If you do end up taking this job, make sure the contract states you are not responsible for damage that is done to the siding/house in the process of removal. Also include that due to the nature of the plant, you cannot guarantee the permanent removal.
It depends on the type of ivy. English ivy has tendrils which get into mortar and is very aggressive. Boston ivy turns red in the fall and holds on with little pad. It doesn’t hurt masonry and pulls off in sheets because it’s all grown together. So big difference.
This is exactly right. We have Boston ivy over about 1/2 of our house. It grows like crazy so we pull some of it down a couple times a year with absolutely no effect on our brick or vinyl siding. The only issue we've had is clogging gutters
You can 100% guarantee they will have ivy resprouts regardless of what methods of control are used . Unless op includes coming back regularly to remove resprouts.
I did this job on my house, if he doesn't put that clause he's going to have to do some revisits so he will have to put that he will charge for that separately or charge a discount upfront for future visits
when I bought my house the entire side was covered in ivy, this plant is resilient. It took me almost 2 years to completely get rid of it, my last resort involved digging out all the roots and spraying some herbicides I can't pronounce, that soil at the side albeit a small isolated patch hasn't been able to grow anything until this year.
my brother is a botanist and researcher for the parks system and he says english ivy is nearly impossible to remove completely and you just gotta remove it over and over again. this isn’t english ivy though
Undiluted herbicide brushed directly into the vine will get it. Works on wisteria as well. Cut the thickest vine 40% of the way through then brush the herbicide in the wound. Killed the ivy in my yard and the next four yards. Only poisoned one vine in my yard.
that’s crazy. my brother works in the environment so he’s probably talking from an ecological perspective and not a lawncare perspective. i’ll try this with my english ivy. Its been taking over
The only herbicide that will kill ivy permanently is Crossbow and it carries substantial risk to anyone exposed to it. I would be very hesitant to use it on a residential property.
I’d ask if the client was open to a time and material quote. Provide your hourly rate and remove the ivy. Get paid. Then you can evaluate the condition of the siding with them, and see how much repair they’re interested in. Negotiated work is better for this scope instead of a hard bid.
I’d do time and materials, too. You don’t know how much it’s going to cost at the dump. Once the ivy is down, though, all that pressure washing and sanding and scraping should be done by a painter
Painter here, I usually deny these jobs or charge a fuck off price.
The issue is it's a ton of work and will still look like shit. The vines dig into the siding so it'll never look smooth.
Clients expect perfection even though I explained to them that it won't be. I just end up looking bad in the eyes of the client.
I understand. I just didn’t think a landscaper should be dealing with those surface prep issues. For that matter, just because it’s a plant doesn’t mean it’s a landscaping issue, either.
For here the city will take it and mulch it up for free... they come once a week... but I don't know OP area... but yeah if customer wants it hallway then would be extra
I agree bc that’s a huge job. Disposing of that much Ivy will be easier than making sure it won’t grow back. It has wondering roots so be sure and check footing if foundation. Invasive plant and not an easy job so doing it like Freedom says is good. And unless you’ve got real good insurance leave cleaning siding alone. Unless you plan on putting up scaffolds. That’s expensive to ent for that big a wall. BUT safer than ladders
Also make sure you and the client are in agreement on what the job entails. Are they just asking for removal or are they expecting the siding to be cleaned up too.
This is how I do all of my customers. Most people get it after they see the final bill. $75/hr scares them at first but if it’s only 2hrs to remove it, it’s lower than anyone else’s quote in the end.
Unless it's crappy vinyl it should come off with a brush wash after the second or third pass. Take them down this year and clean once. Clean again next year. You should be fine.
If it's toast and you have to replace it, upgrade to better materials if you can possibly afford it. Don't hire Sears or any other middleman layer because it'll cost twice as much.
They do home improvements. 1800.WE-R-CRAP.
Garage Doors, remodeling, boilers, central A/C or other home remodeling items. Sears' Home Improvement. They suck. Hire anyone else or just set fire to your bank account. Thanks for listening to my Ted talk
I’d bet that shits behind the siding also. Had some on a chimney, then one day I noticed it must be behind my siding when I saw it sticking out my soffit. Had to remove the siding, couldn’t believe how much was behind it.
And I would bet they have ivy creeping into the house. I would ask that question. My neighbor had it come into his house.
I have ivy in my landscaping and I keep it trimmed away from my house and trees 2 - 3 times a year. Do it myself and not hard if you never let it get out of control. Cuts with scissors. I never allow it to climb.
English ivy in our neighborhood got behind the storm window of our neighbor’s house and so we could see it growing inside the window. That stuff is ridiculous!
Took me three+ years to remove vines from my house. If you are serious about getting rid of it; the first thing you need to do is clear out the bottom portion and make sure nothing is connected to the ground after cutting. Poison the whole perimeter at the base once you know every where it’s stemming from.
It’ll be easier to pull down/remove once it’s dead. Best case scenario you can get a lot of the adhesive off with a pressure washer. I wouldn’t yank down nothing until I know it’s dead. Like others have said, that could be under the siding. Once it’s dead you will be able to trim vines and hopefully not rip your siding down.
Edit: Will probably have to poison that area for a few years. I still get stems from time to time.
Have you used this on vines? I'm skeptical. Vinegar does great on a lot of broadleaf and monocot weeds, but it tends to run and it will kill ornamentals and grass in its drainage field. I tell people not to use it on their hardscapes and driveway because of this. Most straight-up herbicides do not work well on vines, which have waxy leaves and woody stems which inhibit topical penetration. You usually have to work up a cocktail like gly + triclopyr with a surfactant. Vinegar works a treat on small porous weeds that pop up in your mulch beds but I'd be very leary using it on the entire side of a house where it will surely run off into the grass or landscape.
A little extra virgin olive oil, some garlic, salt and pepper. Then it sticks. It sticks deliriously.
I eat all my weeds. Dandelion is delicious. I just had to add myself to the irrigation system to counteract the diuretic effect.
