Debate: Should we charge extra for climbing big pines or is that just part of the job?

I just spent $75 on a new set of climbing spikes for a big white pine removal up in Asheville. Got the job bid, went out there, and the bark was so thick and flaky I couldn't get a good bite. Ended up having to use a ladder halfway up and that cost me an extra 2 hours. My buddy says I should have charged a premium for pine work from the start. Other guys I know say it's just the nature of the beast and you factor it into the bid. What do you all do? Do you have a separate pine rate or just eat the time?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.noah1mo ago

Man, pine work is a whole different animal and anyone who says different hasn't done enough of it. Thick flaky bark on a white pine is brutal, spikes just slide and you lose all your confidence in the climb. A separate pine rate makes sense to me, I add 15-20% on the bid for any pine over 60 feet because I know I'm gonna fight the tree the whole way. Your buddy is right that you should have charged more upfront, but you also gotta learn to read the bark before you park the truck and give a firm number. Spikes aren't cheap and neither is your time, so don't feel bad about covering that ladder hassle in the price next time.

nancyj111mo ago

Honestly, that bark reading tip is gold. You can save yourself so much hassle just by walking around the trunk for thirty seconds before you even pull out the tape. Ngl, I've had climbs where I could tell within the first ten feet I should have added twenty percent.

wood.faith1mo ago

Charging extra for pines is just nickel and diming the customer. You bid the job based on the tree, not the species. If you start adding pine surcharges then next week it's a surcharge for oaks with poison ivy or maples with tight crotches. Where does it stop? The customer already agreed to pay for tree removal, not tree removal with a pine tax. That ladder cost you two hours, sure, but you learned something about how to bid pines going forward. Every job teaches you something and that's part of building a business, not something you bill the homeowner for after the fact.

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