Trees over the roof
A trunk leaning across your house leaves no direction to drop anything. Each section is lifted vertically off the tree and swung clear of the roofline before it ever comes down.
Crane Services
Some trees shouldn't be climbed. Those come out from above.
When a tree is dead, hollow, hanging over your roof or hemmed in by a fence on every side, the crane is the safer answer. Sections get picked straight up and out over the house, then set down in the driveway — no rigging loads through a tree that can't hold them.
- Licensed & insured
- Free site assessment
- Most jobs in one day
- Ground protection standard
What we do
The crane isn't the expensive option. It's often the cheaper one.
People assume bringing a crane in doubles the bill. Usually it does the opposite — a takedown that would tie up a climbing crew for two days comes out in a morning, and you're paying for hours on site as much as anything else.
More importantly, it changes what the crew is standing on. A climber working a dead pine is trusting wood that's already failing. With the crane, the climber makes one cut on a section that's already supported by the hook, and the load never travels through the tree at all.
We use it where it earns its place: trees over houses, trees too far gone to climb, big-diameter pines and oaks, and backyards where nothing on wheels can physically get to the trunk. If your tree doesn't need it, we'll tell you that at the estimate and quote it as a standard climbing removal instead.
One dayTypical crane removal
$0Cost for an estimate
9 citiesCovered across Hampton Roads
100%Debris hauled off
Crane work we handle
Six jobs where lifting beats climbing.
The crane isn't for every tree. These are the situations where it's the right call — and usually the only safe one.
Dead, hollow or unsafe to climb
Decayed wood won't hold a climber or a rigging load. The crane takes the weight so nobody has to trust a stem that's already rotten through the middle.
Large pines, oaks & big-diameter stems
Log sections from a mature pine weigh more than any rope system should be lowering by hand. Picked instead of dropped, they never load your lawn or your fence.
Backyards with no equipment access
Narrow gates, pools, patios and neighbouring fences. The crane sets up out front and reaches over the house, so no machine ever has to cross your yard to get to the tree.
Storm damage & emergency lifts
A tree already on the house has to come off in controlled pieces, not be pulled. We lift the weight off the structure first, then take the rest of the tree down properly.
Commercial, HOA & multi-tree projects
Parking lots, common areas, churches and apartment grounds. Fewer days on site means less disruption for residents and less time with a section of the property roped off.
Know the signs
Six situations that call for a crane, not a climber.
If any of these describe your tree, mention it when you call — it changes how we quote and how we crew the job.
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01
Crane needed
The tree is dead, hollow or shedding bark
There's nothing structurally sound left to climb or rig against.
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02
Crane needed
It's leaning over the house, garage or a neighbour's roof
No safe drop zone exists on the ground, so the weight has to go up and over.
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03
Crane needed
A storm has already put it on the structure
Weight has to be lifted off before anything gets cut, or the damage gets worse.
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04
Crane worth it
The only way in is a three-foot side gate
Reaching over the house beats dragging every piece through the yard by hand.
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05
Crane worth it
The trunk is too big to rig down by rope
Large-diameter log sections exceed what a lowering system should be handling.
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06
Crane worth it
There's a pool, patio, septic field or new turf below
Picking the sections out means nothing heavy ever lands on what you've paid to install.
Not sure whether yours needs one? Text a photo to (757) 778-3884, ideally showing the tree and the house together, and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a crane job or a straightforward climbing removal. The estimate is free either way.
How a crane removal goes
Every pick is planned before the boom ever comes up.
Here's exactly what happens from the first phone call to the last pass with the blower, so there are no surprises on the day.
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01
We work out where the crane can sit
Reach, weight and clearance all have to line up. We check the setup position, the distance to the tree, what's overhead, and whether the ground and driveway will carry the machine. If the numbers don't work, we'll tell you before you've paid anything.
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02
Outriggers down, ground protected, area closed off
Pads under every outrigger, mats where the drive or lawn needs them, and vehicles moved well clear. The drop area and the swing path are cordoned before anybody starts, and the crew agrees the sequence of picks out loud.
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03
Each section is hooked before it's cut
The climber sets the sling, the operator takes up the weight, and only then does the cut get made — so the piece is already held when it comes free. It's lifted clear of the roofline and set down where the ground crew is waiting. Then the next one.
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04
Stump, cleanup and a walk-through
Stump cut flush or ground below grade, wood loaded out, mats lifted and the whole area raked and blown. Then we walk the property with you — including the drive and any ground the crane sat on — before you pay a cent.
Why homeowners call us back
A crane is only as good as the plan behind it.
Lifting sections of tree over somebody's house is not work you improvise. Every pick has a weight, a radius and a limit, and the whole job is built around staying inside them — that's the difference between a crane removal and an expensive accident.
We carry full liability and workers' compensation coverage and will send the certificate before we start. Our climbers are trained on rigging, load estimation and aerial rescue, and the crew works to an agreed sequence with the operator rather than calling it as they go. Where a job needs a road closure or a permit, we'll tell you at the estimate rather than on the morning.
Fully insuredLiability & workers' comp
Planned picksWeight & radius checked
Ground protectionPads and mats standard
Fewer site daysLess disruption to you
Where we work
Crane tree removal across Hampton Roads.
Based on English Ave in Chesapeake, with crews running daily through the surrounding cities and neighbourhoods. Pick your area below, or call and we'll confirm in ten seconds.
Common questions
Before you book a crane removal
Does using a crane cost more than a normal removal?
Not as often as people expect. The machine costs more per hour, but the job takes a fraction of the time — a two-day climbing removal can become a one-morning crane job. On big or awkward trees the total frequently comes out level or lower. On a small, straightforward tree the crane genuinely isn't worth it, and we'll quote it as a climbing removal instead.
Will the crane damage my driveway or lawn?
That's what the setup planning is for. Outriggers go down on pads that spread the load, and we lay mats where the drive or soft ground needs them. We check the surface before we position, and if we think there's real risk to a drive we'll say so upfront and look at another setup point. Any ground the crane sat on gets walked with you before we leave.
How much room do you need to set up?
Less than most people assume — the crane usually sits in the driveway or the street out front, not in your backyard. What matters more is the overhead: power lines, phone lines and low branches along the route in all affect where the boom can go. We work that out at the free site assessment.
Can you really reach a tree in the back garden?
In most cases yes — that's the main reason to use one. The boom reaches over the house and picks each section straight up out of the backyard, which is why crane work suits fenced lots, pools and patios so well. Reach depends on distance and weight, so the assessment confirms it before we commit to a date.
Do you need to close the road?
Sometimes, depending on where the crane has to sit and how wide your street is. If a lane closure or a city permit is needed, we'll identify it at the estimate and handle the arrangements, not spring it on you the morning of the job. Most residential removals in Hampton Roads don't need one.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Integrity Tree Specialist carries general liability and workers' compensation coverage, and we'll provide a certificate of insurance on request before work begins. For crane work over a structure this matters more than on any other job — always ask, and if the certificate doesn't arrive, that's your answer.
Free estimate
Send us a photo of the tree and the house together.
That one picture tells us most of what we need to know. No pressure and no charge for the visit — and if your tree doesn't need a crane, we'll tell you that too.
(757) 778-3884
integritytrico@gmail.com
1929 English Ave, Chesapeake, VA 23320
Mon–Fri · Storm calls answered after hours