Another hedge question - DIY removal or pay professional?

ChasingtheWelshdream

Short version:

Is removing a large privet hedge a DIY job? Or better left to the specialists with all the gear.


Long version:

We want to replace a hedge with a lower fence. Justification - it is sickly, sits in deep shade, doesn’t thrive, gives little privacy and takes a good foot out of our side path making access to our garden awkward. The neighbour is happy as it will reduce maintenance their side, so now we need to get down to business. At present there are no nesting birds but will obviously check very carefully before going ahead.

 It is quite daunting, 8-9 foot privet, approx 18 meters.

The first step is removing it and dealing with the roots where the post holes will go. We will be putting up the fence ourselves.

I had planned to get a company in to deal with the removal but am struggling to get anyone to quote.

Given the size, is it something that would be crazy to attempt ourselves? Armed with only loppers, hedge trimmer brute (ish) force and a skip, I’m thinking it would take us many, many times longer than a specialist.

Or not?

greyteam1959

If you have the time, the inclination & basic equipment then do it yourself.
Privet is not deep rooted so should be easy enough to deal with.
I would guess that to get somebody in to do the job & remove the waste you could be looking around £500 ??

ChasingtheWelshdream

Oh I admit I assumed the roots would be large and awkward just due to the size of it. However, a skip alone is £240 as we need a road permit so that kind of price is not unattractive actually…

ashe

I took one out that was about 1.5m tall and 3m long and it was a horrible job, the roots were very long and spindley. Not thick, but they were everywhere and as we wanted to put a lawn there we had to dig them all to turn the soil over. They were several feet long. For that size I would absolutely get someone in to do it

ChasingtheWelshdream

Ouch, that is how I assumed it would be. Horribly time consuming.  It’s going to take us long enough to do the fence so I’m thinking the hedge will be money we’ll spent.

If only I could get someone interested …. sigh

FreeBear

2.5m high, with an 18m run - That is a lot of privet, and you'd need several skips. Get someone to do all the grunt work, and they can chip the stuff as it comes out. Yes, it will cost you, but so will three or four skips.

ChasingtheWelshdream

Thanks, definitely one of those times where trying to do it ourselves would be a false economy! 

Yep, going to stick with plan A. Pay someone! 

koalakoala

We got a company in to remove ours when we moved. They used a mini digger, removed the jungle in no time. I don’t know what it cost as they did other work but they removed all the rubbish

BUFF

FreeBear said:

2.5m high, with an 18m run - That is a lot of privet, and you'd need several skips. Get someone to do all the grunt work, and they can chip the stuff as it comes out. Yes, it will cost you, but so will three or four skips.

Honsetly, as someone with a ~5m run of ~8ft high privet & who has to just trim this every year, what FreeBear said. If you don't chip it that is going to take up a lot of space/skips.
Anytime that I have missed a year I regret it the next ...

TELLIT01

Pro's with a chipper will probably have the lot out in a single day.  Chipped it will also take up a lot less space and they will probably sell the chips on.  As you have nowhere to put a skip off the road the question almost answers itself in purely practicality terms.

Andy_L

You might want to have a look at your deeds. Its unlikely, but there might be a restrictive covenant that mandates having hedges as the boundary