Tree Removal in North Chicago's Tight City Lots
On the older blocks between Sheridan Road and Green Bay Road, houses sit close together on narrow lots. A silver maple somebody planted long ago now covers two roofs and a garage. There's a fence on each side, wires overhead, and on some blocks an alley out back.
That's a piece-by-piece job. The crew starts at the top and works down, and every section is lowered under control so it doesn't land on your roof or the one next door.
Taking a tree down in a spot like that takes longer than the same tree in an open yard, and the price reflects it. Photos help us see it coming. Shoot the whole tree, then what's under it, then the way into the back yard.
Common North Chicago Yard Trees and Their Problems
Silver maples are everywhere. They grow fast, get huge, and have soft wood that splits at the forks. Boxelders and mulberries come up along fences by themselves and lean toward wherever the light is. Siberian elms do the same. Nobody planted those with a plan, and they end up jammed against garages and grown through chain-link.
You'll also see honey locust and Norway maple along the streets, and good old oaks in spots, especially toward the west side and around Greenbelt Forest Preserve off Green Bay Road.
And ash, or what's left of it. Emerald ash borer killed most untreated ash in northern Illinois. A dead ash in a small yard is a problem on a short fuse, because the wood turns brittle fast and there's no safe direction for it to fall. If you've got one, here's what goes into removing a dead tree.
Emergency Tree Service in North Chicago
Storms off the lake hit here hard. With houses this close, a limb that lets go usually lands on something: a roof, a car in the driveway, the fence, the neighbor's garage.
If that's happened, call. Don't text. The number is (224) 944-8652. We take storm calls as fast as the crew can get there, and we won't give you a time we can't keep.
Check for wires before you go near it. If the limb pulled down the line to your house, or it's hung up in the wires along the street or alley, that's ComEd's to deal with first. Once it's safe, emergency tree work means getting the weight off the building, cutting the tree up, and hauling it out.
Tree Limb Removal and Pruning in North Chicago
Not every problem needs the whole tree gone. Often it's one limb: the one over the roof, the one riding on the wire to the garage, the dead one above the swing set. Taking off a single limb is a small job and usually gets quoted straight from a photo.
For the whole tree, pruning means clearing out dead and broken wood, pulling the canopy back off the house, and thinning where it's crowded. It doesn't mean topping. A topped silver maple grows back as a thicket of weak shoots, and that's worse than what you started with.
The dormant season, late fall through winter, is the right time for most trimming. Oaks and elms should only be cut then, since growing-season cuts attract the beetles that spread oak wilt. A dangerous limb comes off whenever it's spotted.
Stump Grinding for Small Back Yards
In a small yard a stump costs you space you don't have. Grinding takes it below the lawn. Then you can fill it, seed it, or finally put the shed there.
Access is the question. If the only way back is a narrow gate or a gangway between two houses, tell us, and send a photo of it. Utilities have to be marked before grinding too. That's a free call to JULIE at 811, and on a city lot with gas, water and sewer running close together, it matters. Read more on how stump grinding works.
Tree Permits and City-Owned Trees
Tree rules are a town-by-town thing in Lake County, and a removal on private property can still need a permit. Your city may require one, so check with city hall first. If you rent, the property owner has to be the one who okays the work.
The tree in the parkway, between the sidewalk and the curb, is generally the city's. Don't hire out work on that one. Report it to the city and let them handle it.
What Tree Work Costs in North Chicago and How to Get a Quote
Text a photo and your town. You'll get a written price, free. Small stuff is quoted from the photos, and big removals get a free look in person. It's one flat price, agreed before the first cut.
You're dealing with a crew that's insured for tree work. When the job's done the yard gets cleaned up, and the brush and wood get hauled off to be chipped and recycled, unless you want the wood left for firewood. We're based in Libertyville and also work in Waukegan and Lake Bluff on either side of you.
There's no price list, because no two trees are the same job. The pricing page has the long version. The short version is five things:
- The size of the tree, trunk and canopy both.
- What it's standing over. Lawn is simple to work above. Roofs, fences, garages and wires are not.
- Whether it's alive. Dead, brittle wood takes more care.
- How we get in and out of the yard.
- Stump ground out, or stump left.
Why North Chicago Homeowners Call Lakefront Tree Service
- We don't top trees
- We'll tell you if a trim is enough before you pay for a removal
- Keep the firewood if you want it, cut and left where you say
- Open Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm, and Sunday by appointment
- The crew is insured for tree work
