My first experience with Derek's service was to remove a large quantity of tree branches I had trimmed myself. Out of the half-dozen or so places I found in the phone book and on the internet, he was the only one that called back. He showed up personally the next day to size up the job, gave me a very reasonable price for it, and a day or two later had his guys in to take care of the cleanup. They left my yard and driveway spotless, and then I knew for sure I was glad no other places had called back!
About a month after, I had an opportunity to get my driveway re-paved at a decent price. The pavers came in and started to prep the ground for new asphalt, then noticed that one of the roots from a mature silver maple tree in front of my house was running into the space they would be paving. We discussed a couple of options (and dismissed them as quickly) before settling on having a tree guy come in to assess and provide a solution.
Naturally, Derek's was the only name that came to mind. I called him up that evening and described the situation -- he came over next day after close of business and determined that the root in question could not be easily removed without compromising the tree. Upon further inspection, it turned out the tree was planted too close to the house to begin with, and would only cause more and more (expensive) problems down the line if left intact. So after some consideration and a fantastic price from Derek -- almost half what my neighbor had received from some other places -- we made the call to take the tree down.
Derek's crew arrived just before lunch hour on Monday morning, and got right to work. It wasn't long before they had the tree down and being fed into the chipper. Derek himself took up the task of grinding out the offending root and the tree trunk's base, leaving a nice pile of wood shreds that will make a great mulch on the small planter along my walkway. He also arranged for a city-contracted curbing crew to take the majority of the logs made from the tree!
In short, I can't say enough good things about Derek, his employees, and his company as a whole. Very reasonable, friendly yet professional, straightfoward, upfront, honest, and takes the time to explain not just the options available, but the reasons for and against each.
His will be the first company I recommend to anyone looking for this superior kind of service -- I know it'll be the first place I call when I look at my backyard trees in the spring!
Thanks again Derek!