Specialized Rigging & Tree Care

I purchased a Big Deal with the intention of using it for pruning our large holly tree and some other random pruning. We've always talked about taking down the large sickly oak in front of our house and possibly the enormous pine that loomed over the front of our house and clogged up our gutters with it's needles, so I had them quote that as well. They broke out the quote by each tree as we asked, so if we decided we wanted to do a few things at a time we'd know what the cost would be. After breaking out the quote, the gave us a total discounted cost if we wanted to do it all at once. The price was fair and we bit the bullet. Jay & Mike were very responsive and scheduled us pretty quickly, within a week or so. They showed up right on time the first day (it was a two-day job) and skillfully got all their trucks & equipment in our driveway, directing traffic as needed. (We live on a very busy street with no shoulder, so parking on the street wasn't an option. We were thankful for this, because another quote we got included the cost of a police detail to have a truck in the street.) They took down the huge oak first, by harnessing up and climbing the tree - taking off the biggest branches first (tying them to a strap that hooked to the crane, then lowering them down carefully... this was tricky because it was pretty close to the house, too. But they're professionals!). I'd say this tree was down in less than 45 minutes. Smaller branches were put in the chipper and the larger logs were loaded onto their truck and hauled away. Everything was cleaned up nicely. Also on the first day, they climbed several large oaks in our back yard and did a lot of pruning to even out the trees and take care of the branches the hung over the house. Second day, they took down the enormous pine. No crane needed, as pine is lighter weight than oak and they manually lowered the branches to the ground. Another quick and efficient removal. I would definitely recommend these guys - great attitude, professionalism and skill!

Jay did a great job pruning our large dogwood tree that had become somewhat overgrown. We consider this tree to be the "centerpiece" of our front yard, and we wanted quality work by someone we trust. He was punctual, did a fantastic job, and cleaned up all of the trimmings. I also asked Jay to examine the trees surrounding our house, to see if there was other tree work that will need to be done this year. He identified that a very large pine near our house has a large vertical split that may put the house at risk and will need to be removed. He is in the process of putting together an official quote. I still need to get other quotes as well (as I do for all projects), but I would certainly like to hire Jay and his crew if the quote ends up competitive. I would also add that Jay is passionate about what he does, and I respect and appreciate that!

The reason for my refund request: My last contact with the vendor was an estimate sent to me the week before last for the work I needed. Even with the $201. dollar discount ($199. for $400 worth of service), this org. was more expensive than another Angie's List vendor who gave me a quote for the same service.

They came out for an estimate, they created a proposal, the price was way too high and I rejected it and requested a refund.

They called me immediately to schedule and the tree was gone within 2 days.

They responded right away and came as scheduled for an assessment of what needed to get done. They were very good about explaining what they would do. They came at appointed time and did the work very efficiently. It looks great and I will certainly ask them to come again.

Everything went well. The gentleman with whom I dealt was professional and knowledgeable, and he provided a reasonably detailed estimate of the costs. Furthermore, the crew did a good job, didn't cause any damages, and cleaned up after itself. They also left some wood over for firewood.

Jay Malouf responded quickly, visited the site and submitted an estimate. I solicited an estimate for the same work from a tree service I had used before (excellent work) and found that the Big Deal estimate was significantly more expensive (1 1/2 times). Thus I prefer to stay with my earlier provider.

It was great, and everything went smoothly. The scheduling and estimate process was very simple, they completed the work quickly, and they cleaned up after themselves. Furthermore, they were very professional and happily answered all of my questions. They did so well, in fact, that my neighbor hired them to trim her evergreen tree.

It was very good. One of the owner is an arborist and provided me with advice as to why it would be wise to prune certain trees that I wanted to retain. I think that they were very professional in terms of the removal of trees and limbs. They were very cautious to not cause any damage to my property or the trees that I wanted to retain. The number of the trees were borderline with a couple of my neighbors and they were also ale to avoid doing anything that would have caused problems with the adjacent properties. They're very expert in their skills. Everything was very controlled. There were just no chopping a tree down or watching a limb fall to the ground. Everything was rigged and when the item was ready for removal, it was cautiously lowered to the ground. It was very professional to see that and they were very cautious in what they did and they were also very good in cleaning up all the remains that was produced by their activity. He was very responsive as soon as I purchased the "Big Deal", making contact and coming over and assessing the needs that I had. I went into this fully knowing that the "Big Deal" was going to reduce the cost but the cost was going to be significant because this was a piece of property that had been long neglected and needed an awful lot of work to preserve it and to also remove a number of dead and decaying trees.

We did not end up using the provider, but they were professional and pleasant to communicate with.

Jay provided a rough estimate based on a photo that I emailed to him. A day later, he came on site and made a 360 degree assessment, noting that the tree was nestled among the power, cable, and telephone lines and overhung my neighbor's garage and driveway. We discussed options for pruning vs. removing the tree and I decided that, for the price of two iPad Mini's, I could made the problem go away permanently, including the annual seasonal and post season cleanup. We agreed on a time and date for the removal and everything went like clockwork, as promised. Jay arrived with two trucks, a boom , a chipper, rakes, a blower, chain saw, three no-nonsense crew members, and climbing gear. Everyone was completely professional and, despite the snow mounds and ground cover, they did an excellent job removing the tree from the top down. Afterwards, they carefully raked and removed the debris. In conclusion, I would rather have purchased the iPads, but I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I would highly recommend their services.

