My next door neighbor and friend, who is very handy with a chainsaw, cut down four hardwood trees(at my direction) from the back of my lot on Saturday. Size ranged from 12" to 18". He and his sons cut and stacked the useable wood, hauled off the limbs and did a very good job cleaning up. Best I could tell, they spent 5 hours working. At times there were four working, sometimes three, but mostly two. I even helped for a couple of hours....
When we discussed the project last month, he said he would not take any money to help a friend, but we could donate whatever we felt it was worth to his church to help support an upcoming mission trip to El Salvador.
The question is....what is a fair amount? I was thinking $50 a tree.
Thoughts?
Well, since the donation will go to a good cause, it will be tax deductible, it's at the request of friends & neighbors, etc., I'd think more in terms of $100 a tree.
Also, you got a nice pile of firewood out of it. And did they provide the saws, gas, and vehicles to haul stuff away?
And maybe I'm still a little on the low side. What would you charge for a 2 man field crew for 5 hours?
Around here, if one were to hire a professional tree removal crew, I suspect (key word here, do not know exact rates) the price would be $500+ per tree.
I would Not expect a donation of that amount to be in order, just using it as a comparison
I agree with John, down here in the wonderful world of mullet and redbugs (Chiggers for you Yankees) it would be about $450/tree. A donation of $1000 would probably be sufficient. Of course this is Florida, the economies of scale may be different where you live.
Have a great week! B-)
A couple a years back I had 3 bad trees removed from my back yard. I paid $800 and actually got what I thought was a real good deal. Normally I would have had to pay around $1,200.
B-)
Aloha, if no climbing involved it will be about $450 or so per tree of that size here in Hawaii--it changes from one company to another of course. $1000 donation is a nice amount. 🙂
No climbing involved. All we have to do is drag the limbs to the street and the city crew picks them up.
I can hire people any day of the week to do what you had done for $30 per hour for the saw operator and minimum wage for the helpers---assuming they did not have to get off the ground and there were no extenuating circumstances such as power lines and neighbor's fence to contend with. Been there, had it done many times, the workers were always content with what they received and offered to come back again if needed.
As a comparison, a few years ago I hired a professional tree service to remove a large oak. The tree was located 20' from the rear of the house and had to be removed. Cost $400, which included a complete cleanup and removal of all debris. Add an additional $75 to grind the stump. Total fee $475.
> My next door neighbor and friend, who is very handy with a chainsaw, cut down four hardwood trees(at my direction) from the back of my lot on Saturday. Size ranged from 12" to 18". He and his sons cut and stacked the useable wood, hauled off the limbs and did a very good job cleaning up. Best I could tell, they spent 5 hours working. At times there were four working, sometimes three, but mostly two. I even helped for a couple of hours....
>
> When we discussed the project last month, he said he would not take any money to help a friend, but we could donate whatever we felt it was worth to his church to help support an upcoming mission trip to El Salvador.
>
> The question is....what is a fair amount? I was thinking $50 a tree.
>
> Thoughts?
Dan,
The title of your post is misleading; it should read, "how much to donate". You're not trying to put a value on a tree service, you're trying to put a value on your friends gift to you. The minute you try and pay for a gift it no longer is a gift.
The amount you donate, or gift, to the church is a matter of the heart. If given freely and with joy, no amount will be incorrect.
> If given freely and with joy, no amount will be incorrect.
Well said, sir. 🙂
Neighbors don't pay neighbors a minimum wage.
For the value of the service rendered, you should donate accordingly for the task performed.
The task was performed on a Saturday which would have been of convenience to you to be there to supervise/help.
Your neighbors gave up their leisure time to work on your home project for their church project.
It sounds like they did a good job and you also benefit from getting a load of firewood stacked that has a value in addition to getting the trees removed.
I think a tree service here would have cost about $800- $1200 during a week day.
> A couple a years back I had 3 bad trees removed from my back yard. I paid $800...
I paid a tree service $400 to remove a spruce tree from my backyard a while back. But a good part of what I was paying for was use of the tree service's insurance coverage. If anything had gone wrong it would have been them paying the damages. In this case, the risk was covered by Dan.
I'd say that a donation of $300-$500 would be appropriate here.
What to do with the wood.........
Thanks for all the feedback..... In these parts, friends help each other out all the time without any thought of "compensation", thus the suggestion that I make a donation to their church...... and we will make a good donation for a nice 1/2 day of work.
Neither my friend nor I have a wood burning fireplace (both have gas logs), so now I have to decide what to do with the firewood. Either keep it for outdoor bonfires or give it away.
I think I will give it away to another friend who can put it to good use.
What to do with the wood.........
I'm sorry I have to be the one who says this, but this thread is hearth-warming.
What to do with the wood.........
Give it away to a friend, or sell it and donate the profit to that church.
I'd say $300 total since you got to keep the wood,