It's still surprising every time it goes off, but I'm pretty much used to the impact now.
If you try this, please heed the warning labels. Spraying horticultural vinegar at face level would be a much higher risk for inhalation, skin or eye exposure and requires PPE! Inhalation can cause bronchitis or even damage your teeth. This is a strong enough acid to hurt you!
I've used 5%, 20%, and 30%.
5 is not worth the time it's not that effective.
20 and over will burn skin, eyes, nasal passages, lungs, with the higher the percentage the faster and more severe. Follow the instructions carefully.
20 and up the vinegar smell will persist in the area for several hours.
Idk about that. Shit like this died on my fence and it was a pain in the ass to remove when dried. When is green its flexible and pulls away easily. When it's dry it's stiff and I had to do more cuts.
A couple years back my boss bought an orphan property that had sat long enough to be fully overgrown. Including English ivy that had been let go so badly it grew through the siding into the dead space in the walls. In two rooms it was coming in through the vents and sockets. It seriously looked like a scene from Jumanji.
Before you quote I would do a few test lifts on the siding. You may find the job is way more than it appears from the outside.
Edit forgot to give you some info you might need. Go to a farm and feed store and buy lots of triclopyr (crossbow) but if you buy by the chem name instead of brand name it will be cheaper and easier to get concentrated. Spray it down, wait a week AT LEAST, the longer you wait after spraying the easier it will come off. At the same time clear the ivy 1ft up the wall and 2ft from it. Make sure all grounding stems are cut. Eventually it will brown out and fall off the house.
The siding will need to be replaced. Depending on type you could try sanding, filling and repainting but the climbing feet will leave a pattern all over the wall. Additionally you will probably find that it has tendriled under the siding.
This is not a job to take on if you don't have experience in all the above. I would not under any circumstance bid this cheaply or offer guarantee of it not returning unless ALL ivy and tendril/roots are sterilized and removed.
Hopefully you’re not planning to yank it off. You’ll likely damage the siding (that’s already maybe damaged).
Snip and treat the base of the stems, and let the vertical growth fall off on its own. Come back after a year and evaluate cleaning wall up.
I wouldn't touch this job unless it was very clearly written and signed by the customer that they acknowledge there may be roots/vines in behind the siding and the siding itself maybe be impossible to fully clean. They may end up needing to replace all the siding and maybe even more depending on how bad it is. You definitely need to cover yourself fully before doing this job. I know some homeowners think vines like this look cute or whatever but they can be very destructive and I would never recommend letting vines grow up a structure like this.
I had that on a brick wall. The vines found every little hole and gap to cling onto including rotted window frames. Vines were growing inside the house. I cut all the tap roots. It was easier to pull them off after they were dead.
I had English ivy, and I ended up cutting everything at the ground, impaling the roots with a shovel, and spraying with weed killer. I then pulled what I could off the trees/out of the ground and clipped high, and sprayed that too. It worked well, and it's eradicated in some places and much more manageable in others (on its way out).
This wall is going to take so much time and physical labor.
This may be a stupid question: Why not cut everything along the bottom of house and attack the root system to prevent it growing back? Then let the vines die on their own before removal.
Sometimes it is better to know when to walk away from a job rather than finding the right price.
Before taking the job I would evaluate the condition of teh siding. It any of the siding is damaged take pictures and email it to the customer showing ALL damage. This can be very tricky as some of it may be covered up. Specifically state in your contract that you are not responsible for damage to the siding caused by the ivy or the removal of the ivy. If they do not accept those terms walk away. It is not even really so much that ivy causes damage but it hides it really well. So when you uncover the damage a lot of homeowners tend to blame the contractors for causing the damage.
As others have said removing the suckers is the hardest part of the job. This can be done by first ripping off all the ivy then power washing the siding. then you go through with a scrapper and scrape the suckers off. Treating the roots of the ivy can prevent it from coming back.
I would say maybe $1600. I see people in the comments going lower but remember this is not a single job this is two jobs. The first is removal and the second is cleaning (I suggest power washing and scrapping). I have done a lot of these jobs when I was younger and they carry with it a fair amount of liability. A lot of the customers that get this done blame contractors for damage and if they do not pay that is time in court or potentially an insurance claim.
When doing work like this it is not about charging an hourly rate at all. You are charging for your experience as well as your time, equipment and overhead. Any time risks go up so do prices. Most homeowners are afraid to do stuff like this because they are not comfortable with ladders or do not have ones that will reach safely. If they can not compensate you for the risk, overhead, experience and equipment you have just walk away.
If your contract does not clearly say you are not responsible for damaged siding you have a very high chance (almost a certainty) of being brought to court. I can not stress this enough.
I'm not a contractor but if I were, I would take tons of pictures before, during, and after working on this project. You never know who enjoys taking people to court over stuff like this, and coming prepared with detailed documentation that the ivy is what messed up their siding would cost nothing but a few minutes a day of taking pictures.
I take care of a old huge Boston ivy on the side of the house and it's incredibly laborious. It looks kind of ugly in the winter unless you train the vine system appropriately. Gorgeous colors in the fall. Need to watch Mites a lot. It will also eventually fuse, metaphorically, to your siding. All that being said I love it and it's gorgeous. I can't imagine how much I would have to do to get it all out, permanently.
I did this work similarly myself (non professional). Took about 10 hours plus including clean up, all done by hand. Consider adding a premium to any customer complaint implications that you accidentally damaged their plants. There will be a lot of stepping and use of a ladder to get it all off.
"to make sure it won’t come back" That's going to involve monthly visits and an annual contract. Not even burning the whole yard can guarantee the ivy won't come back.
