Stump grinding: measured at the dirt, priced by the inch.
A stump quote starts with a tape measure at ground level — including the flare — and moves with depth, surroundings and haul-away. Five minutes with a tape and a camera gets you a number.
Diameter at ground level — including the flare, which is why the stump always measures bigger than the tree did at chest height; a tape measure across the widest span is the first number every honest quote wants. Depth — standard grinds run several inches below grade, enough for sod or mulch; replanting, irrigation or a future pour in that spot needs a deeper, longer, pricier grind, so say what the spot’s future is. Count — the machine’s on your property either way; stumps two through ten are where the per-stump price drops. Surroundings — grinding against concrete, pavers, fence lines or (flag this loudly) irrigation heads and lines slows the work and raises the care level. Grindings — the mound of chips a grind produces surprises everyone; raked into the hole it settles for months, hauled and backfilled with soil the spot is finish-ready now. Your call, priced as its own line.
Why stumps are worth doing at all
Skipped stumps bill you slowly: sucker regrowth (ficus and Brazilian pepper resprout with enthusiasm — for those species the grind IS the removal), termites and fungi moving into the buffet, mower damage around the hump, and the day someone’s ankle finds it. The species matters enough that we’ll tell you honestly when a stump can just quietly rot (many oaks in out-of-the-way corners) versus when leaving it live is planting next year’s problem.
Getting your number
One photo per stump with a tape measure across it, one wider shot showing what’s around it, and a note on gate width — texted to (727) 761-8618. Stump quotes from photos are about as close to instant as tree work gets.
Questions Cody hears every week.
How deep do you grind, and when does deeper matter?
Standard grinding takes a stump several inches below grade — enough to sod or mulch over. Going deeper matters when you’re replanting in the spot, running irrigation, or pouring hardscape; full root-flare grinds cost more because they take longer and move more material. Say what the spot’s future is and we’ll price the right depth, not the maximum one.
What's the deal with grindings — haul away or leave?
Grinding a stump produces a surprisingly large mound of wood chips mixed with soil. Left raked into the hole they settle over months (fine under mulch); hauled away and backfilled with soil, the spot is sod-ready now. Haul-away adds labor and disposal, so it’s a line item you choose.
Anything near the stump that changes the price?
Yes — the machine needs a path (gate width matters), and grinding against concrete, pavers, irrigation lines or roots tangled in a fence slows everything down. Mention sprinklers ANYWHERE near the stump; hitting an unmarked line turns a tidy job into a plumbing repair.
Tell Cody about your tree.
Three fields. He answers his own phone — you’ll hear back fast.
Faster: text a photo of the tree to (727) 761-8618.