There is no such thing as a standard price
Nowhere on this site will you find a dollar figure, because any number published without seeing your tree would be a guess dressed up as information. What we can do is explain exactly what a quote is built from, so that when you get three of them you can tell which one has understood the job.
The eight things that move the number
| Factor | Pushes the price down | Pushes the price up |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Truck and chipper within metres of the tree; wide driveway | Stair-only access, narrow side gate, timber carried to the street |
| Drop zone | Open lawn or paddock; tree can be sectioned freely | House, pool, glasshouse or neighbour's roof underneath; everything rigged and lowered |
| Size and volume | Small tree, one tipper load | Mature blackbutt or turpentine producing several loads of timber |
| Species and condition | Sound timber, predictable cutting | Dead, decayed or storm-damaged wood; brittle pine; wet fibrous palm trunk |
| Method | Elevated work platform can reach the tree | Full climbing dismantle, or a crane lift with traffic management |
| Permits | Exempt species or dimensions | Council application, arborist report, replacement planting conditions |
| Ground conditions | Deep shale soil, no rock | Sandstone shelf near the surface, old fill, buried services to locate |
| Timing | Planned work, bundled with other jobs on the block | After-hours emergency callout, single-job mobilisation |
How those play out here
On Sydney's North Shore two of those factors dominate. The first is access, because so much of the area is built on gully sides — Lane Cove, Riverview, Hornsby Heights, Castlecrag — where the garden is below the house and nothing wheeled reaches it. The second is the permit position, because Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby run two of the tightest tree regimes in New South Wales, and applications, reports and replacement planting are all real costs and real weeks.
Soil matters too. On the shale ridge through Gordon, Pymble and St Ives the trees are simply bigger, so there is more timber to move. Down on the Hawkesbury sandstone the trees are smaller but the stump grinding frequently meets rock, which limits depth and slows the machine.
Where people lose money
Three recurring mistakes. Booking the removal now and the stump later, which pays two mobilisations for one tree — grinding on the same visit is almost always cheaper. Accepting a quote that has not stated how the timber leaves the property, which is the number one cause of a price changing on the day. And leaving a tree for a decade because pruning felt like an expense, until it becomes a removal that costs many times more.
Getting a real number
Someone looks at the tree, the access and what sits underneath, and you get a fixed price with inclusions written down. Free, no obligation, and if the answer is that the tree should stay, we will say so.
Ring (02) 9090 4915. Related reading: tree removal, stump removal, emergency work and the FAQ.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't you publish a price list?
Because the same tree costs wildly different amounts depending on where it stands. A twelve-metre gum with a truck alongside it and a clear drop zone might be a half-day job for two. The identical tree behind a 900mm gate, over a pool, down eight steps, in Ku-ring-gai with a permit application attached, is several days of work. A price list would be fiction.
What is the single biggest cost driver?
Access, more often than size. Cutting a tree down is a small part of the day; moving it is most of it. If a chipper can sit within a few metres of the tree and a tipper can be loaded directly, the job is efficient. If every piece has to be carried up three flights of sandstone steps to the street, it is not, and that is where the hours go.
Are emergency callouts more expensive?
Yes, and for real reasons. A damaged tree holds stored tension and is harder and slower to dismantle than a sound one, out-of-hours work carries penalty rates, and the crew is mobilising for one job instead of a planned run. If the danger can safely wait until morning, waiting will cost you less.
Should I take the cheapest quote?
Compare what each quote actually includes before deciding. Common gaps are stump grinding, green waste removal, traffic control, council application fees and making good after machine access. A quote that is dramatically lower than the others is usually either missing something or assuming an access method that will not work on the day.