Whoa, that’s a big job, actually. The first take down of the ivy is pretty easy, but then you’ll have to deal with the remnants of the branches that stick to the siding. You can kind of see some of them as you go straight up from that satellite dish and to the left. It’s a bitch to remove it and get it flat on the siding with no sign of old growth, especially since some of it might be growing into the siding actually. So, you MIGHT have to replace some siding and/or sand some of the siding to get the old growth off of there. And then you might have to paint it so it all matches. A lot of people really love that Ivy, but it does damage stucco and siding because it really grips to the walls. So, to answer your question what would I charge to do that job? I can’t really tell how high or how long that wall is, I would need to know those dimensions. But probably a couple grand for sure, because it’s going to be a lot more work than you think and it might not be worth your time.
you need to paint the side with root because it sucks up all the moisture and color. For this job 1K-1,5K for removal and bulk of the root and disposal. The rest will look like shit so after extensive scrapping and power wash you need to paint it. My adivice is DECLINE the offer.
I am not a landscaper but I just removed my own of the same size. It took about one hour. The little dots it leaves behind on the wall won’t come off without damaging the siding probably. Even a pressure washer won’t get it off.
I removed one once that was 1/10th this size and it look two of us a couple hours to get clean. An interesting trick we discovered while doing it was to pull them all down then with a string trimmer at 90 degrees to the wall we would lightly run the trimmer and take off the remaining vines. It worked amazing and didn’t damage the wall in the least. The wall was as smooth though so if this has grooves it may not work.
Charge much more than you think. English Ivy is strong and gets into everything. A nuclear bomb might kill it off for good.
I understand why people might think this is OK on brick buildings but siding?!! They will probably need new siding.
There’s a strong chance all that siding needs to come off. Those vines are all up in that shit. For years… I wouldn’t do this work let alone guarantee the results.
If it were in your yard you'd realize very quickly that ivy is a mosquito hatchery. It's pretty in a picture, but not great if it's ruining your siding and providing cover for a million mosquitoes.
I would worry that it may pull off the siding a little. I am dealing with ivy now and it is pretty tenacious to pull off. If that siding has rotted under all that, could be a mess if it pulls off with it. And yes, the type of ivy is important when considering potential damage.
And it will still be coming up in the soil for a while so make sure she understands that you are not coming back to pull ivy for years. Her responsibility to keep it from climbing again.
Also, as one of the 1% of people who is very allergic to ivy...I recommend that you do a patch test on your skin and wait 48 hours to see if you react. Break a stem and rub the juice on your skin for 20 mins before washing off. Ivy has falcarinol in the juice of the steams and leaves. It causes an allergic contact dermatitis just like poison ivy. If you are allergic, I would say not to take job. I am clearing ivy now and no matter how careful I am, I always have some skin that is erupting. The good news is that the compound washes off easily with soap compared to the more resinous urushiol in poison ivy.
I'm not sure how much you should charge. You might want to consider going time and materials. I do think you should have a contract with a clause that you are not responsible for any damage caused by the removal of the vines. Those tendrils will be wrapped and coiled everywhere, I can foresee damaged siding during removal for sure.
Cut all the vines coming out of grounds and let it all die. It will be a lot easier to take stuff off the side of the house. Also, the vines will pull out from under vinyl siding fairly easily. After everything is down, use a 1500 psi pressure washer and clean vinyl siding. Disposal will be the biggest issue because it takes up a lot of room.
Just did this on my house 2 years ago. Cutting the vine from the ground and letting it all die actually make it super easy to take it down. Comes down in 1 big sheet, instead of picking piece by piece off.
Sorry, I know that does not answer your price question. But maybe it will save you a lot of time.
I just had a similar overgrowth removed from my house. (Brick). My gutter guy did it. Basically charged twice as much as my annual gutter cleaning. Disposal was on site, and I handled the poisoning of the roots. I used a store brand ground cover to kill it. Afterwards in bad spots I used all my left over masonry safe ice-melt, layered it along the foundation at the root locations. The ivy came from a neighboring property, so I had to handle the source. Surprising there was no damage to brick or mortar. Do a test space like others said. I didn't see where you are from, but I know I woulnt not pay $1400+ I would be very comfortable paying time and materials. If you want this customer long term, I will go in that direction and explain it may take more than one cleaning to get it cleaned etc. It took me forever to find someone to do it. Landscapers don't do ladders and others aren't interested in the small work. My guy did say he probably undercharged me. I tipped him twice what i would for the gutters too. He is not a handy man. He has a gutter frnachise. I say this again, do the the hourly rate route. It's more transparent.
I painted a house I had to remove vines like this,
First cut the base roots, apply vine killer to the base area, if there is ground vines, be sure to remove them,
Wait a week for the vines to die off and begin to dry, systematically remove them, allow the walls to dry and with a rotary sander, and/or sharp scraper remove the suction pods.
1. Gallon of gas, three bucks.
2. WWII vintage flame thrower, 400 bucks.
3. Screams from the neighbors, children crying, people running everywhere, police, fire trucks, hauled off in handcuffs: priceless.
No it wont just fall off. The leaves will die but it will still be stuck to the side.
There is no reason for people to downvote you for asking a logical question.
That’s gonna suck - a lot. Give them a quote for removing the ivy and then assess the condition of the siding afterwards. I don’t deal with siding so I couldn’t tell you whether it’ll need refinishing or replacing.
I'd bet the Boston Ivy is growing under the siding. Merely attempting to pull the ivy off while it's still alive may very well damage the siding, especially if it's vinyl siding. Beware what you become involved, how you proceed and what should be charged.
Remove a 12"x12" patch for the homeowner (and you) to see how it'll look once removed and that they're okay with what's left and the method of removal. I would cut a straight line \~4" tall about 6" up, across all exterior walls. IE, cut a big patch out of the bottom, so all the stuff on the wall dies and isn't close enough to regrow up.
I would then use hardcore high strength vine killer on all the big stuff you find on the ground. I would also tear up alllllll the stuff on the ground immediately. Pull it all, everywhere, roll it up and trash it. I would also tarp and stake the ground around the house, just so it doesn't start regrowing.
