Tree Removal
Whole-tree takedowns and sectional dismantles, including trees with nowhere safe to drop a stem.
Learn more →The usual Perth scenario
A block with a mature marri, tuart or lemon-scented gum on it gets subdivided, or the rear yard gets a pool, a granny flat or a big alfresco slab. The tree comes down. Then the builder marks the slab and the stump is sitting in the middle of it.
That is the job this page is about: not tidying a stump in a lawn — grinding does that — but clearing the ground properly so something can be built over it.
Why the sand helps
Most of the metro area sits on Swan Coastal Plain sand. A machine can dig around a root plate, cut the laterals and lift the plate out in one or two pieces, and the excavation holds its shape while the operator works. In heavy eastern-states clay the same job is a wrestling match, which is why full extraction is treated as exceptional there and routine here.
Two local exceptions. Closer to the coast — Fremantle, Cockburn, Rockingham, Secret Harbour — Spearwood limestone and caprock can sit shallow, which slows digging and sometimes changes the method. Up on the Darling Scarp at Armadale, Gosnells and Kalamunda, clay over granite is slower ground again.
Sequencing, which is where the money is saved
Get the stump out before:
- The site is fenced and the crossover is poured.
- Reticulation, drainage and soakwells go in.
- Paving, decking or the pool shell goes down.
- Landscaping is finished and the only access left is a 900mm side gate.
On a battleaxe subdivision, the access handle is frequently the only machine route to the rear of the block. Once the driveway is finished, getting an excavator to a rear stump can mean lifting the new driveway or hand-digging, and both of those cost more than doing it in the right order.
What to check in the quote
- Whether the spoil — stump, roots and contaminated sand — is carted away or left on site.
- What the hole is backfilled with, and whether it is compacted in layers.
- Whether reticulation, soakwells, septic systems and services have been located first. All of these are shallow in Perth sand and all of them get hit.
- Whether the access route is achievable with the machine being quoted, or whether a smaller and slower one is needed.
- Whether the tree removal itself is in the same quote, if the tree is still standing.
Related pages
The method and the grinding-versus-extraction decision are covered on the stump removal service page. Cost factors are in the cost guide. Council coverage by suburb is on the service areas page.
Call (08) 9516 2804 for a free onsite quote.
More services
Explore our other services
Tree Lopping
Height and spread reduced where a tree has outgrown its spot, cut to a lateral rather than a stub.
Learn more →Tree Pruning
Deadwooding, crown thinning, crown lifting and roof and powerline clearance on established trees.
Learn more →Stump Grinding
Stumps ground below grade so you can turf, pave or replant over the top. Fast work in Perth sand.
Learn more →Stump Removal
Full stump and root-plate extraction where the ground has to be clear for a slab, pool or footing.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Can a stump be removed before a subdivision or a new build?
Yes, and it is much easier before the site is fenced and the services are in. On a battleaxe subdivision the access handle is often the only way a machine can reach the rear of the block, so sequencing the stump work before the driveway goes in saves a great deal of trouble and cost.
Do Perth soils make extraction easier?
Considerably. The Swan Coastal Plain is sand, so a root plate can be dug around and lifted rather than fought out of clay. Limestone caprock closer to the coast and clay over granite up on the Darling Scarp are the two places where it gets harder and slower.
Will the hole need engineered fill?
If a slab, footing or retaining wall is going over it, almost certainly — ask your builder or engineer what they require and have it compacted in layers to that spec. If the ground is going back to lawn or garden, clean sand and topsoil are fine. Grindings and green waste should never go into a hole that has to carry load.
Is there a permit issue with removing a stump?
Not normally for a stump, since the tree is already gone. The permit question belongs to the tree removal itself, and in Western Australia there is no statewide tree preservation order — it depends on the local government. Verge trees and their stumps remain council property regardless.
Free, no-obligation