What affects the cost of tree work?

We do not publish prices, because no two trees are the same job. A small tree in an open front garden and the same tree behind a house, over a shed and beside a line, can take very different kit and time. Every quote is free and priced for the job in front of us. These are the five things that shape it.

• Size and height. How big the tree is, and how high the work goes.
• Access. How the kit gets in, and whether there is room to fell.
• What is nearby. How close it stands to a building, a road or a line.
• Waste. How much brash and timber there is to chip and take away.
• TPO consent. Whether a protected tree needs an application first.

Size and height

The bigger the tree and the higher the work goes, the more cutting, rigging and clearing there is. Reducing a crown is a different job from taking a tree down, and a tree with room to fell is quicker than one that has to come down in sections from the top.

Access

How the kit gets to the tree matters as much as the tree itself. A chipper or a stump grinder through a wide gate is straightforward; through a side passage, or down steps, it takes longer. If there is no room to fell, the tree is climbed and taken down piece by piece.

What is nearby

A building, a greenhouse, a road or an overhead line close by means more care: branches lowered on ropes rather than dropped. Beside a road, the job may need traffic management from a specialist company, who also apply for the permits, and that is set out in your quote. For work close to a road, we put out our own signs and cones.

Waste

Everything is chipped and taken away unless you would like to keep the woodchip or the logs, so the amount of brash and timber to deal with is part of the job.

TPO consent

If the tree is protected, the council has to agree first. We can check, and make the application for you for a small fee. Our guide on how to check if a tree is protected explains the rules.

Stump grinding

For a stump, the same thinking applies: how wide it is, whether the grinder fits through the gate or along the path, how close it sits to a wall or a path, how much there is to clear, and how many stumps there are. Stumps can be ground on any ground, from lawns to rough ground, and the grindings are cleared.

Getting an accurate quote

The more we know, the closer the quote. When you get in touch, it helps to include these.

• A photo or two of the tree, and of the way in to it
• Your postcode
• Anything nearby, such as a road, a line or a building
• Whether you would like to keep the wood

You can add photos to the quote form, or send them on WhatsApp.