Hedge cutting is quoted per job rather than per metre, because length is only one of six things that decide how long the work takes. Two hedges the same length can differ by a factor of three.
The six factors
- Length. The starting point.
- Height. The price steps up where the job needs a platform rather than a step ladder.
- Width. Both faces plus the top is roughly three times the work of topping alone.
- Species. Soft new growth cuts fast; thick woody stems and dense conifer do not.
- Time since the last cut. The biggest variable on a neglected hedge.
- Access and disposal. Whether a chipper reaches it or the arisings go out by hand.
Screening hedges want cutting more often, not less
Worth raising because it is counter-intuitive. Where a hedge is doing a real screening job — and around Ledbury a lot of established hedges are screening a road, a neighbouring property or an open aspect — the temptation is to leave it alone so as not to lose the screen.
There is a second reason on conifers specifically. Leave one long enough and the only way to bring it back is to cut into bare brown wood, which leaves a permanent hole in the screen. Regular cutting is what prevents ever being in that position.
The first cut versus the maintenance cut
| Time since last cut | What the job is |
|---|---|
| Within a year | Routine maintenance — quickest and cheapest |
| Two to three years | Heavier trim; the old cutting line is still findable |
| Four years or more | Reclamation — far more material, line usually lost |
| Never properly cut | A reduction project, priced as one |
Be straight about which you have when you ring. It costs nothing to say and it means the quote you get is the price you pay.
Why the faces cost more than they look
Quoting the top of a hedge is straightforward. Quoting the faces is where contractors differ, because a face cut properly is worked to a plane rather than followed in and out of last year's bumps — and on a long run that is genuinely slower.
It is also the half that decides whether the hedge stays the size it is. Leave the faces and the hedge creeps outward; do them each time and it holds its footprint indefinitely. Which is why a quote that covers only the top is not really cheaper, it is just smaller.
Where the savings are
- All the hedges done in one visit rather than one at a time.
- Combining hedge work with tree work or clearance.
- Keeping the chip if you have a use for it.
- Clearing the ground along the base beforehand.
- Booking annually rather than rescuing it every few years.
- Flexible timing outside the busiest weeks.
Four things that make a quote accurate
You do not need to know what species it is or measure anything precisely. Four rough answers get you a number that will not move on the day.
- How long, in fence panels. Easier than metres and near enough.
- How tall, against something. "Above the shed", "level with the bedroom window" — that is plenty.
- When it was last done properly. The honest answer, including "never".
- How we would get to it. Rear gate, through the house, or a vehicle straight onto the boundary.
A photograph covers most of it in one go, and settles the species question without you having to identify anything.
A word on who you would actually be dealing with
Ledbury sits in Herefordshire, which is a unitary authority. That is worth knowing because customers here often read about the council shake-up happening across the border in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire and assume it applies to them. It does not — Herefordshire Council is not part of it, and there is no change of authority coming at any date.
So for anything that does involve the council — a protected tree grown up in the hedge line, or a dispute about a neighbour's hedge blocking light — Herefordshire Council is who you deal with, now and afterwards.
Want a free quote on your hedge in Ledbury?
Tell us roughly how long it is, how tall, and what it's made of if you know. We'll arrange a free quotation based on the actual work required.
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