i thought my estimate was low........

[Goose IBEW]

I just gave a price on a tree that really had me second guessing myself. Red oak about 28-30 inches in diameter at 4' off the ground. The tree is rooted inside the side walk and hooks out to the middle of the street as it goes up, about 65' tall. The trunk is cracked from about 7 feet up to about 18'. I planned on 100% rigging this tree down to avoid damaging the street, sidewalk and curb. $800 without grinding.

There is also another large oak next to it with dead limbs in it, some just unattached and resting on live branches. $200 to trim out the dead wood. I was going to set 2 lines and transverse between these two trees and leave my tip in the good tree for the removal, no need to worry about that now. Funny thing is, I'm not worried in the least about losing that job. I feel the tree was larger than an $800 removal accounts for, that's not even considering the danger that the crack up the side of it puts into the equation.



Two more slightly smaller white oaks to trim, trees are dumping dead branches on their parked cars. $150 each.

A 5th tree that is about 18" in diameter, tree hooks clean across the street and branches overhang 7.2kv primary. $150 to trim, $650 to remove leaving the stump behind.

Am I in left field or are these low prices? She just called me and told me she found someone in the family who will do it with a "family discount in mind." I simply said thank you for the call and call again if you need anything.

Am I in the right ballpark with my estimates and how I see the job as a low estimate? The family deal thing gives me the feeling that the job was in the toilet from the get go.

 

[timberland ts]

Its part of the business,pisses you off put nothing you can do. I just lost a 20000 job by 500 bucks. I still question some of my bids. Ill usually get 75% of my jobs. If your less than 50% then worry.

 

[DavdH]

Walk away smiling, you are cheap enough, I charge family extra cause they always want to help!

 

[Isna]

Your prices seem right to me (but I'm no longer in the US...). Some charge lower but do a crappy job (we unfortunately get that often). As said, you have to worry when you get only 50% of the jobs you priced. We are around 70%. It is a pain when, for big jobs, you spend a lot of time pricing and don't get the job. In those cases, we try to know who got the job and for what price. If the price difference is important, no regrets: either he will loose money, either he will do a crappy job... If the job is indeed crappy, they might call us next time even if we're more expensive (happened quite a few times).

 

[stltreedr]

I think sometimes people know that they aren't going to hire you from the get-go. Their brother in law or 2nd cousin or someone tells them to get an estimate and he'll beat it. It's a crappy waste of time, but goes with the business. Your price sounded pretty aggressive to me, especially on the big removal. It's hard to compete with family members, or people that are just trying to make their next rent payment and a case of Stag.

The good news is, these guys get burnt out after they realize they can't make any money that way.

The bad news is, there's usually another one to take his spot.

I suspect there will be wayyyy less people with the work ethic to do this kind of job in the next 15-20 years, though.

 

[joezilla11]

Around here all you do is climb up w/o ppe and take self portraits and face shots with ur cellphone and then have someone take a pic of u dancing on a stump and then write real big that u will beat any price. Oh and don't forget a picture of your ladder... He must have a cousin

 

[rms61moparman]

She well may call you back after "nephew Joe" half asses it or worse!


Mike

 

[pro94lt]

I think sometimes people know that they aren't going to hire you from the get-go. Their brother in law or 2nd cousin or someone tells them to get an estimate and he'll beat it. It's a crappy waste of time, but goes with the business. Your price sounded pretty aggressive to me, especially on the big removal. It's hard to compete with family members, or people that are just trying to make their next rent payment and a case of Stag.

The good news is, these guys get burnt out after they realize they can't make any money that way.

The bad news is, there's usually another one to take his spot.

I suspect there will be wayyyy less people with the work ethic to do this kind of job in the next 15-20 years, though.

right on!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Goose IBEW]

Thanks for the good feedback. The word "aggressive" is very kind, haha. I know what kind of business structure I'm looking to build and selling myself short isn't in the equation. The large tree with the crack in the trunk is realistically a 12-1500 dollar job. I am quite content to have my exit on this one.

 

[Zale]

You can't loose money on a job you don't get. The best hitter in baseball only averaged 400. Don't sweat it.

 

[Grouchy old man]

She just called me and told me she found someone in the family who will do it with a "family discount in mind."

