Pricing
What tree work costs around here
Most companies will not print a number. Here are the ranges our jobs actually land in, so you know what you are walking into before you call.
Read this first
These are the ranges most jobs in our area land in, not a price list. Every job is priced on site or from your photos, in writing, before anything is cut.
What moves a price most is access, not species: a tree the bucket truck can reach from the driveway costs less than the same tree behind a cottage that has to be climbed and roped out over a roof. Working close to a structure or a wire typically adds 25 to 50 percent.
Tree removal by height
Height sets the starting point. What is underneath the tree, and whether the bucket truck can get to it, sets the rest.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Small tree, under 30 feetYard pines, small ash, anything a ground crew can fell whole. | $250 to $650 |
| Medium tree, 30 to 60 feetThe most common job around here: a yard maple or a mid-size pine. | $450 to $1,200 |
| Large tree, 60 to 80 feetSectional take-down, rigging over a roof or a deck. | $900 to $2,200 |
| Very large tree, over 80 feetTall white pine or a big multi-stem hardwood, usually over a structure. | $1,500 to $4,500 |
| Tree already downBucked, chipped and hauled. Cheaper because the risky part is over. | $150 to $500 |
| Wood left for you, bucked into roundsWe chip the brush and leave the trunk wood on site. | Takes $50 to $150 off |
Near a structure, a septic field or a service line adds roughly 25 to 50 percent. Frozen ground in winter is often the cheapest time for a big removal on a soft lawn.
Trimming and pruning
Priced per tree, by how big it is and how much comes off. Several trees in one visit cost less each than one at a time.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Small tree, under 25 feet | $250 to $450 |
| Medium tree, 25 to 50 feet | $350 to $900 |
| Large tree, over 50 feet | $600 to $1,500 |
| Deadwood or one hazard limbA single limb over a roof, drive or walkway. | $200 to $500 |
| Extra trees on the same visit | About $100 less each |
We do not prune oaks between April 15 and July 15 at any price. Oak work gets scheduled for the dormant season.
Stump grinding
Measured across the widest part of the stump at ground level, not the tree it came from.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Per inch of stump diameter | $3 to $6 per inch |
| Minimum charge, one stump | $100 |
| A 24 inch stumpThe most common single stump we grind. | $100 to $145 |
| Extra stumps in the same visit | $40 to $70 each |
| Surface roots chased outRuns and flares beyond the stump itself. | Priced per job |
| Grindings hauled awayOtherwise they go back in the hole, which most people prefer. | $50 to $150 |
We file a MISS DIG 811 locate before every grind, which takes three business days by law. Lake lots within 500 feet of the water can need a county soil erosion permit; we check before we quote.
Storm, emergency and after-hours
Storm work costs more because it is harder and more dangerous: trees under load, at night, in the rain, with a house underneath.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Emergency or after-hours premium | 25 to 50 percent above scheduled rates |
| Call-out minimumApplies when we roll a truck outside working hours. | $250 to $500 |
| Tree on a structureRigged off the building in pieces, not dropped. | $1,000 to $6,500 |
| Making a hazard safe now, finishing laterSometimes the right answer at 2 a.m. is to stabilize it and come back. | Priced separately |
Most homeowners policies cover removal when a tree hits a structure. We photograph and itemize the work so your adjuster has what they need.
Lot and land clearing
Priced per acre, by how heavy the timber is and what has to leave the property.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Light brush and small trees | $1,500 to $3,500 per acre |
| Mixed woods with mature trees | $3,000 to $6,000 per acre |
| Building pad or driveway lane onlyUsually cheaper than clearing the whole parcel. | Priced per job |
| Stumps ground after clearingSee the stump grinding table. | Added per stump |
Northern Michigan lots run rocky and rolling, and remote parcels cost more to reach. Merchantable timber can offset part of the cost on bigger jobs.
Bucket truck by the hour
For work that is really about reach: a sign, a light pole, a roof, or a tree another contractor cannot get to.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Bucket truck with operatorOne hour minimum, portal to portal. | $175 per hour |
| Extra ground hand | $50 to $75 per hour |
| Chipping and haul-away | Priced per load |
Hourly is only cheaper than a fixed price on short jobs. If it will take most of a day, ask for it priced as a job instead.
Dead and hazard trees
A dead tree prices like a live one of the same size, with one difference: waiting makes it cost more.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Dead tree, under 30 feet | $250 to $650 |
| Dead tree, 30 to 60 feet | $450 to $1,200 |
| Dead tree, over 60 feet | $900 to $4,500 |
| Brittle ash or long-dead pineIt cannot be climbed safely, so it is all bucket and rigging work. | Adds 15 to 30 percent |
Emerald ash borer killed the ash across this whole area. A standing dead ash gets more expensive and more dangerous every season it is left.
Firewood
Seasoned hardwood, cut and split, sold in face cords. A face cord is 4 feet by 8 feet of stacked wood cut about 16 inches long.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Face cord, delivered within 20 miles | $95 |
| Face cord, picked up | $85 |
| Full cord, deliveredThree face cords, the same wood. | $255 |
| Delivery beyond 20 miles | About $2 per mile |
| Stacked where you want it | $25 to $50 per cord |
Locally cut and sold locally. Do not move firewood more than about 10 miles: that is how oak wilt, emerald ash borer and beech bark disease travel.
Travel
We are based in Lupton and work about 35 miles out in every direction.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Within 25 miles of Lupton | No travel charge |
| Beyond 25 milesShown as its own line on the estimate, never buried in the price. | $50 to $150 |
| EstimatesOn site or from photos, anywhere in the service area. | Always free |
We batch jobs by town wherever we can, so a job in Glennie or Standish often costs less if it can wait for the week we are out that way.
Paying for it
Card, cash or check. Jobs of $1,000 and up take a 25 percent deposit when you accept the written quote, with the balance due when the work is done and you have walked the yard with us. No payment is due to book an estimate.
What we will not do
We will not quote a firm price sight unseen off a phone call, and we will not take a tree down for free in exchange for the wood. The wood is worth a fraction of what the work costs. What we can do is chip the brush and leave the trunk in rounds for your wood pile, which takes a little off the price.
How a price gets set
You send photos or we come out
Either way the estimate is free, anywhere in the service area.
We look at access before anything else
Where the truck can set up decides whether this is a two hour job or a full day.
You get one number in writing
Itemized, with the travel line shown separately if there is one, good for the dates on it.
The price does not move
Unless you change the job or we find something the photos could not show, like a trunk that is hollow. If that happens you hear about it before we cut, not after.
Want a number for your tree?
Send photos and we will price it, usually the same day. Estimates are always free.