I identified a risky tree (a very large and tall tree) on my property that needed to be removed…read morebecause it was in danger of falling on the house.
After doing some research on the web, I procured an estimate and proposal from a fully-insured local tree service contractor with a good reputation and with great reviews to do the job, namely, from Hoods Tree Service.
At a point about 2 hours into the job, after he had removed some of the top limbs (about 70 to 80 feet above ground), the owner, Robert Hood, informed me that he would be unable to proceed because he felt that the tree was too high-risk, and he feared that he might be killed if he continued the work, and he explained that there would be no charge for the 2 hours of work he'd already done. Best of all, he told me that the upper branches that he had been able to remove before ending the job had all been branches that had extended over the house, and with these branches removed, this greatly increased the chance that if the tree did fall within the next few months, that it would fall AWAY from the house, rather than onto it.
Robert Hood kindly recommended another larger local tree service company to handle the dangerous job, telling me the company he was recommending is extremely competent at handling removal of very high-risk trees. He also warned me that the tree was so dangerous that the job would definitely require the use of a bucket lift or a crane!
I did eventually contact and use the services of the larger company that Robert had recommended, and they did a great job, but it took them a long time, a large crew, and the use of a 72' boom lift (bucket lift) on caterpillar treads, and of course, the price for the job was justifiably quite a bit more than the original estimate from Hoods Tree Service.
BTW, even though Robert would not allow me to pay him anything for the 2 hours of excellent work he had performed on the tree prior to having been forced to end the job, I plan to hire him soon to remove some dead limbs from another tree near the house that are overhanging the house, and so I am happy that he will at least get to finally make some money off work on the numerous trees on my forested mountainside property!
I feel that Robert Hood of Hoods Tree Services is very competent, very professional, and very careful in his work! He is also very good at communicating with the customer about the job, the options, and about possible hazards, at every step of the way!