Prompt service. Professional crew. Left everything completely clean. Trees look good - no complaints.

I am presently have squirrels removed from house per EHS (recommended by Angie's List). One of the guys told me I should have tree limbs removed as they hung over roof. Mr. Malof of Specialized Rigging & Tree Service came out Monday (Feb 3) in response to my Big Deal request, but advised me that I really needed extensive work done and the Big Deal would not really make much of a dent in the appraisal price. He was extremely honest and helpful. He would not accept the $199 even though I felt he was very helpful with his time and he advised me to get refund. He even did 10 mins of shrub pruning free of charge as the shrubs were blocking the driveway. When I am in a position to get tree work done completely, he will be my first call.

They were great. They came out at the time they said they would, cleaned up, and I highly recommend them.

Nice crew...you have seen them on the National Geographic Channel on Big Bad Wood reality show. They gave a discount on the total cost of $700 if we would contract to do it all at once, which we took advantage of. Would highly recommend them for a job done safely and professionally. Fair price as well.

Jay and his team were the most professional guys we could have ever asked for. They showed up right on time and did a fantastic job! Our trees and yard looked great when they had finished and there was no mess left behind - other than the great looking trees you would not have known that they were there. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND them for your tree work if you want it DONE RIGHT the first time! We will definitely be calling them again!

I ended up using a different provider because my project didnot require the specialized skills of these guys ( you wouldnt see a brain surgeon for a simple cold). That being said in the future I would not hesitate to call these guys to do other tree services like prune some trees and help pick out a new shade tree for my yard. I also want to mention, Jay is very much a true arborist, and not just a lumberjack kind of guy which was a nice change from some of the other people I talked to.

IT WENT QUITE WELL. 4 MEN SPENT AN HOUR ,JAY WORKED IN TREE,OTHERS PICKED UP AND CLEANED UP.

A large Norway Maple needed to be completely removed after a large limb came down after a period of heavy rains. I contacted Specialized Rigging because this tree was not accessible to use of a cherrypicker truck or crane and would require removal manually. Jay of Specialized Rigging responded to my call within several hours and came out to take a look later the same day. Jay confirmed that they tackled jobs like this all the time. Other contractors I reached out to either did not respond for awhile or came by but did not make a point of talking to me personally before preparing an estimate. Jay was very courteous and professional and answered all my questions and concerns and said he could do the job relatively soon and that it could be done in a day. The estimate came promptly and while it was not the cheapest estimate, I could tell that they would take the care I was looking for to protect the extensive landscaping around the tree which was very important to me. I got an appointment within a week. They came ontime; the crew was well-informed about the issues abd challenges of the project. Jay was present the entire time participating in and overseeing the work. It was a challenging -- and scary -- business and I was totally impressed with how the team worked together. Not a single shrub or other tree in my ? or my neighbors yard ? was damaged in the process...just some inevitable trampling of perennials which will definitely bounce back. The clean up was impeccable. They finished ontime. Bravo!

Superb! Jay is a true pro. Very skilled, knowledgable, and professional on the business end. Jay does not roll heavy cherry picking machinery on to your yard. He does his job old school in an environmentally sensitive manner.

Specialized Rigging and Tree Care service and technique were excellent and impressive. All the tree removal work was done without cranes, and they were able to control the fall of the limbs using ropes, etc, resulting in NO damage to our property. They efficiently removed the trees and took care with the clean up. We had interviewed 6-7 companies, including larger, well-known companies that service the area. Given the limited access on either side of our house and our reluctance to enter neighbor properties, we were happy we found Specialized Rigging and Tree Care, a company that was able to get the job done within our numerous constraints. We also were happy not to have used a crane during tree removal, an approach that was suggested by the majority of vendors interviewed and would have resulted in additional secondary costs associated with repair of lawn or walkway. Their price was consistent with other prices quoted. We plan to use them to prune several large trees on our property.

They were prompt, professional and very knowledgeable about what they were doing. The crew was great and I learned a lot. Mainly leave it up to the professionals! I also got to be filmed in an upcoming TV series the Jay and his crew may be in late summer or early fall. Stay tuned!

Jay (the owner) communicated well and treated me with the respect a customer deserves. The later seems like a given but we've all dealt with contractors who forget that we're the customer and give us attitude. As I stated above the clean-up caused no collateral damage whatsoever, another given that doesn't always happen. They backed-up heavy equipment onto my rain soaked back yard but left no damage to my lawn. Excellent work. Be prepared that If you are using a credit card there is a surcharge. Or put another way there's a discount for using cash. But for how hassle free and well done everything was it was worth it. I would highly recommend Specialized Rigging & Tree Care if you require tree service.

See the story above. I did tell him that I wanted the job to be done in September. I did call him again to schedule a date. The first of October was fine by us. It was good to see the final job and how clean the yard was. He is very professional and thorough. He did everything that we had talked about and a bit more.