How a job runs
From the first call to the last barrow out, in the order it actually happens. Most people have never had tree work done before, so nothing here is assumed knowledge.
1. The call or the form
Tell us the postcode, roughly what the tree is doing and what is underneath it. If you can send a photo taken far enough back to see the whole tree, that alone saves a visit's worth of guessing. Storm and dangerous-tree calls are answered day and night; everything else gets a reply within one working day.
2. The register check
Before we quote, we check whether the tree carries a Tree Preservation Order and whether the address falls inside one of the district's 19 conservation areas. This decides whether the job can happen in two weeks or eight, so it comes first rather than last. You get the answer in writing either way.
3. The visit
Fifteen to thirty minutes, free, and no obligation. We look at three things: the tree itself, including defects you cannot see from the ground; what is underneath and around it; and the route in and out for gear and waste. That third one is what most quotes get wrong.
4. The written quote
Emailed, usually within a day or two. It names each tree, the work on it, the method, the access route, what happens to the waste, expected time on site, and the total. It also states the protected-tree position and, where relevant, what the application or notice will cost and how long it will take. No deposit is asked for.
5. The paperwork, if the tree is protected
If you go ahead, we prepare and lodge the application or the section 211 notice, with the arboricultural justification written properly. Then we wait: up to eight weeks for a TPO decision, six weeks for a conservation area notice, or four weeks through the council's fast track where it fits. We do not book a crew until the position is confirmed.
6. Before the day
We confirm the date in writing and tell you what we need from you. Usually that is: cars off the drive, the side gate unlocked, pets in, and anything breakable moved off the patio. If we need to work over a neighbour's boundary, that conversation happens now rather than on the morning.
7. The day itself
- Set up. Drop zone marked out, gear checked, ground protection down where a machine has to cross a lawn.
- A last look at the tree. Things visible from a rope that are not visible from the ground occasionally change the method. If it changes the price, you hear it before we carry on, not after.
- The work. Climbed or worked from a platform, sections lowered on ropes wherever there is anything below worth protecting.
- Chipping as we go. Brash does not pile up all day and then get dealt with at four o'clock.
- Noise. Chainsaws and a chipper are loud. We start at a civilised hour and we tell your neighbours what to expect if you would like us to.
8. The clear-up
Chip and brash away, or left as mulch if you asked for that. Timber cut to length and stacked, or removed. Ground raked, paths swept, ruts made good, gates shut. Sawdust does not disappear entirely, and on a lawn you will see where the tree was for a season. We tell you that in advance rather than letting you find out afterwards.
9. After
An invoice with the same number as the quote. Any paperwork the job generated, including copies of the consent or notice and the waste transfer note if you want it. If something is not right, ring us with a photograph and we will come back and look.
Start at step one
Postcode, rough description, a photo if you have one. That is all we need to get going.