If they had a tree company in the family I think they would have called them first. So to me that "someone" is uncle George and his idiot son with a Wild Thang and a 40' ladder.

 

[woodchuck357]

I think we have lost as many jobs from pricing to low as to high

WE don't have lots of equipment or a big crew that have to be paid whether they work or not, so our bids reflect our real costs and profit for that job only. Our bids are often less than 50% of the big boys and some folks think they get what they pay for(higher bid means better work) so they wind up with poorer quality work and pay more for it.

I don't loose money on a job some one else gets and I gain more time for fishing!:msp_biggrin:

 

[Goose IBEW]

If they had a tree company in the family I think they would have called them first. So to me that "someone" is uncle George and his idiot son with a Wild Thang and a 40' ladder.

I think the son was gung ho to rent a high reach. That job will be a tall task without any rigging equipment. I can see the side walk and curb cracking, haha.

 

[since16]

Very fair

That bid price seems very fair. I normally ad $100 or so minimum for a dangerous tree. Everybody wants to get 90% of their bids. If u don't bid a tree like that for enough u will have to do it fast and on a split tree u don't wanna compromise between time and money.

 

[treecutterjr]

Same experience this week

I just had the same experience earlier this week. My friends parents had an Oak in the Back Yard roughly 36" in diameter, maybe 60-70 ft. About 5 feet from the shed that its growing over top of. Narrow, paper thin driveway. everything has to be roped out. If the bucket is in the driveway you have to drag all the brush between the house and truck out to the street. I was VERY hesitant about putting a crane on the thin driveway AND the stump base is growing into the chain link fence

I bid $1500 Tree &Stump, $1350 Tree & No Stump.

My friend text me later and said, "my parents got someone else, I guess you didn't give them the family discount."

I ride over to check out the competition and its some guys in the yard with 2 PICKUPS and 2 TRAILERS. No helmets, no glasses, no chaps, no gloves.

WTF!
I was not impressed.

They called me once before for a tree and ended up getting some boot-leg guys. I just went becuase of my friend, but it makes you wonder what some people are thinking when they call you.

DID THEy expect me to beat "2 Men & a Trucks prices?!!

Its okay to give family and friends a break when its something you can give a break on. But, when its something complicated or highly technical you just have to give it to them like it is. I can give you a cheap/easy price on a cheap/easy tree. Thats it.

you can't win 'em all & I've learned that sometimes you don't want to!

 

[Goose IBEW]

I am quickly realizing that there is a big difference between being a hack and simply just starting out with your business. I practice safe climbing techniques, buy the right gear, and most importantly, supply my workers with gloves, hard hats, high viz vest, safety glasses and hearing protection. Good luck to the ones that give that "family discount", I'm sure their "crew" has much respect for the way they do things.

 

[cjtreeclimber]

Working Cheap gets old. I find more money in the smaller jobs than the big ones sometimes. Better off trimming holly bushes than climbing around in a big ass oak tree and wearing yourself out plus wear on your sharp chains and having to pay for bar oil and all that . . no thanks.

 

[Jed1124]

I think you might have been a bit low. 800 for a 65 ft oak that needs to be rigged down is cheap. I grew up in Jersey and spent a lot of time in South Jersey on a friends farm. Down there everybody has a cousin that will drop that there tree for ya for a case of busch and a pack of smokes. Don't sweat it. I have to admit it seems like a lot of tree work goes cheap in Jersey. Do they require licensing for tree work? My old man has a magnetic business card on his fridge with a guy advertising topping. I drive around and see a lot of crappy work down there, then again I drive around and see a lot of crappy work up here. Seems to me it's better to work for clients that want to take care of there trees than customers that want removals. You are always competing against the guy with the pickup for the removals.

 

[Goose IBEW]

I think its time to learn some business marketing strategies. Its important to guide your business in the direction you want it to go. If you simply sit back and wait for customers that hire you based on give away prices, you can become stagnant real fast.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I think you have to be a really crappy person if you are a tree guy that has family that is asking you for you to do them a discount favor, (family discount), and you have them get a couple bids just so you can under cut them by a couple bucks to line your pockets so you can make your family think you did them a favor,,,:msp_ohmy:
Jeff