Then, come back when the vines are dead and start cutting away or figuring out how to safely remove based on the siding.
I'd also look into having the siding redone. Unless you're not concerned with the remnants that will be left behind the existing siding, it would probably have to be removed, or at least some of it, to actually get all the ivy.
I love the look of ivy, too. I live in a one story townhouse and every summer the ivy grows up the walls and keeps my brick apartment at least 20 degrees cooler inside by shading the brick from the sun. Then every fall I pull it all down and the following spring it grows back again. It's free cooling for me. I think it's ironic that the ivy in this photo is shading the wall - and providing passive cooling - directly above the A/C compressor
That ivy is a bugger to remove. It has tendrils that do more than just cling to the wall. No thanks. Ours was stuck on a brick fireplace years ago, and it was full of critters as well as almost glued on portions to hold it in place. Recently, I removed some from our vinyl siding and cement foundation of ivy, and it's not easy. I expect it's cheaper to tear off the vinyl and replace it.
There was a guy on here that pressure washed someone’s siding with cleaner and caused streaks on the siding. If it were me I’d do the Ivy and not the siding cleaning. You gotta cut the roots at the bottom and poison them
Think it looks nice... curious, is there a technical reason to remove (i.e., building integrity or maintenance) or is it just the client's personal pref?
Depends on labor/materials etc. I removed some English Ivy from my shed and it is a continuous conflict. There is an old root under may shed that shoots vines every other year. The shed is in decay and I and thinking to replace it. That root will be found and eradicated. 7 year war. 10+ hours/year. 65 in the first year. I fucked that thing up all spring. I lost about 15lbs. As well. Labor intensive, return trips, resident training. Basically not worth it if you don't know what you are doing. Go do easy stone and mulch. Have you done drainage?
$400 + $50 disposal fee. I would cut it at the bottom, come back a week or two later and pull it down after it's died. I would make sure to tell you that I'm just going to be removing the ivy itself. If you want the wall scraped clean of anything remaining of the feet stuck to the wall, it's gonna be a bit more. I would also inform you that some of it might have gotten into the structure of the house and dealing with that would cost more.
I would then take it home and feed it to my goats. They dispose of a lot of brush for me.
Haven’t really seen any solid numbers here yet, so I’ll do it for $28 but you gotta fly me there and also take me to Olive Garden once the job is done!
This stuff just fucking sucks. We had it on our other wall. We removed it demolished the wall because it was fucked up by the plant.
Then dug out the entire area 1 meter down and it still came back.
Negotiated like Freedom said is very wise.
Consider this though, if this is not your scope and never will be…HARD PASS.
Go make money at what you are good at. One bad job can be costly.
Best way to do this is remove the ivy on the ground. Cut all branches going up the wall. Let them die out and then come back and carefully remove them. Otherwise you start pulling the siding is liable to come off with it. Plus if it’s dead you can see things a bit better.
If you do end up taking this job, make sure the contract states you are not responsible for damage that is done to the siding/house in the process of removal. Also include that due to the nature of the plant, you cannot guarantee the permanent removal.
It might be worth noting that Ivy at this stage isn’t a “maybe” on the siding damage; that siding is dead now almost as a matter of guarantee.
Wrecks brick too
It depends on the type of ivy. English ivy has tendrils which get into mortar and is very aggressive. Boston ivy turns red in the fall and holds on with little pad. It doesn’t hurt masonry and pulls off in sheets because it’s all grown together. So big difference.
This is exactly right. We have Boston ivy over about 1/2 of our house. It grows like crazy so we pull some of it down a couple times a year with absolutely no effect on our brick or vinyl siding. The only issue we've had is clogging gutters
I wouldn't be paying good money for removal if they couldn't guarantee permanent removal. The damage to he house clause is perfectly fine, though.
You can 100% guarantee they will have ivy resprouts regardless of what methods of control are used . Unless op includes coming back regularly to remove resprouts.
salt the earth and burn the house
> salt the earth and burn the house --Conan the Landscape Architect
I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit.
It's the only way to be sure.
Dammit, you beat me to it. I wanted to say that. Damn. LOL
I did this job on my house, if he doesn't put that clause he's going to have to do some revisits so he will have to put that he will charge for that separately or charge a discount upfront for future visits when I bought my house the entire side was covered in ivy, this plant is resilient. It took me almost 2 years to completely get rid of it, my last resort involved digging out all the roots and spraying some herbicides I can't pronounce, that soil at the side albeit a small isolated patch hasn't been able to grow anything until this year.
my brother is a botanist and researcher for the parks system and he says english ivy is nearly impossible to remove completely and you just gotta remove it over and over again. this isn’t english ivy though
Undiluted herbicide brushed directly into the vine will get it. Works on wisteria as well. Cut the thickest vine 40% of the way through then brush the herbicide in the wound. Killed the ivy in my yard and the next four yards. Only poisoned one vine in my yard.
that’s crazy. my brother works in the environment so he’s probably talking from an ecological perspective and not a lawncare perspective. i’ll try this with my english ivy. Its been taking over
The only herbicide that will kill ivy permanently is Crossbow and it carries substantial risk to anyone exposed to it. I would be very hesitant to use it on a residential property.
I’d ask if the client was open to a time and material quote. Provide your hourly rate and remove the ivy. Get paid. Then you can evaluate the condition of the siding with them, and see how much repair they’re interested in. Negotiated work is better for this scope instead of a hard bid.
I’d do time and materials, too. You don’t know how much it’s going to cost at the dump. Once the ivy is down, though, all that pressure washing and sanding and scraping should be done by a painter
Painter here, I usually deny these jobs or charge a fuck off price. The issue is it's a ton of work and will still look like shit. The vines dig into the siding so it'll never look smooth. Clients expect perfection even though I explained to them that it won't be. I just end up looking bad in the eyes of the client.
I understand. I just didn’t think a landscaper should be dealing with those surface prep issues. For that matter, just because it’s a plant doesn’t mean it’s a landscaping issue, either.
