Completed Project
Big Gum Tree Taken Down Safely Over a Titirangi Home
An 18-metre gum leaning towards a Titirangi house after a wet, windy week — climbed and dismantled in sections over the roof, with nothing damaged and the bush around it untouched.
At a Glance
Project Overview
- Service
- Tree removal (climbed and taken down in sections)
- Location
- Home on a bush section, Titirangi, West Auckland
- Tree
- Large eucalyptus (gum), about 18 metres tall
- Crew
- Three — one climber, two on the ground
- Time on site
- One day, about seven hours
- Equipment used
- Climbing harness, ropes and lowering device, chainsaws, wood chipper, stump grinder
The Background
What We Were Called To
The situation
A family in Titirangi called us after a wet, windy week. Their big gum tree had started to lean towards the house. The section is steep and full of bush, the house sits right below the tree, and the neighbours are close by. They wanted it sorted before something went wrong.
The problem
The gum was about 18 metres tall. It stood less than two metres from the roof and about three metres from the neighbour’s fence. Days of heavy rain had made the ground soft around the roots, and the wind had opened a crack near the bottom of the trunk. That is what made it lean towards the house. With the slope and no room to drop it, this tree could easily have come down on the roof.
What we decided
Our Level 4 arborist came out and checked the tree. Because of the lean, the tight space and how close the house and fence were, we could not just cut it down in one go. The safe way was to climb the tree and take it apart bit by bit.
The Difference
Before & After
How It Ran
The Work, Step by Step
-
1
Assessment
Our Level 4 arborist checked the lean, the crack in the trunk and how soft the ground had gone around the roots.
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2
Method chosen
With the house two metres away and no room to fell, the tree had to be climbed and dismantled rather than dropped.
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3
Climb and cut
The climber went up on a harness and took the branches off one at a time, working down the tree.
-
4
Controlled lowering
The two on the ground roped every piece down slowly, away from the roof, the fence and the bush.
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5
Trunk in sections
The trunk came down in sections. Every piece landed where we wanted it.
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6
Clean-up
Branches chipped, timber cut up, site cleared and the stump ground down flush.
On The Day
Method and Safety
How we did it
Three of us did the job in one day. Our climber went up on a harness and cut the branches off one at a time. The two on the ground used ropes and a lowering device to bring each piece down slowly, away from the roof, the fence and the bush. We used chainsaws for the cuts and a wood chipper for the branches. The trunk came down in sections. Every piece landed where we wanted it.
The Outcome
The Result
By late afternoon the tree was gone. Nothing was damaged — not a roof tile, a fence panel or a garden bed. We chipped the branches, cut up the timber, cleared the site, and ground the stump down flush. The family got their space back, and the bush around it was left just as it was.
Homes and businesses
This was a home job, but we work the same way everywhere — schools, offices, body corporates and public spaces across Auckland. Same planning, same safety steps, same careful work.
Questions
About This Job
There was nowhere for it to land. The house sat less than two metres away, the neighbour’s fence about three, and the section is steep bush. Dismantling it in sections was the only method that kept the fall under control the whole way down.
Bush sections around Titirangi often carry protection, so the tree’s status was checked against the Unitary Plan before any work was booked. We do that as part of every quote in the west.
No. Every limb was lowered on ropes rather than dropped, and the lowering points were set to miss the understorey. The bush was left exactly as it was.
Services used on this job
Free, No Obligation
Got a tree you are worried about?
If a tree on your West Auckland property is leaning, storm-damaged or too close to the house, book a free on-site check with A One A Tree Care.
- Free on-site assessment
- Fixed written price, no hidden extras
- Fully insured, full clean-up included
- Council consent status checked first
Book your free assessment
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Talk to an arborist 021 102 0360We answer 24/7. Hazardous trees attended same day.
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