Kevin Swafford was referred to us by a landscape designer who came over to work up some plans for…read moremy wife and I, on a home we purchased a year ago. But with minor remodeling and a very hot summer, very little was done outside. Once she saw the sheer number of trees on our property, and the overgrown ground cover, she advised us to completely trim the high canopy, remove junk trees, runners, and have the existing medium sized trees and bushes cut back, to better utilize natural sunlight with her design. Nice to have someone actually listen to what we really wanted as opposed to having the "one size fits all" approach.
It was amazing how fast Kevin, arrived on scene after her phone call (he just happened to be working not far away) and equally amazing was Kevin's audit of our existing trees and overall approach to cleaning up our entire lot. His plan was moderate trimming and shaping, with an eye towards future growth, and our overall long term goals; A) slowly cutting back the Cedar, allowing the existing Live Oak, Texas Red Oak and other desirables room to grow, and B) make room for a better mix of trees down the road. Kevin gave us a rough estimate on how long it would take and the overall cost, including haul-off, plus a firm start date!!! Wow... game on. Let's see if this guy is for real.
Monday morning a Certified Arborist (Kevin) and crew show up and got started on the job. They began at the back of the property that's adjacent to the greenbelt, and cut out all of the dead and dying Cedar first, and hauled all of the 'slash' up the hill to their truck. Then started in working their way back to the street, trimming and hauling, trimming and hauling. After three grueling days and numerous loads we were able to see the light of day! Pun intended. Throughout this, Kevin kept us informed, offered options and generally amazed us with his knowledge of trees and Central Texas' specifics. He was patient as he explained "Oak Wilt" and why they carefully seal fresh cuts to help prevent the spread of the disease. Job well done, on time, within budget and meticulously cleaned before they left.