IWatkins

It was £60 and it was done by one of the best in the County by all accounts. He is also a consultant to the county council for big jobs. And to top all that, because our tree was 3 foot (through the fence) from the neighbours brand new, very big and very expensive greenhouse, I actually asked for and saw his insurance details before he started work.

If you are charging £600 that is 10 times what I paid. Surely PLI in London isn't 10 times what it is out here in Worcestershire ?

Cheers

Ian

PCatWork

Ok, so take the VAT off £60 and you are left with something slightly over £50. I assume that this guy is VAT registered, yes? Then take into account that he has to pay EL insurance, PL insurance and if he is acting as a consultant also PI insurance. Then he has got to buy and maintain a couple of chainsaws (£300-£400 each for professional models), he's got to put fuel in his plant and vehicle, which he also has to insure and maintain, does he have a brushwood chipper? They cost about £16,000. Does he have an office? A phone? A mobile? Does he pay any wages to himself or his wife? Does he buy PPE? A pair of chainsaw boots is £100, about the same again for a pair of chainsaw trousers. A hard hat with visor and muffs is £35. Chainsaw mitts about £10 a time. They don't last forever. What about disposing of the wood? Conifer waste is no use for anything.

And he is making money out of his £60? Good luck to him. I don't suppose you paid cash?

Scooby-Doo

I have had a similar issue with a neighbour and after a chat we came to a happy solution. Go and have a friendly chat to the owners and get a feel for the stance they will take. If possible look for a middle ground i.e cut that tree down and replace the whole length with a box hedge and if your not overly worried about £800 to £1k offer to pay for the whole lot.

Good luck and no I would not be happy with that tree.

IWatkins

I've no idea if he is making any money or not, and quite frankly, couldn't care less. The guy (and his wife) were professionals, had insurance and did a very good job, including cleaning up. I paid £60 by cheque and was very happy with the service they provided.

The original poster asked for an idea of cost, I've given that. If you want to say it is £600, fine, carry on.

Ian

PCatWork

Fair point, Ian. All I was saying is that I don't think £60 is a realistic price, and I've explained why.

Brendan Hughes

I'm puzzled over whether that's leylandii or not. From the silhouette the branch tips look a bit far apart.

Still, even if it's a "nice" tree, it sounds like it's in the wrong place and going to get bigger. Too bad...

I would certainly suggest removing it (and the other, wherever that is) and replacing with something nicer, a large shrub of sorts with a max height of 2-3m.

Where are you in the country, as it appears labour costs rise towards London?

OllyK

Hmm - I see a JCB in that pic, I foresee a slight rotational accident involving the main boom and a certain conifer!

EvilKyote

Well you seem to have some JCB's and construction vehicles about, what if you 'accidently' drove it into the tree and the tree fell down, 'oh whoops'

OllyK

Nobody expects you to read the whole thread, but it isn't uncommon to at least check the last post to avoid posting the same thing

Brendan Hughes

PCatWork

I'd say 99% sure it is a leylandii

It's definitely true that most people don't work for free in this part of the country. I wonder if Charlie Dimmock was involved in the other tree job?

Brendan Hughes

Probably. Here's a photo of her pulling the winch cable taut:

Pistol_Pete

Lol, some good posts here.

Ive found out that its an elderly gent there (75-80ish) and he is near enough housebound, so I dont think that him agreeing to the removal is a problem.
Sound like he wont have the cash to pay for it though.

Im an in Essex so it sound like prices will be high for the tree removal

ProperCharlie

If you want a price, PM me and I'll see what we can do - there may be a discount for SN regulars.

Ken 275

I can assure you plenty of copper sulphate in the soil does the trick. It dissolves well and doesn't look conspicuous.

K.

Scooby-Doo

Interesting most of the replies on here suggest willful damage to a neighbours property.