St. Louis County Arborist

We had a very large (and very "tricky") white oak tree strongly leaning over our entire house.  It was an extremely tricky cut, and was... with a great deal of work... dropped perfectly.  If you're willing to work with Chad on timing, debris pick-up, etc... you can save some money.  His quote was 25% less than the other two quotes we got.

Started on Thursday May 2nd. They started cutting  limbs from the top and dropping them in my yard, but due to electric line going to the house they had to call electric. company to drop the lines so they could cut the main trunk. Due to Electric company schedule this had to be done the following Tuesday, May 7th. Which was understandable. In the interum, the tie wall was damaged and we made an agreement for them to replace tie retaining wall with block, I provided materials, they were to remove ties, replace with blocks.  They agreed to  start on wall on Saturday morning May 4th.  I ordered materials, and they were delivered in my driveway on Friday morning.  Saturday morning no one showed up, I called them and he said he had a prior commitment he had forgotten about, he was at Six Flags with his kids. (OK?!) He promised to begin the next day Sunday, May 5th. He did show up Sunday, afternoon, and  began removing the ties on the wall.   He through them  off to the side of my yard hear the house, because the larger  top limbs were still laying in 5-6 ft long  peices in the yard around the wall and tree. He worked for about three hours then left, state he would be back the following day, Monday.  ( I was to have contractors start that following Wed to put a patio in). He was a no show again Monday.  Tuesday, May 7th, the crew of three showed up with Electric Company to fished cutting down the tree, electric lines were dropped and they cut the tree down.  This was a large tree,  base of trunk was apx. 2.5 ft in diameter  and the final cut was about  20-25 ft long (it laid across the entire lower level of the yard). Leaving a large stump about 2.5 ft tall.  At this time, they knock on my door and tell me the tree is down but it is too big and too knotty for them to cut up, if I want it cut up it will cost an additional $650 and to remove the stump will be and additional $700 on top of that, but they could get a winch truck in to remove the main trunk and the longer (5-6ft) pieces of the upper trunk,  but they would cut up the  smaller branch as agreed.  They spend the next hour or so making phone calls, ( to get electric company to reconnect the line to my house) and to get the winch truck there. They then tell me that  Electric Co had emergency and would be out around 4pm to reconnect. The winch truck will be by in an hour or so to take care of the  tree trunk.  Then he tells me that he will be back the following day (Wed. May 8th) with a three man crew to  'knock out ' the wall and stairs and finish it up.
The crew with the winch truck was a different company, and wanted another $1100 to remove tree and stump, they came back the following day and removed everything, and cleaned up the yard. The guy showed up around 1Pm with one other guy to work on the wall and steps, they got the wall 3/4 done and steps (4 steps) half tore out but then left.  Didnt come back for three days, when I called, he said he had been sick, but would be out the following morning. He actually showed up on Sunday, Mother's day, worked for about an hour, and then left. He didnt come back Wed May 15th,  to work on steps, put in maybe 8 blocks and left. Came back without any notice on Sat May 18th. while I was loading the tie wall onto a trailor to haul away, he helped me load the tie wall, then left for lunch said he would be back after lunch, he didnt come back and I called him on Monday  May 20 left a message that I didnt think it was going to work out that I would find another contractor to finish the job.
He showed up again Thursday, May 23 unannounced  and began working without my knowledge,  when I realized he and his partner where there, I told them to stop and explained that I had called another contractor to complete the job, that he didnt show up and that he wasn't doing the work right. They put the wall up without ANY base, they put the blocks right on the dirt, no gravel base, no drainage pipe behind the wall, nothing... and after sever days of rain the wall was looking like it was leaning backward slightly.  He got a little attitude with me and said he was in the hospital  with a hernia since Monday May 20th for three days after lifting the ties with me the previous Saturday. After a short argument,  and me telling him he should have called, or kept his schedule, and after the deal with the tree, and now this, I didn't want to do business with him anymore.
I have another company to remove the wall, and redo it correctly, as well as the steps, and clean up the yard that was messed up, and remove all debris left from steps, which is costing me much more.. All in call this little adventure has cost me  $9860, when all I wanted was a dead tree removed.