Taking down a tree in my yard

• dlazz

  Belly35;1177886 wrote:Belly got wood 2008

  Yeah, it happens less and less when you get older.
• thePITman

  

  I took some updated photos of the tree this evening.
  So far the 3 quotes I've gotten have been: $1,250 .. $1,500 .. $2,350
  and one of those was the Wooster Tree Service which Ringz just used for $200-$300 per tree.
  The first thing they said when they showed up... "Wow. this is a big 'un."
  
  
  
  
  
  From the front of the house:
  
• dlazz

  I'd just leave it. Sooner or later it'll get hit by lightning and fall onto your house. You'll get a fat insurance payout from it (judging by the look of your house, you might get upwards of $30-40)
• WebFire

  I know you want it down, but that is a beautiful tree. I'd leave it.
• dlazz

  Now that I legitimately look at your pictures, I agree with the tree removers. That IS a really big tree.
• BRF

  

  This is actually an interesting thread, IMO!
• thePITman

  

  My parents came over tonight and we talked about the tree some more. We never realized until today that the tree is actually wider than my house, easily. By about 20 feet. There are two negatives to removing the tree:
  1) Shade: The tree provides a great amount of shade during hot summer days, and
  2) Visual: The tree does look very nice and would be a shame to get cut down
  
  On the other hand, here are the positives I see:
  1) No more branches, helicopters, & leaves constantly falling on my roof and clogging my gutters
  2) So many less leaves to rake - you'd never believe how many leaves that thing drops EVERY day in the Fall
  3) Would enable me to build a 20x12 deck in place/over top of the leveled out stump
  4) I have central air, so the shade thing isn't a big deal - maybe a few bucks a month during the summer, if that
  
  My fiance will be living with me when we get married in a year. Then we are looking to sell this house a year or two after that. So this decision plays into the resell-ability of the house. Remove that tree, finally get caught up cleaning the gutters, put in the deck... and the house would look beautiful! Right now, for me to grill, I have to pull the grill out onto my cement driveway. Kind of awkward. A deck would be AWESOME and add a lot to the house!
• justincredible

  

  Build a deck around the tree. Boom. Problem solved.
• thePITman

  

  justincredible;1178003 wrote:Build a deck around the tree. Boom. Problem solved.

  Good idea, but I'd still have to deal with all the hassle of the branches, leaves, and helicopters all year round (leaves during the fall, helicopters right now, and branches all year). I can't convey how many helicopters and leaves engulf my house, roof, and gutters. I can't keep up.
• justincredible

  

  Hire some illegals or something.
• WebFire

  thePITman;1178010 wrote:Good idea, but I'd still have to deal with all the hassle of the branches, leaves, and helicopters all year round (leaves during the fall, helicopters right now, and branches all year). I can't convey how many helicopters and leaves engulf my house, roof, and gutters. I can't keep up.

  The leaves are a bitch. We have 2 big maples in our yard. But the other stuff is just normal house maintenance to me. It wouldn't be worth cutting down a tree like that just because I have to pick up sticks/branches and clean the gutters once per year. But to each his own.
  
  I would seriously look at building a deck around that. That would actually be very cool.
• ts1227

  

  I'll come over this weekend, get shitfaced, and cut it down. Just provide me the chain saw and some Yuengling and we have a deal.
• THE4RINGZ

  

  ts1227;1178020 wrote:I'll come over this weekend, get shitfaced, and cut it down. Just provide me the chain saw and some Yuengling and we have a deal.

  
  I have a chainsaw you can borrow
• DeadliestWarrior34

  

  
• hoops23

  

  Think of all the oxygen you lose by cutting down that tree. You may suffocate after removing it.
  
  Seriously though, that tree is nice. I'd leave it. The idea of building a deck around that tree is interesting as well, though it doesn't look like there is much space for it?
• Commander of Awesome

  

  DeadliestWarrior34;1178039 wrote:

  Doesn't show for me, anyone else having issues?
• hoops23

  

  Commander of Awesome;1178055 wrote:Doesn't show for me, anyone else having issues?

  +1
• DeadliestWarrior34

  

  hoops23;1178059 wrote:+1

  This
• dlazz

  [video=youtube;qpJTJ5OA4HU][/video]
• hoops23

  

  DeadliestWarrior34;1178072 wrote:This

  That
• hasbeen

  

  dlazz;1178073 wrote:[video=youtube;qpJTJ5OA4HU][/video]

  "that was not good at all"
• chicago510

  

  thePITman;1177986 wrote:My parents came over tonight and we talked about the tree some more. We never realized until today that the tree is actually wider than my house, easily. By about 20 feet. There are two negatives to removing the tree:
  1) Shade: The tree provides a great amount of shade during hot summer days, and
  2) Visual: The tree does look very nice and would be a shame to get cut down
  
  On the other hand, here are the positives I see:
  1) No more branches, helicopters, & leaves constantly falling on my roof and clogging my gutters
  2) So many less leaves to rake - you'd never believe how many leaves that thing drops EVERY day in the Fall
  3) Would enable me to build a 20x12 deck in place/over top of the leveled out stump
  4) I have central air, so the shade thing isn't a big deal - maybe a few bucks a month during the summer, if that
  
  My fiance will be living with me when we get married in a year. Then we are looking to sell this house a year or two after that. So this decision plays into the resell-ability of the house. Remove that tree, finally get caught up cleaning the gutters, put in the deck... and the house would look beautiful! Right now, for me to grill, I have to pull the grill out onto my cement driveway. Kind of awkward. A deck would be AWESOME and add a lot to the house!

  Can't you install gutter guards for the leaves? I think the tree shades the house a lot more than you think. And you might not like the tree, but a lot of people on here so far do. Resale value isn't about what you like its about what will drive up interest in the house. The deck is a legitimate issue, but thats a few thousand more if you want to do a nice one.
• WebFire

  chicago510;1178157 wrote:Can't you install gutter guards for the leaves? I think the tree shades the house a lot more than you think. And you might not like the tree, but a lot of people on here so far do. Resale value isn't about what you like its about what will drive up interest in the house. The deck is a legitimate issue, but thats a few thousand more if you want to do a nice one.

  I was actually thinking that taking that tree down might have the opposite affect on resale value. A lot of people value trees like that.
• dwccrew

  

  I would say go the cheap route with an uninsured guy if the tree wasn't so close to your house. Better off paying more for a pro that is insured.
• Anna-Town

  Cut that sucker WAAAYYYYY back. You can pretty much gut a tree if you do it right.
  
  Then you'll still have the tree, but it won't be this monstrosity waiting to kill you in your sleep. It'll fill back out in a year or two and look sweet.
  
  Build deck around tree.
  
  Problems solved.