DAMAGE!! on purpose???

[OTG BOSTON]

Anybody ever purposly damage a house or a car with a tree??

I may have a situation where the owner wants to demo a three season porch, so instead of rigging around it.................................

If it all works out pics to follow

 

[begleytree]

yeah. My competitor did that too. Guy told crew don't worry about an older shed. after they smashed it, the co. owner gets a call.
He has a new shed now, guess who bought it?
another thing about that: it was on a big road. for months afterward folks would ask me if I saw where my competitor smashed a guy's shed. imo, be careful knocking a porch off a house. even it it's planned, other folks will assume it was an accident.
-Ralph

 

[moss]

I can hear the 911 calls now "A tree just hit a house in my neighorhood!"

Also, want to make sure of course that the porch doesn't pull the side of the house off as it goes down

Reminds me of the unfortunate narcoleptic "arborist" video where he totals a car, fun to watch if you don't own the car. I love the way the windows exploded when the tree came down.
-moss

 

[hobby climber]

Imagine how this would sound to the police officer who investigate the damage after the home owner calls 911...


Tree guy:- "But officer, the owner told me to take out his porch...honest"!

Police:- "Sure he did sunny..sure he did! ...now whats the name of your insurance company"? HC

 

[turnkey4099]

I for sure wouldn't proceed without having a written agreement. Might even add notifying the local emergency people also.

Harry K

 

[ddhlakebound]

We got to mash a junk Ford Ranger once.

This Latino couple called us out to look at two trees on a lot they were demolishing for a rebuild.

The first tree was a silver maple, between 5 and 6 feet dbh, eighty feet tall, and probably a hundred feet wide. And hollow. And over the only structure on the property they wanted to keep. Took half a look, and knew there was no way we'd touch that tree.

The other was a fairly large elm, 22 in dbh, and sixty feet tall. It was an easy drop, except a lil pickup in the way.

"So what do you want done with this one?"

"We just want it cut down, we will clean it up, can you do it today?"

"Yeah....we can do that.....but what about the Ranger, do you want to drag it out of there?"

"No. Just mash it. Its ok, its scrap anyway."

Elm tree hit the truck along the back window at the top of the cab, and beginning of the bed. Mashed it to the ground, the tree was about a foot off the ground, with lots of mashed metal beneath it. Kinda fun, very memorable.

 

[LightningLoader]

I've only heard of people intentionally damaging people's property for revenge. Not to help them out.

 

[TackleTree]

Yeah, be carefull. Is the porch attached to the house? How close is the porch to the house. Although it sounds like fun, I would not do it unless the right papers were signed and the authorities notified. Just seems there is too much to lose for you if you proceed. The risk to benefit just isnt woth it.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

We got to mash a junk Ford Ranger once.

This Latino couple called us out to look at two trees on a lot they were demolishing for a rebuild.

The first tree was a silver maple, between 5 and 6 feet dbh, eighty feet tall, and probably a hundred feet wide. And hollow. And over the only structure on the property they wanted to keep. Took half a look, and knew there was no way we'd touch that tree.

The other was a fairly large elm, 22 in dbh, and sixty feet tall. It was an easy drop, except a lil pickup in the way.

"So what do you want done with this one?"

"We just want it cut down, we will clean it up, can you do it today?"

"Yeah....we can do that.....but what about the Ranger, do you want to drag it out of there?"

"No. Just mash it. Its ok, its scrap anyway."

Elm tree hit the truck along the back window at the top of the cab, and beginning of the bed. Mashed it to the ground, the tree was about a foot off the ground, with lots of mashed metal beneath it. Kinda fun, very memorable.

Now that is the kind of story I was looking for!!!

For the rest of you worry-warts; there will be demolition permits involved and a backhoe on site. I'm thinking of climbing it and chunking it down to create a bunch of "skylights".

Otherwise I'll wait until the porch is demo'd and do it the old-fashioned way.............but seriously who wants to see a vid. of that???

 

[begleytree]

sorry, got the hair cut off, so I can't let it down! (what hasn't fell out!)
no vids for me. pics would work though!
-Ralph

 

[l2edneck]

Cant dump it with the tree debris.I did it once to an old shed that was already damage by falling limbs.Dropped the rest of the nasty vine covered crap on it,then just loaded it with the bobcat.When i got to the dump they had a fit.I thought i was gonna get tossed out the dump for sure.They made me pay seperate prices(after reloading it and reweighing me at c&d prices)Needless to say i almost made money that day.Live to learn i say.

