You need one tree taken out, few limbs taken, or a few shrubs cleaned up. How hard hard can that be, right? So you reach out to your local tree removal services providers and request a quote. And to your dismay, the quote you get is equal to a new TV, car payment, a house payment, or electrical bill.
Why is tree work so expensive? You wonder. There are plenty of reasons for this, with the most common ones being:
Tree removal is complex.
To remove a tree, you need to cut one section at a time to avoid dropping the entire tree sections onto your property or into traffic. To do this, you need to understand how the tree holds itself up and how the different pieces respond to being cut with a chain saw.
In addition to this, you need to know how to professionally use the chain saw, so you execute the cutting with as little risk as possible.
If you want to remove a large tree or one in a complicated area, you need specialized tools such as aerial lifts and cranes. Not everyone can operate these machines to remove the tree safely—you need to hire a specialist.
These machines also require you to set up traffic controls if removing the tree in a busy street, not to mention permits and additional flagging support.
When you put all of these together, you have an expensive tree work.
Tree removal is difficult and dangerous.
The work is not only complex, but also difficult and dangerous. One of the risks is the tree can fall on you as you are pruning or removing it. The tree can also fall on the wrong side and hurt someone or even fall on your property and destroy it.
There is also the risk of the chain saw or the crane failing to put your life and that of others at risk.
When it comes to the difficulty part, the tree remover must go up the tree and remove the damaged areas and even prune dangerous-looking limbs.
Tree removal companies need licenses and insurance.
Since working in a tree is dangerous, the tree removal company needs to be insured. The company needs liability insurance to protect the workers and homeowners in the event an accident happens.
In addition to the insurance, most municipalities require tree removal companies to have an additional license that often goes beyond the normal operating license.
Most companies will charge a premium as they want money to settle their license and insurance fees.
The companies have specialized employees.
As mentioned above, tree work is complex and dangerous, and the last thing you want are untrained professionals on the site. To ensure the work is done professionally and with as little risk as possible, companies spend thousands of dollars training their technicians.
You don’t expect experts working on your tree work to come cheap, do you?
Tree removal companies are expensive but don’t spend all of your money on them.
Although, most expensive companies tend to provide better services, you shouldn’t hire the most expensive as you might be getting ripped off. As a rule of thumb, avoid an extremely cheap company as they might be working with untrained employees putting you and your property at great risk.
The tree services Chevy Chase company might also be lacking the necessary licenses and insurance putting you at even greater risk as you carry the liability should an accident happen.
To reduce the cost of tree removal, schedule the tree work in winter. Most companies will give you a discount at this time as they aren’t too busy.
