How to Compare Tree Removal Quotes

Read every quote line by line, not the total

Compare tree removal quotes by matching line items against each other, not by comparing the totals at the bottom. Two bids for the same tree can differ by hundreds or thousands of dollars because one includes stump grinding, hauling, and a permit and the other does not. Until the line items line up, the totals are not describing the same job.

Put the quotes side by side on a table and give each one a column. Down the left side, list what a removal actually involves: the tree itself, the stump, the debris, the access, the paperwork, and anything near the tree that has to be protected. A quote that leaves a row blank is not cheaper. It is unfinished.

The lowest number is only the lowest number if both quotes describe the same work.

The three parts of a removal price

Every tree removal quote is built from three things: the removal of the trunk and canopy, the disposal of what comes off the tree, and the stump. Ask which of the three each quote covers before you read a single dollar figure.

Removal is the felling and cutting of the tree itself, from the top down or in one piece, depending on where it stands. Disposal is what happens to the wood and brush: chipped, hauled, or left on site. The stump is a separate operation with separate equipment, and it is the line most often left out.

Some quotes fold all three into one price. Some list them apart. Neither style is wrong, but you cannot compare a bundled price to an itemized one without breaking the bundle apart. Ask for the split in writing if a quote gives you only a total.

What each part depends on

• Removal: the height and lean of the tree, the species and how dense the wood is, how close it stands to a house, a fence, a driveway, or a power line, and whether the crew can drop it whole or has to rig it down in sections.
• Disposal: the volume of brush and wood, whether a truck can reach the debris, and whether you want the wood left for firewood or taken away.
• Stump: the diameter of the stump, how deep the grinding goes, and whether the grindings are raked out and the hole filled.

Ask these questions before you rank the bids

Ask each bidder the same short list of questions and write the answers next to the price. The answers, not the totals, are what tell you which quote is complete.

• 1 Is stump grinding included, and to what depth below grade?
• 2 Is the debris hauled away, chipped, or left on site?
• 3 Is the wood cut to a length you can use, or taken in whatever lengths come off the tree?
• 4 Does the price cover any permit the town requires for the work?
• 5 How is access handled if a truck cannot reach the tree, and does that change the price?
• 6 What happens to the price if the tree turns out to be hollow, leaning more than it looked, or bigger than the estimate assumed?
• 7 Is the price firm once the work starts, or is it an estimate that moves?

Ask for the answers in the quote itself, not just on the phone. A number you remember from a conversation is not a number you can hold anyone to.

Why the same tree gets such different prices

The spread between quotes usually comes from scope and access, not from one bidder being generous and another being greedy. A tree standing in an open back yard with a wide gate is a straightforward job. The same tree behind a fence, over a garage, or beside a wire is a different job with different equipment and more time.

Ask how each bidder plans to get the tree down. A crew that can drop a tree whole in an open lot will quote less than a crew that has to climb it and lower the sections on ropes. Both prices can be honest. They are pricing different work.

Watch for quotes that are suspiciously low on a job that looks hard. A low number on a difficult tree often means something was left out: the stump, the hauling, the permit, or the time it takes to work safely near a structure. Ask what the price assumes, and ask what would change it.

Does the cheapest quote save money?

Only if it covers the same work as the others. Add the missing pieces to a thin quote before you compare it. If stump grinding and hauling are extra, ask what those cost, then put the total next to the other bids. Often the gap closes. Sometimes the cheap quote stops being cheap.

What a written quote should contain

A quote you can compare has the scope, the exclusions, the price, and the terms on one page. If any of those are missing, ask for them before you decide.

• The address and a description of the tree or trees, so there is no confusion about which one is being priced.
• What is included: removal, stump grinding depth, debris removal, and any cleanup of the site.
• What is excluded, stated in plain words. Read this part twice.
• The total price and how it is paid, including any deposit.
• When the work would happen and what weather or access problems would delay it.

Read what each quote excludes and what it assumes, because that is where two bids for the same tree part company. One quote may assume the stump stays; another may assume the wood stays. Neither is wrong, but you need to know which one you are buying.

Then make the decision on the whole picture: the scope that matches what you want done, the answers to your questions, and the price for that scope. The total alone tells you the least.