Anyway i would get it in writing and charge extra to remove the porch.Then bombs away.If it is connected to the house just sawzall it apart and smasharooni.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[antigrassguy]

Smash It

A friend bought a home in town to tear down and rebuild on the lot. 40" DBH 70' Norway maple that was 4' from front porch had to go before they could get machinery to it. After years of dodging everything I had the go ahead to MASH ON. What a weird feeling. First took out the chimney then started looking for vents and other stuff to aim at. Roof was steep and the first couple big hunks would hit and roll off So I started cutting at a much sharper angle so they would spear down. Later we found one in the front room. It was a 2 story house. When I got to the trunk I started aiming at the porch, porch lights, mail box, railings ect. what a hoot. Got paid to do it too I was suprised at how much the old place would take.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

The few times that has come up; i fight the urge to just destroy something; see what it feels like not to be carefull etc. and instead try to l-earn sumetin.

i try to roll the branch/ tree / log off obstacle with no or near minimum damage. i do this mostly by manipulating setup for hinge pivot / tension and back cut design and speed etc. Mostly playing with side/step dutchman in face on obstacle side to start pushing off cross-ways a few degrees before hitting obstacle; while other side is tapered hinge pulling off of obstacle. So that obstacle accentuates these effects - taking less of a hit/ by not fighting direction part of force so much; but rather going along with the force of direction.

or something like that.

 

[Treeinnovator]

before you damage the porches roof, try using mulch bags to cushion the falling chunks.

 

[jonseredbred]

years ago we did some tree's on a demo site for a general contractor, the house was to be demo's to make way for a new nursing home.

there was a 36" dbh silver maple about 20' from the 2 story house, the GC thought it would be fun to flop the tree into the house (they were going to tub grind all the debris onsite).

A big notch toward the house and I sent the 60' monster flying into the house,
hit the drip edge and facia and stopped, the old 1800's 2 story held it. It rolled around a little and hung there on the house, no big equipment on the job to push it off so guess what??

We spent the rest of the day with our bucket truck taking it off the roof so nobody would get hurt, (it was in a residential area).

Moral of the story??? I will never ever do that it again, a little fun turned a 1 day job into 2.

 

[teamtree]

tried to buy a trailer to smash

a buddy of mine bought some property with a old house trailer on the property and he had a big dumpster and a backhoe ready to start ripping...

up on the bank sat a big rotten 100ft. red oak leaning over.....

offered $500 if I could cut the tree on the trailer and tape it....

wanted act like it was an accident and send it to Am Funniest Videos....

never happened though

 

[jmack]

Anybody ever purposly damage a house or a car with a tree??

I may have a situation where the owner wants to demo a three season porch, so instead of rigging around it.................................

If it all works out pics to follow

yes, cars, b'ballhoops houses sheds the latest is a driveway

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I remember a story, not the teller;

Another company in the area was hired to dump a big tree on a house that was partially burned.

Major portions of the tree whent through the house into the basement. This made it a major PITA to haul out, even with an excavator with thumb.

 

[treeslayer]

during isabel in williamsburg I had a job with 6 massive white oaks ( 3' dbh+ and 100' tall) that had fallen on the house, they were laid up on this big rambler pointed in different directions. all of them started out within 20' of the house, so they were really bowed out. The homeowner had the insurance company come out, and they refused to even set foot on the property. So ,,,,, the homeowner asked me to remove them, and be sure to break the houses back. ( roof beams)
I told him no price break, it was even more dangerous, and if he got stupid later it would hurt. Him. He signed the contract, no mention of this plan, so we parked the 75 ton crane in the driveway, I sent up the super climber, and we tore that house out the frame. once the tops bounced off, we did safe lifts of the stems, and this guy sat in his driveway and got drunk as hell-o. day and a half, $19,000 and made a friend for life. he later got half a mil for the cleared lot.
with all the damage from water and structural compression, it was win / win.
JPS, remember this one?

 

[jonseredbred]

I think that might be insurance fraud.