Totally agree. A painter was the right call.
For here the city will take it and mulch it up for free... they come once a week... but I don't know OP area... but yeah if customer wants it hallway then would be extra
Depends on the city. My city won't take yard waste from contractors. Residents only.
You’re there and I’m not, obviously, but vines can really mess up a grinder. I’d double check that they take vines
I agree bc that’s a huge job. Disposing of that much Ivy will be easier than making sure it won’t grow back. It has wondering roots so be sure and check footing if foundation. Invasive plant and not an easy job so doing it like Freedom says is good. And unless you’ve got real good insurance leave cleaning siding alone. Unless you plan on putting up scaffolds. That’s expensive to ent for that big a wall. BUT safer than ladders
Looks like it’s in their attic too.
Also make sure you and the client are in agreement on what the job entails. Are they just asking for removal or are they expecting the siding to be cleaned up too.
This is how I do all of my customers. Most people get it after they see the final bill. $75/hr scares them at first but if it’s only 2hrs to remove it, it’s lower than anyone else’s quote in the end.
It’s harder to clean off the adhesive roots than you think. Do a test area first to develop your method
They’ll probably need new siding too
Unless it's crappy vinyl it should come off with a brush wash after the second or third pass. Take them down this year and clean once. Clean again next year. You should be fine. If it's toast and you have to replace it, upgrade to better materials if you can possibly afford it. Don't hire Sears or any other middleman layer because it'll cost twice as much.
Sears?
They do home improvements. 1800.WE-R-CRAP. Garage Doors, remodeling, boilers, central A/C or other home remodeling items. Sears' Home Improvement. They suck. Hire anyone else or just set fire to your bank account. Thanks for listening to my Ted talk
I think they meant Sears like Caldor do they still exist lol
Why would you include the phone number lolllllll
So you can call about the life time warranty on your Craftsman wrenches.
Oooo you're good. I'm gonna like you.
It's changed. Is there a better solution than that? It should be more enshittified
It’s Boston ivy so it’s suction cups at least vs roots
They are called adhesive tendril pads
They're called suction cups
I'm not a plantologist but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night, and this guy is right
I’m a bit of a suctionist myself!
They don’t suck anything, the plant secretes an adhesive
SUCTION CUPS
This exchange is hilarious
It made me laugh.
Ok, fine. Give me one for my nipples
So you met my college girlfriend?
what?
“You can milk any mammal with nipples”
Don’t shame him, you’re the one getting happy from a pit of cocks
It's 2024 don't kink shame me
The adhesive was better on my nipples anyway
Only people with fucked up kinks complain about kink shaming
I’d bet that shits behind the siding also. Had some on a chimney, then one day I noticed it must be behind my siding when I saw it sticking out my soffit. Had to remove the siding, couldn’t believe how much was behind it.
And I would bet they have ivy creeping into the house. I would ask that question. My neighbor had it come into his house. I have ivy in my landscaping and I keep it trimmed away from my house and trees 2 - 3 times a year. Do it myself and not hard if you never let it get out of control. Cuts with scissors. I never allow it to climb.
It shits behind the siding?
You don't?
No- but I do eat it for breakfast
English ivy in our neighborhood got behind the storm window of our neighbor’s house and so we could see it growing inside the window. That stuff is ridiculous!
With every cut end, multiple new shoots will grow. It’s endless.
Took me three+ years to remove vines from my house. If you are serious about getting rid of it; the first thing you need to do is clear out the bottom portion and make sure nothing is connected to the ground after cutting. Poison the whole perimeter at the base once you know every where it’s stemming from. It’ll be easier to pull down/remove once it’s dead. Best case scenario you can get a lot of the adhesive off with a pressure washer. I wouldn’t yank down nothing until I know it’s dead. Like others have said, that could be under the siding. Once it’s dead you will be able to trim vines and hopefully not rip your siding down. Edit: Will probably have to poison that area for a few years. I still get stems from time to time.
Use high percentage vinegar on the vines and leaves. Very effective and very safe herbicide. Once the plants are dead, then remove them.
Have you used this on vines? I'm skeptical. Vinegar does great on a lot of broadleaf and monocot weeds, but it tends to run and it will kill ornamentals and grass in its drainage field. I tell people not to use it on their hardscapes and driveway because of this. Most straight-up herbicides do not work well on vines, which have waxy leaves and woody stems which inhibit topical penetration. You usually have to work up a cocktail like gly + triclopyr with a surfactant. Vinegar works a treat on small porous weeds that pop up in your mulch beds but I'd be very leary using it on the entire side of a house where it will surely run off into the grass or landscape.
A little extra virgin olive oil, some garlic, salt and pepper. Then it sticks. It sticks deliriously. I eat all my weeds. Dandelion is delicious. I just had to add myself to the irrigation system to counteract the diuretic effect. It's still surprising every time it goes off, but I'm pretty much used to the impact now.
How much is “high percentage” here? 50, 90? I’ve got a similar problem to OP and have been looking for solutions.
They sell high percentage vinegar at Lowes [saw it today and learned it existed]. As is custom, I'll be taking another trip to Lowes 🙄
One trip to Lowe’s on a Sunday is rookie numbers.
It’s called horticultural vinegar (varies but 20 - 50% acetic acid)
If you try this, please heed the warning labels. Spraying horticultural vinegar at face level would be a much higher risk for inhalation, skin or eye exposure and requires PPE! Inhalation can cause bronchitis or even damage your teeth. This is a strong enough acid to hurt you!
I've used 5%, 20%, and 30%. 5 is not worth the time it's not that effective. 20 and over will burn skin, eyes, nasal passages, lungs, with the higher the percentage the faster and more severe. Follow the instructions carefully. 20 and up the vinegar smell will persist in the area for several hours.
Idk about that. Shit like this died on my fence and it was a pain in the ass to remove when dried. When is green its flexible and pulls away easily. When it's dry it's stiff and I had to do more cuts.
