Tree work quote visits: what to check before you price a job

Price tree work only after seeing it, on a short quote visit the client books online. On site, check the tree itself, the access for your kit, where branches can come down safely, what is around (house, road, neighbours, cables) and what happens to the wood. Group visits by area on set days so you're not crossing the county for a single hedge, and ask clients to describe the job and send photos before you come.

A photo shows a tree's shape; it hides almost everything that sets the price. You can't judge from a picture whether a chipper fits through the side gate, whether the crown hangs over a conservatory, whether there's decay at the base, or whether a phone line runs through the branches. Those details decide whether the job is a morning's climbing or a full day with a second climber and a ground crew.

A visit also lets you meet the client, explain what's possible, and flag anything that needs checking before work starts, such as local protection rules or wildlife in the tree.

Take photos and notes on the spot. They make the written quote precise, and they're useful to brief the crew on the day.

If the visit shows a risk the client hadn't mentioned, such as a split limb over the house or a dead tree next to a footpath, say so on the spot and add it to the quote as a separate line. The client decides, but what you saw is on record. If a job needs a detailed condition report, offer it as a separate paid visit rather than stretching the quote visit.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes, with one place per slot. Clients pick a service, then a free slot.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. Include travel time in the slot. One option is one area per day: open visit slots on that day, repeated each week until a date, and list the towns covered in the description.

The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new-booking email. Ask for the address, the number and type of trees, what they want done, and whether you can access the garden if they're out. Ask for photos by email. The note can't be edited once the booking exists, so put the questions in the service description.

Send the quote in writing. Once accepted, agree the work date directly and add it to your calendar yourself: tree work depends on weather and crew availability, and it's easier to fix it together than through open slots. Book doesn't produce quotes or take deposits; it handles appointments. If a client calls instead of booking online, create a slot and book them in from your calendar: first and last name are required, email and phone optional.

Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list and tell them yourself, since Book doesn't email them about changes. With calendar sync (Google, iPhone, Mac), quote visits sit next to your jobs. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.