I want to cut my conifers they are about 12 feet high and very unsightly is there a way to do it?

Question

my wife wants to pay a gardener £185,00 to do it is it quite easy to do yourself

Answer 1

Depends how many you have!

I paid £425 for professional to cut down 26 to stump level at about 20ft+ high. Took him 2 full days.  Working at height with chain saw is dangerous, if you have to cut by hand using a saw on a ladder is asking for trouble!  

If you are only trimming top/sides with a hedge trimmer and perhaps just cutting the top out with a saw it is not so dangerous as long as you are used to DIY work.

Removing all the cuttings can be a major job!

All depends how many trees - what you want done.  It's a lot harder/dirtier work than you think!    

Answer 2

£185 sounds a little steep. Other wise get someone else in to do it, or you know it'll never get done.

Answer 3

Easy if you have the tools, access, and means of disposing of the waste.

Chainsaw, platform/ladders & heavy duty-shredder?

Otherwise pay the man...

Answer 4

Our conifer is at the side of our garage and was over 10 years old. It was growing so large, it blocked part of the garage door. We waited until early spring to hand trim it , taking off about a foot of evergreen. This way, the new growth will quickly cover up the ugliness that is left behind. It is back to looking nice now that it is August .We got on a ladder and used  pruning shears.