Hey, just wondering what everyone else does out there. We haven't been but will be for now on going to charge people to move the wood we cut down and cut up for them if they are going to keep it. What do you guys do?
Charging to move the wood the cust. is keeping
- Thread starter TheGrunt
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Charge!
First off, we tell every customer we never, ever, under any condition, stack the wood. Mind you, we usually cut everything into firewood size or moveable pieces.
To move it we charge either a token amount if it's not too much of a bother, or a fixed price based on our hourly rate if it has to go from here to "yonder".
Also, moving the wood can be used as a bargaining chip to either play with the price or just to get the job.
First off, we tell every customer we never, ever, under any condition, stack the wood. Mind you, we usually cut everything into firewood size or moveable pieces.
To move it we charge either a token amount if it's not too much of a bother, or a fixed price based on our hourly rate if it has to go from here to "yonder".
Also, moving the wood can be used as a bargaining chip to either play with the price or just to get the job.
We usually will "pile" the wood close to the cut-up spot for no additional cost. Basically we get it off of paths and clustered in a convenient(to us) area. This is something we would have to do anyway as part of a rake and blow, so piling the wood is little extra work and looks a bit nicer than just randomly rolling blocks around. If the moving is more extensive of course we charge, say if they want it all moved to the back yard, although that is not something we generally offer as a service and would be pretty rare.
treeman82
Addicted to ArboristSite
If the wood can stay very close to the stump I don't charge extra for it, but if the wood has to go a distance I start charging... I mean I might as well take it away. For example one job I looked at involved moving the wood from 1 30" diameter hickory, and a 36"+ oak probably almost 200' from where they were being removed, cut up to 15"... might as well just remove it.
Absolutely.
When I said we never stack wood, I meant put it into their firewood pile all nice and neatly stacked. Though there is one woman we stack the firewood for simply because she's a longtime client, pays very well, and no one wants to listen to the old hag whine.
Like you, we will pile all wood neatly and make the place look clean. Unless the cutomer asks for "le bordele", which in French means a mess, and just wants everything where it falls to make the bill as small as possible.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
"The homeowner has expressed a need to take on some of the project work to save money. The client agrees to assume all risk for any work done after the company is finished with the contract work.
Take tree down and pile brush and logs at our discretion, no debris removal or cleanup $xxx
Chip brush, leave logs random length, piled at our discretion... $xxx
Chip brush, leave firewood cut to 16-18 inch lengths, unsplit, piled randomly at our discretion. $xxxx.xx
Piled at our discretion means we will make random plies on the in and around our work area to limit labor cost and maintain a safe work area.
Any further work done after the agreed work is completed will be done at a Time & Materials cost of $xxx/hr"
The need for the clause is CYA for that 1-2% who look at the mess afterwards and RTP's (refuses to pay) until full cleanup is done at the original cost, or at best the "clean job" cost where you were chipping as you worked.
Take tree down and pile brush and logs at our discretion, no debris removal or cleanup $xxx
Chip brush, leave logs random length, piled at our discretion... $xxx
Chip brush, leave firewood cut to 16-18 inch lengths, unsplit, piled randomly at our discretion. $xxxx.xx
Piled at our discretion means we will make random plies on the in and around our work area to limit labor cost and maintain a safe work area.
Any further work done after the agreed work is completed will be done at a Time & Materials cost of $xxx/hr"
The need for the clause is CYA for that 1-2% who look at the mess afterwards and RTP's (refuses to pay) until full cleanup is done at the original cost, or at best the "clean job" cost where you were chipping as you worked.
Canyonbc
Addicted to ArboristSite
I think everyone else has really it summed it up.
JPS great explanation.
I have always looked at it like this. I will ask the customer what they would like to do with the wood. If htey want it piled some where that is fine just figure how many more man hours and x by my how much I charge and hour.
JPS great explanation.
I have always looked at it like this. I will ask the customer what they would like to do with the wood. If htey want it piled some where that is fine just figure how many more man hours and x by my how much I charge and hour.
I found out the hard way that you have to specify what you are going to do with the wood that is left behind.
I had a lady who was crying about the bill being high and she did not have all that much money. I suggested she keep the wood to save some money. I suggested that we could put it in the woods out of sight and out of her way. She thought that was a good idea. Well she had a fenced in back yard and we were going to have to move the wood outside the fence so I thought what the hell...let's just take the wood with us instead of wasting our time moving it. It was basically 4-5 sticks from a hickory tree (basically 10" - 15" diameter) or about a pick up load of wood. I get home and the lady calls to ask where the hell her wood was. I tell her sorry and I would be glad to bring the wood back.
