Stump grinding

A stump will not rot away in your lifetime, honey fungus loves it, and it throws up suckers for years. Grinding takes the stump and the main roots out to 30 centimetres below ground level in an hour or two, leaves a hole full of fine chip, and the lawn can go back over it that afternoon. We bring the grinder on the day we fell if you book both; coming back separately costs a little more because it is a second visit.

The grinder is a tracked, narrow machine that fits through a standard side gate and up steps on boards. Before the wheel touches anything we scan with a cable and pipe detector, because the one thing that does not grind well is a water main; if there is a service within a metre we hand-dig to find it first. The grindings are either raked back into the hole, which settles over a season, or taken away and topsoil brought in so you can plant straight away, at an extra £40 a stump.

Stumps under a TPO are no longer protected once the tree is gone, but a stump in a conservation area that is still alive and resprouting technically is, and we check. If you want to plant a new tree in the same place we grind deeper and wider and bring a bag of topsoil; if you want to keep the stump as a seat or a feature we can level and treat it instead.

What is included

• A cable and pipe scan before grinding
• A narrow tracked grinder through a 75 cm gate
• Ground to 30 cm below the surface, deeper for replanting
• Grindings raked back, or removed and topsoil brought in
• Done on the day of felling where you book both
• A quick level check so the lawn goes back flat

What it costs

A stump under 30 centimetres across £90 to £130, 30 to 60 centimetres £140 to £220, over 60 centimetres £230 to £380, including VAT. Done on the day of the felling it is at the bottom of the band. Including VAT and £5 million of public liability cover. The estimator turns your job into a band in ten seconds; the areas page says whether your postcode carries a travel charge.