The Tree Estimate Walkthrough Checklist: What to Capture Before You Leave the Yard

You walked the yard, looked up at the tree, and told the homeowner you'd get them a number. Then you got back in the truck, drove to the next job, and by tonight you're trying to remember whether the side gate was wide enough for the chipper.

A good tree service estimate gets built on the walkthrough, not at the kitchen table later. Here's what to capture while you're standing there, so the bid can go out from the driveway and the crew shows up knowing the job.

The short answer: what a tree service estimate should include

A tree service estimate should say which trees, what you'll do to each one, how the crew will get to them, what happens to the wood and the stump, and what's not included. Capture all of it on the walkthrough so nobody has to guess later.

1. Which tree. Species, rough size and where it sits on the property, with a photo and a pin.
2. The work. Removal, pruning, crown reduction, cabling or plant health care, written per tree.
3. Access and drop zone. Gates, slopes, soft ground, where the truck and chipper can park, and what's under it: the house, a fence, a garden, cars.
4. Hazards. Overhead lines, dead wood, decay, and anything that changes how the crew works.
5. Photos. A wide shot, a close shot, and anything the customer might question later.
6. Cleanup. Brush, logs and chips, and what the yard looks like when you leave.
7. Stump. Grind it, leave it, or quote it as a separate line.
8. Add-ons. Extra work the customer might say yes to while you're already there.
9. What's not included. Lawn repair, firewood splitting, anything you're leaving alone.
10. Timing. When the crew can come, and what happens if weather pushes it.
11. Terms. Proof of insurance, permits where your area needs them, and when the estimate expires.

That's the checklist. Here's how to work through it on site.

Before you get out of the truck

Start before you knock. Look at the street. Is there room to park the truck and chipper, or will you need to block part of the road? Note any wires running along the street, and look at the driveway for slope and whether it'll hold your equipment.

Have the lead open on your phone so you know what the customer already told you on the call. If they mentioned the oak in the back and the maple by the mailbox, you walk in knowing you're pricing two trees, not one.

Access, drop zones, and hazards

This is where jobs go sideways when it gets skipped.

• Gates and paths. Measure the gate if equipment has to get through it. Note fences, retaining walls and planting beds the crew has to work around.
• Ground. Soft lawn, septic fields, irrigation heads and slopes all change what you can bring in.
• What's under it. Roof, deck, fence, shed, pool, the neighbor's car. If there's no room to drop, it's a rigging job, and that changes the crew and the time.
• Overhead lines. Note service drops and any lines near the canopy. Work near energized lines has its own rules and training requirements, so flag it now, not the morning of the job.
• The tree itself. Dead limbs, cracks, cavities, lean, and anything that tells you the climber needs to take it slow.

Write it down even when it seems obvious. You know the gate is tight. The crew lead who pulls up three weeks from now doesn't.

Photos that settle arguments later

Take more photos than you think you need: the tree from across the yard, the trunk and base up close, the access path, and anything near the drop zone that could get damaged.

Also photograph what's already wrong. The cracked patio, the dead patch of lawn, the dented gutter. If there's ever a question about whether your crew caused it, you'll have a picture from before you started. We wrote more about that in photo proof for tree care disputes.

Mark the exact tree

"The big oak in the back" sounds clear when you're standing in the yard. Three weeks later, on a property with four oaks, it isn't.

Put photos and a location on each line of the estimate. In EveryGrove, every proposal line item can carry up to 10 photos and its own map pin, so the customer sees exactly which tree you mean, and so does your crew. If you're removing one tree and pruning two others, each one gets its own line with its own photos and pin.

Cleanup, stump, and haul-away in writing

A lot of tree job arguments aren't about the cut. They're about what the yard looked like afterward.

Spell out:

• Whether brush gets chipped and hauled, or chipped and left as mulch
• Whether logs get hauled, cut to length, or left for the customer
• Whether the stump gets ground, and what happens to the grindings
• How you'll protect the lawn, and what's not covered if the ground is wet

If the customer wants to keep the wood, write that down too. It's easier to agree on it now than to argue about a pile of rounds later.

Add-ons the customer may want

While you're in the yard, look around. There's often other work the customer would say yes to if you asked:

• Pruning a second tree that's rubbing the roof
• Raising the canopy over the driveway
• Grinding an old stump from a past removal
• Plant health care for a tree that's struggling
• Cleaning up a bed or fence line near the work area, if you do landscape work too

List these as optional add-ons below the main job. In EveryGrove you can mark line items as optional, so the customer picks what they want and skips the rest, and you don't have to make a second trip to write it up.

Terms that prevent arguments later

Put the terms on the estimate itself, so the customer has them in writing: proof of insurance, whether the job needs a permit where you work, and the date the estimate expires. Say what happens if weather pushes the job, so a rain delay doesn't turn into a dispute. Rules on permits and paperwork vary by area, so check what yours asks for.

Send it before you leave

The best time to send a tree estimate is while you're still in the driveway. The customer just met you, the tree is fresh in their mind, and they may have other companies coming out this week.

That only works if building the proposal is fast. In EveryGrove you set up proposal templates once, for removals, pruning and plant health care, and starting a proposal from a lead pulls in the customer and property in a couple of clicks. You add your photos and pins, set your add-ons, and send it.

After that, follow-ups go out by email and text on their own, and you can see when they've opened it. For the timing and what to say, read how to follow up on a tree or landscaping estimate.

Faster bids. More jobs won.

Where the walkthrough fits in the whole system

The walkthrough sits in the middle of the job, not at the start. In EveryGrove it runs like this, whether you have one truck or three crews:

• Willow answers the call and books the estimate, so the walkthrough is set before you ever see the property.
• You walk the yard, take your photos and send the proposal from the driveway.
• Follow-ups go out by email and text, and you can see when the customer has opened the proposal.
• Once the job is scheduled, the crew gets a work order, and you can see whether it's been viewed. A work order written in English can be opened in Spanish by your crew.
• When the job's done, the invoice goes out and the customer can pay by text.

It's built for tree care and landscaping, so if you do removals in the morning and bed work in the afternoon, it all runs in one place. For more on what to look for, see our tree service software guide.

FAQ

What should a tree service estimate include? Which trees, the work on each one, access and drop zone notes, hazards, photos, cleanup and stump details, optional add-ons, and what's not included. Each tree gets its own line so the customer and crew know exactly what's covered.

What should I check on a tree estimate walkthrough? Parking and access for the truck and chipper, gate widths, ground conditions, what's under the tree, overhead lines, the condition of the tree itself, and any damage that's already on the property.

How do I make sure the crew knows exactly which tree? Give each tree its own line on the estimate, with photos and a location. In EveryGrove, each line item can carry up to 10 photos and its own map pin.

How fast should I send a tree estimate? The same day, and ideally before you leave the driveway. The visit is fresh in the customer's mind, and you get ahead of other companies they may have called.

Should a tree estimate include stump grinding and cleanup? It should say clearly whether they're included. Write down what happens to brush, logs, the stump and the grindings so there's no surprise when the crew leaves.

Should I put photos on a tree removal estimate? Yes. Take enough to show the tree from a distance and up close, the access path, the drop zone, and any existing damage. More is better than fewer, as long as each photo is attached to the right line.

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Want to see a tree proposal built from a template, with photos and a pin on every line? Book a 15-minute demo on Zoom or by phone at everygrove.com.