Tree Fees

I've lived in my house for around 10-11 years. Since I live in an older neighborhood, there are A LOT of mature trees. Personally, I like that. I'd much rather have the forest that I call my backyard, than one of these new cookie cutter patches of lawn that pass for a backyard now, what with the neighbor's house within reach and the one or two lone new saplings the contractors have plunked down to give the place yet one more generic look.

So, with big trees, sometimes come big problems (which I've blogged about before...though the problem then was more human, so to speak, than nature). My most recent tree problem has been one of the big trees in my front yard. It's been dying for some time now and with the weather being in the 100's for so long, it's getting even drier and more brittle. Once I saw that the one lone branch it had stemming from it's trunk was beginning to split, I knew I had to act fast. The tree lines the sidewalk and if that branch (so large, it's like another trunk) split and fell, it would fall into oncoming traffic (across at least 3 of the 4 lanes) and possibly cause a bad accident.

So, I began the process that I've become all too familiar with: comparison shopping. I did it when I first had to call a plummer, a contractor, electrician, and a few years ago, tree trimmers. You may be asking "But, Kirk, if you already had the name of the company who trimmed your trees 2 years ago, why not just use them again and avoid all the footwork." Ah, that's what I thought, so when I called them to arrange an estimate, I thought I was one step closer to getting this huge tree removed from my front yard. Au contraire, mon frere.


First off, it took them TWO WEEKS to give me an estimate. When I called, the secretary said 3 DAYS. When one week passed, I called to see what the deal was and she told me "I guess they haven't had time to come out yet." Gee, really? I kind of came to that conclusion WHEN IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! Idiot. So she gets snotty with me, like I'm the one being unreasonable for even calling to begin with. I hate that. Why am I the bad guy for wanting what they already promised? Fuck that. I got out the Yellow Pages (sorry, I realize times change, but I refuse to call it the Yellow Book now. I just do. Leave shit well enough alone already! Oy) and began making appointments with other services. I called 6 companies. Three actually answered. What's that about? And out of those 3, only 1 actually followed through and came out to give me an estimate.

Oh, and let me backtrack for a moment. When the people who originally trimmed the trees in my backyard a few years ago finally DID leave me an estimate (Which they chose to do when I wasn't there. Wise choice, because I probably would have laughed them out of my yard), you'll never in a million years guess what the price was they arrived at. First, a little backstory. Two years ago when I was getting estimates for getting the tree trimmed in the backyard, I also had the forethought to get an estimate for the dead Elm tree in the front yard. THEN he'd given me an estimate for "$250 + tax." THIS year he gave me an estimate for "$1,125...+ tax." ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS. My first thought was 'This motherfucker is smokin' some serious crack!' Can you believe it? What a deal, huh? $850 to just cut down the tree; $125 to grind the stump; and $150 for removal, etc. He included some long-winded mumbo jumbo about having to do with a city street, public sidewalk and permits. What a fucktard.

SO, the other estimate was for $425 + tax: $375 to remove the tree and $50 to grind the stump. Gee, guess who got the job. AND they too are insured and bonded (very important). So, if you live in the DFW area, and are in need of a fair tree service, be sure and call Rodriguez Tree Service, out of Dallas.

I started to make a collage of the whole tree removal process, but opted instead to make an animated gif. It's faster and takes up less space. And though it may sound bizarre, seeing the tree gone has been kind of a sad experience for me. To think it's probably been here since the house was built in 1940, all that history, all the things it's lived through, and now it's gone, is kinda sad to me. I miss it being there. But, I hope to eventually plant a Poplar tree there, so maybe everything will be back to normal over time.