I have a huge elm in my back yard. It came with the house I bought many many years ago. When I looked at the house in March, I thought, "Oh no, a big dead tree to get rid of". When we moved in in June, it was all leafed out and beautiful. (kinda like this one, but thicker)
Ok, so there have been times I have actually hired someone to trim it, since I can only reach the very bottom branches that grow low each summer. Did I mention the wood is hard as nails too? Early on I really did not have a clear idea of what to look for when hiring someone. The first guy I hired in the early 80's, because he frequented the place I worked and I had a big crush on him. Did he do a good job? No idea. I can't remember, and am not sure I would have known the difference then.
A few years later, no probably more like 12 years or so, I know a little bit more and get three estimates. I am shocked at how much it is, but decide to go with the middle one. Take time off work, move potted plants from under, pen up animals...and they call and cancel. Say they need to reschedule. They never do, and I go with the cheapest one. I was not very happy with the work they did.
Next time I get 3 bids, and this time I am looking for an arborist. I decide it will be worth it to pay more and get someone that really knows what they are doing. First person comes right out, and we talk and they say $350. That's about what I planned on. The next two can't come on weekends or late after noon when I can be here, so I never meet them. #2 was $700. #3 was $1400. Quite the range huh? Did not want to automatically go with the cheapest, but the other two were so much more, I said ok to the $350. Take time off, move plants, get up early, pen up animals, and wait, and wait....They never show or call. I hated to go right to the $700. person that I never met, so I get another bid. I actually met this one, I think it was like $875ish. A lot, but in the ball park, I had met him, and he could do it Thurs. I was not that happy with it.
So two years ago, I am looking again. Now I have a plan. I will look for an arborist with good reviews, have them come 3 years in a row, then every other year. One in the area, with good reviews would not go to my zip code which is really not that far away from his. But I found another with a lot of great reviews. Came out on a Sat. to give me an estimate. Seemed pretty good, but the estimate was $1400. I know, I had gotten one like that what, about 4 years before. With inflation, and tree growth, maybe that was reasonable, but too much for me. I said, then just do 3/4 of it. The back part I don't see as much that is not hanging over my compulsive neighbors fence, can wait until next time. He says no, he won't do a half ass job. He would do it for $800, if he can do it when he has another job in the area. I say great, just call me with a couple days notice. So he calls me at 6:00 pm on a rainy night, said he could do it the next day. I half expected it to still be raining, but it wasn't and he came. Mashed some of the stuff I didn't have enough notice to move out from under neath, and mashed some of the plants growing in the ground under neath, but over all was a decent job.
So last year I expected to have him out again, but kept putting off calling. Between how much I hate to make phone calls, how depressed I was about my murdered ducks, and how much pain I was starting to have each day, Winter (my preferred time to trim it), came and went. So felt I really had to do it this year. Supposedly he had started "training" it the way it should grow, and I wanted to build on that. I didn't bother with any more estimates this time. My thoughts were, if he did it almost 2 years ago for $800, and it needs a lot less than last time, even with inflation, maybe he could do what it needed AND start to shape my pine tree that had not been professionally trimmed since the early 80's. Plus some evergreen out front of a different type, that has outgrown its space, but I don't want removed, I asked if he could at least get it off the roof, where I could not reach it. I said that part first, then we looked at the elm, then I asked him to start to shape the pine, and get the dead stuff off. He says $1200. I really could not see going over $1000. but also did not want to look for someone else again, so I said, "how about it you do less work on the pine". He said $1000. A lot, but I said ok.
Been spending time each day moving potted plants and stuff out from under the two trees. I did not take time off, I hadn't been here last time, and it worked out ok. I did get up early to be dressed and talk a minute before I left for work. Having any work done here makes me kind of nervous, esp. paying a lot, having living trees have surgery on them, and knowing some plants under them will have some damage. So mostly just looking forward to it being over, and getting any sticks they missed cleaned up, trimming the broken plants under them, putting potted plants back, etc. And hoping it does not look too bare for my taste. (although my fussy neighbor was excited they were here, he was hoping they had come to chop the tree down!!!) That pissed me off. It was here long before him. If it bothered him that much he should not have bought that house. Never mind the nice plants that were growing in his yard, he chopped out...messy don't you know.
So I get home, nervous and go
look. First the evergreen what ever big shrub on my roof has not been touched. The elm looks pretty good. A place I thought he was training a little branch to fill in had been chopped off, and another place that had too many crossed branched to do all at once last time, still had a lot. I expected a couple of those to have been trimmed this time. But over all, the elm is ok. 3 of the alstromeria (kinda like these)
plants growing under had just a little damage. The one that is just starting to bloom is about half damaged, and the other one looks like it was tap danced on. On to the pine. It looks like that got about 92% of the dead stuff off, but that looks like the only thing they did at all on that one! All the really heavy branches that are way too high for me to reach that look like they could break off jagged any time...looks like none were touched.
I am disappointed. I expected for $200. less than he started with, I would get a little less work. It looks like I got a whole lot less. Even knowing $1000. was kinda a lot for tree trimming, I don't feel like I got $1000. worth of work. He wanted to come by and pick up the check tomorrow. So again I am up early to be dressed before he shows. I could tell him I am not happy, but by now his crew and equipment are nowhere close to here. I have nothing in writing. That's how he did it last time, and it worked out, so I thought it would this time. When I said do $200. less, all I have is my idea of what that looks like, vs his. So I probably won't demand he come do more. I will just be unhappy, try and do more on the pine myself the one branch than I can reach, and hope the others don't break in the next two years until I hire someone again. And I guess I will have to do more looking, much as I hate to start from scratch. If he had done what I was expecting I would have just called in two years, and said come do what the elm needs, then work on what the pine needs up to $1000. and we can do some more the next time. After nothing for so many years, doing a little each time would start to get it looking nice. I love the tree, and its healthy, but has no shape at all, and I had really hoped for at least a little improvement. I am sad and disappointed.
I was so looking forward to starting to get things back in order out back this weekend, and not having to think about the trees, just enjoy them, for a couple years. Then move on to the next project I need to take care of.
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