What obstacles have homeowners left out to make your job more interesting.

[Kevin Myers]

A job was bid tondo during the winter with frozen ground. We got the go ahead after he frost was gone and the ground was soft. In order to not trash the yard the game plan would change and add hours of work

When I explained this to the client and gave them a different price they were miffed. Made it seem like I was ripping them off

Ahh the infamous "I know your job better than you do" homeowner...

 

[Jeff]

cars had moved the cones and parked right under the trees to be felled.

More times than I can count.

Lots and lots of dog poop

Encountered some the other week at 7 a.m. so just automatically grabbed their pooper scooper and started cleaning it up. Homeowner opens the back door and says "Oh that's so nice of you, but you don't have to do that! I'll get it later." It took a huge amount of self restraint to calmly explain to him that we're going to drag the brush thru it and get it all over ourselves and on our tools if I don't, so 'No, I'm not doing to help you.' Then he just sheepishly closed the door and went back inside!!!

How about sunbathing vixens.

That my friend, is no obstacle

Had to do a job a while ago behind the tennis courts at a private high school while the girl's tennis team was out practicing. Yes, they were all high school girls. But wow!, I could barely keep the guys moving and working at all. Lucky we didn't all wind up in jail after that job.

Between my bid, the client's reply, and schedule work date there is often just enough time for

installation of a sold white cedar stockade fence ($$$) around the entire back yard as well as directly under the subject trees. "Oh, is that going to be a problem?"

just doesn't get why I won't play musical trucks all day whenever I need to move.

Another memorable one: Job scheduled 3 weeks prior, and after we show up on the designated day, they say "We just had the driveway seal-coated yesterday, so no trucks or anything on it, ok?" Well since it's a backyard job and everything is coming out the gate onto the driveway... Yeah. Sure glad we drove all these trucks 40 minutes to get here.

 

[Treezybreez]

I hate it when I'm pricing a job and the home owner seems so obliging, but when we actually show up to work they practically cuff us to our truck. I don't mind obstacles with in reason as long as it's quoted for.

 

[TimBr]

I sold a crane job without meeting with the customer, he just had one condition. That I meet with him and discuss how I would perform the work. So two weeks before the job I meet with him give him a run down on our game plan. Crane will be parked here, chipper here, we'll land the picks here, ect. So I show up the morning of the job and there is a 30 yard dumpster sitting right where the crane is suppose to be! Luckily I was able to push the dumpster back between the house and garage but made it a pain getting back to one of the trees. This was just a couple weeks ago.
View attachment 41048

That's a damn good looking climber you have there.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Modest, too!

 

[TimBr]

A Grandmother. They thought she would like to watch.

Maybe she had a nice will all made up and ready.

 

[shreddy]

...and I thought all of that stuff only happens to me! Outdoor lighting blows!

 

[Wood_Dog]

Bird bath

 

[monkeylove]

No body ever leaves me one of these in the tree, but I did find it by Google-ing tree climber pics. Just thought I would share what might be left in the tree if you are lucky.

 

[oldoakman]

She looks a little scared.

 

[Hoowasat]

She looks a little scared.

Looks a little hungry if you ask me.

 

[JD3000]

She also looks to be a mouth breather.

 

[monkeylove]

Okay 3 strikes then. I'll just leave her in the tree.

 

[JD3000]

I figured a "cat" in a tree rescue comment was too easy

 

[96coal449]

I'd keep climbing. No need here for a neglected, scared, and probably abused little girl. My life is busy enough as it is.

 

[monkeylove]

I'm pretty sure my wife would make put her back anyway. lol.

 

[JD3000]

Probably hasnt had her vaccinations either.

 

[96coal449]

Probably hasnt had her vaccinations either.

I was liking your post .... not that she's DIRTY

 

[Jehinten]

So this morning I get another one to add to this post. I'm removing two pin oaks in the backyard and bring the brush to the street to chip, leaving the wood. Because of the layout of the yard I have to drive the mini along the side of the house with the brush, turn and cross the front yard, and then turn and drive to the street in the driveway. The homeowners are aware of the route for the brush, and they decide that today is a good day for a garage sale. I suspect the chipper running full blast later will not be good for sales.

 

[Sgfinco]

Favorite thing they left out was hundreds upon hundreds of garden gnomes. I made her pick them up so I could have any semblance of a landing zone, rigged a 12' log into another tree and the butt obliterated the one garden gnomes she forgot on top of an old stump covered in moss, spraying gnome shrapnel all over her house. She came out screaming that I just killed her favorite gnome. She cried and I've never had such a hard time not laughing and trying to be professional.

 

[Nish]

Suppressing laughter and then posting to this thread is a healthier response than another I've only heard about. Apparently one tree guy was so fed up with the unpleasant obstacles left by dogs that, after stepping in a fresh pile, he borrowed the homeowner's grill brush to clean his boots before leaving.