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This page does not publish a price list, and any that does should be read carefully. Tree work is priced per job because the same species at the same height can be two completely different pieces of work depending on what is around it.
What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the number, so you can look at your own tree and know roughly where it sits — and so that when you compare two quotations you are comparing the same thing.
The Biggest Factor Is Access
A tree in an open front garden with the vehicle on the drive, where sections can be dropped straight onto the ground and fed into a chipper a few metres away, is the cheap version of any given job.
The same tree in a terraced back garden, reached through the house or down a side passage, is a different job. Every piece has to be roped down under control because there is nowhere safe to drop anything, and every piece of the resulting material has to be carried out by hand to a vehicle parked on the street. That is labour, and labour is the bulk of the price.
It is the single most common reason two quotations differ, and the single most common reason a price changes after somebody has actually seen the site.
The Other Things That Move It
- What is underneath. A tree over open lawn is straightforward. A tree over a conservatory, a greenhouse, a fence, a neighbour's shed or a parked car has to be dismantled far more carefully
- Height and reach. Not the same as size. A tall narrow tree can be easier than a wide spreading one, because the spread is what determines how much rigging is needed
- Species and timber. Dense hardwood is heavier to handle and harder on equipment. A dead or decayed tree can be considerably more difficult again, because it cannot be climbed with the same confidence
- Waste volume. Chip goes away compactly; cordwood does not. A large removal is several loads
- Whether the stump is going. Grinding is quoted separately and needs its own access — a grinder has to physically reach the stump
- Traffic management. Where a road or footway has to be managed, that is its own cost and sometimes its own permission
Things That Do Not Change the Price As Much As People Expect
- Time of year. Winter is busier after storms, but the work itself is not seasonally priced
- Whether you keep the logs. Helpful, occasionally. It saves the removal of that portion, but the cutting and the handling still happen
- How tall it looks from the ground. People consistently over-estimate this, and it is not the main driver anyway
Doing several jobs in one visit is where the real saving is. Much of the cost of any job is getting a team, a chipper and a tipper to your address and set up. If the hedge wants doing and there are two stumps to grind, quoting them together is materially cheaper than three separate visits.
Comparing Quotations Sensibly
Two quotations for “reduce the oak” can mean quite different amounts of work. Before comparing figures, check that both say the same thing about:
- How much is coming off, stated as a reduction of a given amount rather than as a general intention to make the tree smaller
- Whether the waste is going, all of it, including the cordwood
- Whether the stump is included, and to what depth
- Who is dealing with any permissions, and whether the price assumes they are already in place
A quotation that is notably cheaper than the others is usually cheaper for a reason, and the reason is normally in one of those four lines.
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Send a photograph of the tree and a photograph of the way in. Those two pictures get you a far more accurate figure than any description, and they stop the price changing on the day.
Tell us what needs doing across Hertfordshire and we will quote for the work. Call 07388 094829, message us on WhatsApp or use the form below.