Get matched with top land clearing pros in Marion, MI

If you can’t find any records online, you’ll need to contact your county clerk’s office to do further research. They should have property records on file, or can at least point you in the right direction of who to contact. You can also speak with your neighbors about when their houses were built because they were likely built around the same time.

This is fairly rare, but sometimes the local government or a group like a historical society will label a tree as a landmark, or historical item. These designations almost always come with a small, on-site plaque for identification, but you should also be able to look up protected trees in your area on a city website or similar list. If the tree in question is a landmark, call your local government and ask how to proceed before making any plans.

Measure from zero on a measuring tape by placing the metal hook right up against the edge of what you need to measure. You can also latch the hook onto an open edge—of, say, a table—to accurately measure as well. If you begin at the 1-inch mark, you'll need to subtract an inch from your total.

Prior to excavation, you should prepare the dig site and call 311 before you sign anything.

To get your site ready for excavation, you should move anything in the area that isn’t affixed to the land. You can save money on the excavation by removing hardscaping, including walkways, decks, concrete patios, and paver patios.

Before you carry out any digging, you should call 311 to confirm that there are no utility lines running through your excavation site. Skipping this step could lead to severe injury and property damage if your excavator hits a water, sewage, or gas line.