Being the nice guy that I am, I offer to take the wood to her father who wanted the wood. I also cut and split the wood for her father and delivered it to him.
I know it was my fault and I told her that no good deed goes unpunished. It always amazes me how so many church going folk will take advantage of any situation.
I had a lady who was crying about the bill being high and she did not have all that much money. I suggested she keep the wood to save some money. I suggested that we could put it in the woods out of sight and out of her way. She thought that was a good idea. Well she had a fenced in back yard and we were going to have to move the wood outside the fence so I thought what the hell...let's just take the wood with us instead of wasting our time moving it. It was basically 4-5 sticks from a hickory tree (basically 10" - 15" diameter) or about a pick up load of wood. I get home and the lady calls to ask where the hell her wood was. I tell her sorry and I would be glad to bring the wood back.
Being the nice guy that I am, I offer to take the wood to her father who wanted the wood. I also cut and split the wood for her father and delivered it to him.
I know it was my fault and I told her that no good deed goes unpunished. It always amazes me how so many church going folk will take advantage of any situation.
Rftreeman
Addicted to ArboristSite
if I'm working, I getting paid, plain & simple..........
Lawnmowerboy48
ArboristSite Operative
We had a guy not pay because the stump was not removed. He said that it is part of the tree and the quote stated the tree would be removed, stump and all in his mind and not just grinding it out, digging the whole thing out. Now in all of our quote we state that the stump will be cut at x"-x" above soil grade, vary depending upon conditions.
I always include a quote for stump grinding. That clarifies the issue and leads to more sales, too.
Sometimes our competition "includes" stump grinding with the bid, and this lets the customer pick what they want and compare apples to apples.
Sometimes our competition "includes" stump grinding with the bid, and this lets the customer pick what they want and compare apples to apples.
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juststumps
ArboristSite Guru
everything goes, unless it's built into the bid... it takes a lot longer to cut wood to fire place lenght, than it does to stuff into the chipper !!!! time is money...
9 times out of 10, if we leave wood , we have to go back and move it or take it away....people don't want the 20-36 inch rounds...they want the 10-12 inch stuff that fits in the chipper real easy....
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
I should have put in the above post "chipping brush 10 inch diameter and smaller" so that people understand that it will be mostly trunkwood left.
I've developed a number of tweaks to clauses over the years from problems arising from misunderstandings of my work and people I've met.
One fellow out in CA had to clean out all the rotten duff from gutters after removing a large pine. The bid was to clean up all debris and that was debris from the tree. Even if it was 10 years old.
I had one buddy who had to go back and scrape a 30 ft circle of duff from a big spruce, even though it was not a stumpgrind. This was for the same reason as above, all that needle mulch was debris from the tree. I think it when into my buddies garden, real expensive compost.
"cleanup of all debris generated from the above tree work."
Though i often blow out peoples gutter, gratis, if we have to go on the roof to clean twigs and sawdust....I just do not want to have to get on my hands and knees and scoop out 500 Lft of 6 inch gutter
Blakesmaster
Addicted to ArboristSite
Good stuff, JPS!
juststumps
ArboristSite Guru
you get some people who no the deal,,, and some who don't !!!
seems like they all want the 10-12" stuff.. the stuff that goes right thru the chipper... they want ax splitting stuff..
just did a job ,work order stated "ALL WOOD CUT TO FIRE PLACE LENGHT, LEFT IN WOODED AREA" .. so we took down this 90' bean pole ash...24" dbh , 60' to the first crotch. chipped the crown ,, cut up the stick and left... boss got a call the next day from the home owner,,, "are you going to come back and stack it? " he had to send a couple of guys over to stack the wood, and later the home owner is going to pay her landscaper to move the wood again, and split it....WTF
a few weeks before an a multi lead oak, taking out a dead lead, guy wants some wood cut to 20".. i start cutting some stuff from 8" up to 16" diam, dropping it down....next thing i know is my ground guy is chipping the stuff....i come down and ask "whats up".. the guy is pissed becuace all my cuts were 16- 18" long, not 20????? last i heard it all burns the same !!!!
i get so pissed on the job, when one of my guys offers the wood , when its not in the job...they don't realize that its just as easy to put it in the truck, compared to moving it around the customers yard.....and a lot less hassle !!!
TheKid
ArboristSite Operative
good posts here. i like to use the word "pile" vs. "stack" and in the bid specify "remove all prunings" vs. "remove all debris". I guess someone else basically said what i said, but wanted to repeat it, cause that is what has worked for me.
woodchux
Addicted to ArboristSite
Having to move or stack the wood really ruins the beauty of a cut and leave.
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