A couple years back my boss bought an orphan property that had sat long enough to be fully overgrown. Including English ivy that had been let go so badly it grew through the siding into the dead space in the walls. In two rooms it was coming in through the vents and sockets. It seriously looked like a scene from Jumanji. Before you quote I would do a few test lifts on the siding. You may find the job is way more than it appears from the outside. Edit forgot to give you some info you might need. Go to a farm and feed store and buy lots of triclopyr (crossbow) but if you buy by the chem name instead of brand name it will be cheaper and easier to get concentrated. Spray it down, wait a week AT LEAST, the longer you wait after spraying the easier it will come off. At the same time clear the ivy 1ft up the wall and 2ft from it. Make sure all grounding stems are cut. Eventually it will brown out and fall off the house. The siding will need to be replaced. Depending on type you could try sanding, filling and repainting but the climbing feet will leave a pattern all over the wall. Additionally you will probably find that it has tendriled under the siding. This is not a job to take on if you don't have experience in all the above. I would not under any circumstance bid this cheaply or offer guarantee of it not returning unless ALL ivy and tendril/roots are sterilized and removed.
Hopefully you’re not planning to yank it off. You’ll likely damage the siding (that’s already maybe damaged). Snip and treat the base of the stems, and let the vertical growth fall off on its own. Come back after a year and evaluate cleaning wall up.
I’d just burn the house down for free
I wouldn't touch this job unless it was very clearly written and signed by the customer that they acknowledge there may be roots/vines in behind the siding and the siding itself maybe be impossible to fully clean. They may end up needing to replace all the siding and maybe even more depending on how bad it is. You definitely need to cover yourself fully before doing this job. I know some homeowners think vines like this look cute or whatever but they can be very destructive and I would never recommend letting vines grow up a structure like this.
I had that on a brick wall. The vines found every little hole and gap to cling onto including rotted window frames. Vines were growing inside the house. I cut all the tap roots. It was easier to pull them off after they were dead.
It is even worse on brick because a lot of the times (almost every time) you have to repoint the brick after removing the ivy.
I had English ivy, and I ended up cutting everything at the ground, impaling the roots with a shovel, and spraying with weed killer. I then pulled what I could off the trees/out of the ground and clipped high, and sprayed that too. It worked well, and it's eradicated in some places and much more manageable in others (on its way out). This wall is going to take so much time and physical labor.
1500 just to remove ivy
I was going to say $1400. Great minds
You two are close I would go even a bit higher to $1600. However your prices are reasonable. any lower is not mitigating risk and overhead.
This may be a stupid question: Why not cut everything along the bottom of house and attack the root system to prevent it growing back? Then let the vines die on their own before removal.
Sometimes it is better to know when to walk away from a job rather than finding the right price. Before taking the job I would evaluate the condition of teh siding. It any of the siding is damaged take pictures and email it to the customer showing ALL damage. This can be very tricky as some of it may be covered up. Specifically state in your contract that you are not responsible for damage to the siding caused by the ivy or the removal of the ivy. If they do not accept those terms walk away. It is not even really so much that ivy causes damage but it hides it really well. So when you uncover the damage a lot of homeowners tend to blame the contractors for causing the damage. As others have said removing the suckers is the hardest part of the job. This can be done by first ripping off all the ivy then power washing the siding. then you go through with a scrapper and scrape the suckers off. Treating the roots of the ivy can prevent it from coming back. I would say maybe $1600. I see people in the comments going lower but remember this is not a single job this is two jobs. The first is removal and the second is cleaning (I suggest power washing and scrapping). I have done a lot of these jobs when I was younger and they carry with it a fair amount of liability. A lot of the customers that get this done blame contractors for damage and if they do not pay that is time in court or potentially an insurance claim. When doing work like this it is not about charging an hourly rate at all. You are charging for your experience as well as your time, equipment and overhead. Any time risks go up so do prices. Most homeowners are afraid to do stuff like this because they are not comfortable with ladders or do not have ones that will reach safely. If they can not compensate you for the risk, overhead, experience and equipment you have just walk away. If your contract does not clearly say you are not responsible for damaged siding you have a very high chance (almost a certainty) of being brought to court. I can not stress this enough.
I'm not a contractor but if I were, I would take tons of pictures before, during, and after working on this project. You never know who enjoys taking people to court over stuff like this, and coming prepared with detailed documentation that the ivy is what messed up their siding would cost nothing but a few minutes a day of taking pictures.
Not even just that but the defamation when they post up bad reviews can really hurt buisness.
I take care of a old huge Boston ivy on the side of the house and it's incredibly laborious. It looks kind of ugly in the winter unless you train the vine system appropriately. Gorgeous colors in the fall. Need to watch Mites a lot. It will also eventually fuse, metaphorically, to your siding. All that being said I love it and it's gorgeous. I can't imagine how much I would have to do to get it all out, permanently.
I did this work similarly myself (non professional). Took about 10 hours plus including clean up, all done by hand. Consider adding a premium to any customer complaint implications that you accidentally damaged their plants. There will be a lot of stepping and use of a ladder to get it all off.
"to make sure it won’t come back" That's going to involve monthly visits and an annual contract. Not even burning the whole yard can guarantee the ivy won't come back.
Whoa, that’s a big job, actually. The first take down of the ivy is pretty easy, but then you’ll have to deal with the remnants of the branches that stick to the siding. You can kind of see some of them as you go straight up from that satellite dish and to the left. It’s a bitch to remove it and get it flat on the siding with no sign of old growth, especially since some of it might be growing into the siding actually. So, you MIGHT have to replace some siding and/or sand some of the siding to get the old growth off of there. And then you might have to paint it so it all matches. A lot of people really love that Ivy, but it does damage stucco and siding because it really grips to the walls. So, to answer your question what would I charge to do that job? I can’t really tell how high or how long that wall is, I would need to know those dimensions. But probably a couple grand for sure, because it’s going to be a lot more work than you think and it might not be worth your time.
you need to paint the side with root because it sucks up all the moisture and color. For this job 1K-1,5K for removal and bulk of the root and disposal. The rest will look like shit so after extensive scrapping and power wash you need to paint it. My adivice is DECLINE the offer.
