Tree trimming in Greenville, SC often runs a few hundred dollars for a typical job, and more for a tall tree or hard access. One guide puts it at about $400 per job, and another gives $392 to $583 for a medium tree. These are estimates, not quotes.
Need this done? See tree Trimming in Greenville, SC or call (864) 555-0142.
Those figures come from Today's Homeowner and Homeyou. They are consumer cost guides, not prices from this company, and your tree may fall well outside them.
What drives the price of tree trimming?
The size of the tree is the biggest factor. A small ornamental tree can be done from a ladder. A tall oak or pine needs a climber or a lift, and that takes more time and more skill. The more limbs come off, the longer the job takes.
The second factor is what the limbs hang over. Taking a limb off a roof, a power line or a fence is slower than taking one off in an open yard, because the crew has to control where each piece lands. The third is how easy it is to reach the tree: a gate, a slope or a back yard with no machine access adds time.
Is trimming priced by the hour or by the job?
Both happen. Some crews quote a flat price for the whole job after they look at the tree. Others charge by the hour for a crew and machine. Ask which one you are getting, and ask what happens if the job runs longer than planned.
A written flat price is easier to compare. If a company quotes by the hour, ask how long it expects the job to take.
What is usually included?
Ask what the price covers before you say yes:
- cutting the limbs you pointed out, and any dead wood the crew finds
- chipping the branches, or hauling them away
- cleaning up the sawdust and small debris
- any special care near the roof, a pool or a wire
Cleanup is where quotes differ most. A low price that leaves a pile of branches in the yard is not the same price as one that hauls them. If you want the chips for your beds, say so, and see tree mulching for what chips are good for.
Do oaks and pines cost different amounts to trim?
They can. Big oaks have wide, heavy limbs that take rigging to lower. Tall pines have long clear trunks, so a climber has a long way up before reaching any limbs, and a lot of the work happens high off the ground. Neither is cheap if the tree is large. A small crepe myrtle or dogwood is much cheaper.
The condition matters as well. A tree with a lot of dead wood in the crown takes more care, because dead limbs break without warning.
What is not trimming?
Topping a tree, which means cutting the top and big limbs off, is not trimming. It leaves ugly stubs, weak regrowth and wounds that rot. A crew that offers to top a tree for a low price is not doing you a favor. Ask for the cuts to be made back to a branch, not chopped off in the middle of a limb.
When is a trim the wrong answer?
Sometimes the tree is the problem, not the limbs. A trunk that is cracked, leaning more every year or soft at the base will not be fixed by taking some branches off. If a crew tells you the tree should come down, ask them to show you why. The tree removal page explains the signs.
How do you get an accurate price?
Get a written estimate after someone has seen the tree. A price over the phone from a short description is a guess. Point to the limbs you want gone and say what they are touching. Ask for the estimate to name what is included, and when the work will happen.
When is the best time to trim? Many trees do well in the dormant season. Read when to prune trees in the Upstate of South Carolina before you book.
Ready to get a price for your trim?
Call or send the estimate form with what the tree is touching, how tall it is and how many limbs you want gone. We will tell you what the job takes and what goes into the price.
Need help with this?
See our tree Trimming page for how it works and typical prices, or call (864) 555-0142 and tell us what you’re looking at.