipper are expensive to buy and to maintain, and the training to use them safely takes years. When you pay for tree work, a good part of it is paying for the time that isn’t spent in your garden: the training, the maintenance, the insurance and the disposal.
Why I don’t publish prices
Two trees that look similar can be very different jobs. A price list would be wrong more often than it was right, and I’d rather quote honestly than anchor you to a number that doesn’t apply to your garden. I quote after seeing the tree, and the quote is free.
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