Tree Limbing: How to Hire Tree Services for the Job
When would consumers be advised to hire a tree service? Reflect upon the following image:
A tree limb crashing through a window, sprinkling glass all over the living room carpet is surely an occurrence to avoid. But what if you need to have tree limbing/pruning work done in order to let more sun into a garden area? If you undertake your tree limbing project yourself, you risk precisely that occurrence, when the tree in question looms over your house like the fabled sword of Damocles. Clearly, tree limbing is not a project to rush into. Even the most ardent do-it-yourselfer will probably want to defer to the expertise of a tree service on this one. The problem is: How do you locate tree services? And once you've located them, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff for a difficult tree limbing job?
Caveats When Hiring Tree Services
Certainly, an all-purpose handyman driving around a neighborhood in a pickup truck with a chainsaw and hollering out sales pitches may not be suitable for work demanding such a high level of responsibility.
Also be wary of hiring tree services requesting payment in advance or who wish to begin work without having drawn up a free estimate of the cost laying out precisely what the tree limbing job entails and for how much.
For dangerous work such as this, tree services' demonstrated possession of adequate insurance may well be the consumer's primary consideration. Request to see certificates of liability and workman's compensation insurance, and check that they are current. Phone the insurance company to verify current policy information. Uninsured companies can be detrimental to the homeowner.
Also ascertain how prepared the tree service is to take appropriate action in the event that a mishap occurs. For instance, tree services removing limbs situated directly over telephone wires leading into your house should have experience in splicing together damaged wires. To minimize the liklihood of such damage in the first place, skilled tree services carefully control the fall of limbs using ropes.
Written by David Beaulieu