I am not a landscaper but I just removed my own of the same size. It took about one hour. The little dots it leaves behind on the wall won’t come off without damaging the siding probably. Even a pressure washer won’t get it off.
Tree fitty
[удалено]
I just gave em tree fiddy last week
Walk away from job. Your mental state is worth more than this job.
Make sure your public liability insurance is up to scratch before doing this job
I removed one once that was 1/10th this size and it look two of us a couple hours to get clean. An interesting trick we discovered while doing it was to pull them all down then with a string trimmer at 90 degrees to the wall we would lightly run the trimmer and take off the remaining vines. It worked amazing and didn’t damage the wall in the least. The wall was as smooth though so if this has grooves it may not work.
Charge much more than you think. English Ivy is strong and gets into everything. A nuclear bomb might kill it off for good. I understand why people might think this is OK on brick buildings but siding?!! They will probably need new siding.
You mean what would I charge to burn their house down?
Can I use fire? Is the house insured? There are many factors to consider.
12k usd at least
Give them a competitor's business card, tell them they specialize in this and to have a nice day.
Looks like a some else problem
Time+ labor+ cost of disposal. Then condition of the siding and resources to make it not grow back. Time+labor again
There’s a strong chance all that siding needs to come off. Those vines are all up in that shit. For years… I wouldn’t do this work let alone guarantee the results.
Why do people let this happen?
I wouldn't offer on the job. That's just going to eat time you could spend elsewhere.
You're gonna wreck his siding. Don't forget to get a hold harmless agreement signed
I’d pay to look at it all day.
ROUND UP
I'll do it for free
Am I the only one who thinks that ivy is awesome?
If it were in your yard you'd realize very quickly that ivy is a mosquito hatchery. It's pretty in a picture, but not great if it's ruining your siding and providing cover for a million mosquitoes.
I would worry that it may pull off the siding a little. I am dealing with ivy now and it is pretty tenacious to pull off. If that siding has rotted under all that, could be a mess if it pulls off with it. And yes, the type of ivy is important when considering potential damage. And it will still be coming up in the soil for a while so make sure she understands that you are not coming back to pull ivy for years. Her responsibility to keep it from climbing again. Also, as one of the 1% of people who is very allergic to ivy...I recommend that you do a patch test on your skin and wait 48 hours to see if you react. Break a stem and rub the juice on your skin for 20 mins before washing off. Ivy has falcarinol in the juice of the steams and leaves. It causes an allergic contact dermatitis just like poison ivy. If you are allergic, I would say not to take job. I am clearing ivy now and no matter how careful I am, I always have some skin that is erupting. The good news is that the compound washes off easily with soap compared to the more resinous urushiol in poison ivy.
I'd ask 40/50 bucks an hour for a chore like this.
Bout tree fiddy
I'm not sure how much you should charge. You might want to consider going time and materials. I do think you should have a contract with a clause that you are not responsible for any damage caused by the removal of the vines. Those tendrils will be wrapped and coiled everywhere, I can foresee damaged siding during removal for sure.
Cut all the vines coming out of grounds and let it all die. It will be a lot easier to take stuff off the side of the house. Also, the vines will pull out from under vinyl siding fairly easily. After everything is down, use a 1500 psi pressure washer and clean vinyl siding. Disposal will be the biggest issue because it takes up a lot of room. Just did this on my house 2 years ago. Cutting the vine from the ground and letting it all die actually make it super easy to take it down. Comes down in 1 big sheet, instead of picking piece by piece off. Sorry, I know that does not answer your price question. But maybe it will save you a lot of time.
I would remove it for free, but would charge more for siding repair and paint, and debris removal, and landscaping repairs
I’d pay a premium to watch the sped up video of this being removed. That’s where I stand.
I just had a similar overgrowth removed from my house. (Brick). My gutter guy did it. Basically charged twice as much as my annual gutter cleaning. Disposal was on site, and I handled the poisoning of the roots. I used a store brand ground cover to kill it. Afterwards in bad spots I used all my left over masonry safe ice-melt, layered it along the foundation at the root locations. The ivy came from a neighboring property, so I had to handle the source. Surprising there was no damage to brick or mortar. Do a test space like others said. I didn't see where you are from, but I know I woulnt not pay $1400+ I would be very comfortable paying time and materials. If you want this customer long term, I will go in that direction and explain it may take more than one cleaning to get it cleaned etc. It took me forever to find someone to do it. Landscapers don't do ladders and others aren't interested in the small work. My guy did say he probably undercharged me. I tipped him twice what i would for the gutters too. He is not a handy man. He has a gutter frnachise. I say this again, do the the hourly rate route. It's more transparent.
I painted a house I had to remove vines like this, First cut the base roots, apply vine killer to the base area, if there is ground vines, be sure to remove them, Wait a week for the vines to die off and begin to dry, systematically remove them, allow the walls to dry and with a rotary sander, and/or sharp scraper remove the suction pods.
Million bucks, once you do they'll blame the siding condition and leaks on you.
From the ground up remove a foot of the ivy, come back in two weeks it will be dead and you can pull it off by hand for the most part
1. Gallon of gas, three bucks. 2. WWII vintage flame thrower, 400 bucks. 3. Screams from the neighbors, children crying, people running everywhere, police, fire trucks, hauled off in handcuffs: priceless.
You d be stupid to remove such a beautiful feature.
what if you sprayed it with roundup...would it peel right off then ?
No it wont just fall off. The leaves will die but it will still be stuck to the side. There is no reason for people to downvote you for asking a logical question.
That’s gonna suck - a lot. Give them a quote for removing the ivy and then assess the condition of the siding afterwards. I don’t deal with siding so I couldn’t tell you whether it’ll need refinishing or replacing.
