Removed 2 trees:
*Very large red oak in back yard, very close to house, with significant basal decay
*Large water oak in front of home, close to house, with wound/decay
New Urban Forestry is now THE standard in Athens, GA, and for good reason. Kevin and his team of climbers are the only tree service in the Athens area who combine the use of innovative climbing techniques; the latest technology in tree cutting equipment; top tier safety including full hazard insurance; expert climbers who are also arborists; and the sustainable use of wood waste. In addition, Kevin and his entire crew are good and trustworthy people.
We knew about our dangerous trees for a while after meeting with the city arborist, but we realized that the job would be expensive. After hearing universal praise about New Urban, we knew that ideally we wanted them to do our work; however, we also heard almost universally that they were expensive. We had a couple of other opinions on cost of removal, and for the difficult tree in the backyard precariously close to the house, the guesses we had come up with (around $3,000) were low. One company quoted us $4,200 to remove just the tree in the back, and another quote over $5,000! New Urban quoted and charged about $3,000 for the tree in the back. Not only do they have the best reputation, they also gave us the lowest quote! Their quote and charge for the tree in the front was also very competitive.
New Urban's reputation as being expensive is really a myth. They are not expensive. As we found out, their prices are spot on for the level of quality service they provide. They arrived on the day of removal on time. They coordinated with the power company to cut our power, and cut it back on after they were finished in that area. They consulted with us to make a plan that would best avoid damaging our other trees, plants and property. They worked quickly and safely. Their expertise in climbing, cutting, grounding and cleaning up was astounding to watch. They were coordinated, they communicated with each other, they were a team.
New Urban finished cutting the two trees in one day, which was amazing considering the size of the trees and their level of difficulty, especially the very large red oak in the backyard. The red oak was 6' from the house, and roughly 1' from the garage and front fence. It was a tight spot, and the tree was a huge danger to our property and our lives, potentially. On the second day, all they had left was clean up, which was done with minimal footprint.
New Urban does the little things right, too. I mentioned that they coordinated with Georgia Power to cut off and cut back on the power. It was nice to not have to worry about that. They worked in a way that left minimal trace of their being in our yard, even cutting the tree stumps down very low. We're keeping the stumps because they look so good, not grinding them down. They left a mound of beautiful mulch, which we used generously all over the yard, even saving some. They had to take down a section of fence in the backyard, and they even replaced the fencing themselves. I'm not even sure they were supposed to do that, but they did it anyway. Kevin himself helped me transplant a little bush that was going to be in the way of the work during the job planning. The guys were always friendly, professional, and considerate of us.
Its hard to not go on and on about New Urban. They were the most impressive of any service we've used in Athens, and that includes plumbers, electricians, contractors, etc. I cannot stress enough that if you're using any other tree service because of cost or another reason, you are using an inferior company. Use New Urban if at all possible. If anything, support their love of tree cutting, their best practices in safety, and their sustainable use of wood waste. read more
