Having trees lopped

boyse7en

A neighbor has asked whether I could get some trees shortened, as they are blocking the light into his garden.

Anyone got any idea how much it is likely to cost? Ballpark figures obviously.

The trees (four of them) are some sort of fir, and are about 45' high. I don't want to cut them right down, as they provide shelter for my property. Just taking them down to 30' or so would probably do the trick.

hethmar

Quite a lot unfortunately. Has your neighbour offered to contribute to the cost at all?

Get a few local quotes.

LJM

you can normally get a free consaltation we did when we had 2 large trees cut down in our back garden, though it worked out so expensive that my FIL came and helped us do it took longer but was free

hethmar

Yes, we did it ourselves too but its quite a strenuous job and you do need several strong blokes.

boyse7en

Are you allowed to do the work yourself if the trees are overhanging a road?
I've got a chainsaw, and ladders, but I'd be concerned about bits of tree falling into the road (it's only a country lane, so not much traffic). I'd also be concerned about some bod turning up and demanding a license/permission/tree order or some other bit of paperwork that I haven't got.

Rikki

Depending on the type of tree, this is the wrong time of the year to be pruning them as the sap is rising.

hethmar

I wonder if the council highways would help out here? Worth trying anyway

You need permission if they are protected but it doesnt sound as if they are - you would surely know? Yes, always a problem there but I guess if you are really careful ..... just realised they arent heavy trees like oaks or ash are they - are they pretty spindly anyway? You need a few strong men though to hold ropes and so on to make sure the bits fall into your land rather than anyone elses.

Get a few quotes first.

[Deleted User]

Had my trees done last month, I paid £250 for the oak tree and £350 for the ash tree. I am in London.

boyse7en

Spindly? Not really - the trunks are about 3' diameter at the base. No idea about further up as you can't really see up very far due to the myriad thin shoots that pop out of the trunk and branches.

Don't worry about it being the wrong time of year, if I go ahead with this I'm guessing that it will take a fair bit of forward planning.

As a bit of a follow-on, if I just leave them to carry on growing, other than annoying the bloke over the road because his garden is in shade, are there any legal obligations or problems I might run into if he gets shirty?

Rikki

boyse7en - if you do prune them before October cover the wounds on the tree with
Arbrex Seal & Heal
It's to stop infection possibly getting into the tree so you don't loose the trees altogether. :eek:

bromsgrovebarry

If I remember correctly, the neighbour could complain if the trees prevent reasonable enjoyment of his garden. He could pay a fee and get a council bod to assess the situation.