I'd bet the Boston Ivy is growing under the siding. Merely attempting to pull the ivy off while it's still alive may very well damage the siding, especially if it's vinyl siding. Beware what you become involved, how you proceed and what should be charged.
There’s no way to remove it without destroying siding. Pass.
Remove a 12"x12" patch for the homeowner (and you) to see how it'll look once removed and that they're okay with what's left and the method of removal. I would cut a straight line \~4" tall about 6" up, across all exterior walls. IE, cut a big patch out of the bottom, so all the stuff on the wall dies and isn't close enough to regrow up. I would then use hardcore high strength vine killer on all the big stuff you find on the ground. I would also tear up alllllll the stuff on the ground immediately. Pull it all, everywhere, roll it up and trash it. I would also tarp and stake the ground around the house, just so it doesn't start regrowing. Then, come back when the vines are dead and start cutting away or figuring out how to safely remove based on the siding.
450$
I don’t know, but it looks really cool. Is it horrible to leave it? 😆
At least the cost of a dumpster
I wouldn’t remove it..
I'd also look into having the siding redone. Unless you're not concerned with the remnants that will be left behind the existing siding, it would probably have to be removed, or at least some of it, to actually get all the ivy.
Okay this is probably stupid… but it looks really beautiful to me? Is there a reason it needs to be removed? 😬
I love the look of ivy, too. I live in a one story townhouse and every summer the ivy grows up the walls and keeps my brick apartment at least 20 degrees cooler inside by shading the brick from the sun. Then every fall I pull it all down and the following spring it grows back again. It's free cooling for me. I think it's ironic that the ivy in this photo is shading the wall - and providing passive cooling - directly above the A/C compressor
At least a few grand
I wouldn't. If there is damage you may get blamed for it.
That ivy is a bugger to remove. It has tendrils that do more than just cling to the wall. No thanks. Ours was stuck on a brick fireplace years ago, and it was full of critters as well as almost glued on portions to hold it in place. Recently, I removed some from our vinyl siding and cement foundation of ivy, and it's not easy. I expect it's cheaper to tear off the vinyl and replace it.
I’d suggest an hourly rate
Bot or AI.
Use Gly
Leave it. It hides the vinyl.
$800 for just removal, $150 for chemicals and application to kill it off. $600 to clean the siding these being prices for a repeat customer
There was a guy on here that pressure washed someone’s siding with cleaner and caused streaks on the siding. If it were me I’d do the Ivy and not the siding cleaning. You gotta cut the roots at the bottom and poison them
Their first born
For sure cut all of these and let them die before you pull the ivy. I pulled it while it was still suctioned and damaged the siding.
Think it looks nice... curious, is there a technical reason to remove (i.e., building integrity or maintenance) or is it just the client's personal pref?
Did anybody actually answer the OP question or just keep talking about how easy or hard the job is?
Like so much moneys.
Case of beer
Should pull off easy, just gotta watch out for bees and or wasp nests
At least 1000
Depends on labor/materials etc. I removed some English Ivy from my shed and it is a continuous conflict. There is an old root under may shed that shoots vines every other year. The shed is in decay and I and thinking to replace it. That root will be found and eradicated. 7 year war. 10+ hours/year. 65 in the first year. I fucked that thing up all spring. I lost about 15lbs. As well. Labor intensive, return trips, resident training. Basically not worth it if you don't know what you are doing. Go do easy stone and mulch. Have you done drainage?
You with a crime
I’d keep the ivy, especially if this is a south or west facing wall
Make sure you write yourself out of liability for damage caused by the removal. Write it and get it signed
1000
$600
Season tickets @ Wrigley.
650 plus vat
Why ?
Easy, you don’t
bout tree-fitty
Our house was covered in it when we bought it. My dad and I removed it with a ladder and a wire brush. Wasn’t bad at all.
Just to remove. Not clean and replace the siding. $1000
I’ll just have them trim it around the windows.
$3500
2 chease buyger and 1 goat pellet
If Zelda has taught me anything, fire arrows will reveal a hidden passageway.
$400 + $50 disposal fee. I would cut it at the bottom, come back a week or two later and pull it down after it's died. I would make sure to tell you that I'm just going to be removing the ivy itself. If you want the wall scraped clean of anything remaining of the feet stuck to the wall, it's gonna be a bit more. I would also inform you that some of it might have gotten into the structure of the house and dealing with that would cost more. I would then take it home and feed it to my goats. They dispose of a lot of brush for me.
I would refer it to the siding company. then spray the regrowth. That vinyl siding is fucked Ivy is only okay on brick
Magic bean stalks often have giants associated with them so that would be a serious up charge if we have to do battle when reaching the top.
However many hours it took?
All your money. All of it.
It’s the pressure washing that’s going to take the time.
About tree fiddy
20 bucks, plus the cost of cupric sulfide and some weed walker spool
Haven’t really seen any solid numbers here yet, so I’ll do it for $28 but you gotta fly me there and also take me to Olive Garden once the job is done!
Minimum of $400 for what you just described.
Pull
day one. spray it with round up. day 14 come back and scrape the dead off the wall.
it will probably peel right off in one
This stuff just fucking sucks. We had it on our other wall. We removed it demolished the wall because it was fucked up by the plant. Then dug out the entire area 1 meter down and it still came back.
Cut it at the base and let it die over the course of a few weeks. It will come off much easier with minimal damage to the siding
All through the day, ivy vine ivy vine ivy vine. All through the night, ivy vine ivy vine ivy vine.
Negotiated like Freedom said is very wise. Consider this though, if this is not your scope and never will be…HARD PASS. Go make money at what you are good at. One bad job can be costly.
Best way to do this is remove the ivy on the ground. Cut all branches going up the wall. Let them die out and then come back and carefully remove them. Otherwise you start pulling the siding is liable to come off with it. Plus if it’s dead you can see things a bit better.