Land Clearing
We clear trees and brush from house lots and acreage between Tampa and Crystal River. You choose forestry mulching or brush removal, and we pull or grind the stumps.
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Site preparation, or site prep, gets a wooded or overgrown lot ready for a new house or barn. We take the trees down and grub out the stumps and roots. An old shed in the way can come down too, and we haul the debris off. Then we rough-level the cleared ground so your builder's crews can start.
A Sharper Image Tree Services is a tree service in Tampa with a second shop in Homosassa. We prepare sites from Tampa north to Crystal River, across Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. Opening up acreage for pasture or a fence line is land clearing, a separate service. Call or text (813) 293-2948 for a free estimate.
Tell us about the tree, the lot or the structure and where it is. We look at the job and put the estimate in writing.
It starts with your site plan and a look at the lot. The plan shows where the house sits and which trees stay. The trees marked to go come down first, and our compact track loader with a grapple moves the logs. The brush gets chipped or hauled off on our trucks.
Next comes grubbing, which means pulling the stumps and roots out of the ground. Florida's building code requires the foundation area, plus a foot around it, to be free of stumps and dead roots. That rule sits in the code's termite section. A Sunshine 811 locate request goes in at least two full business days before grubbing starts.
An old shed or other small structure in the way comes down through our demolition services. Then we rough-level the cleared ground and clean up before we leave. Your builder's crews take it from there with fill, the house pad, drainage and utilities.
In Tampa, the city requires a permit to remove trees 5 inches DBH and up, invasive species aside. DBH is the trunk diameter measured 4.5 feet above the ground. A grand tree, Tampa's term for its biggest protected trees, is a listed species at 32 inches DBH or more. The list includes live oak, laurel oak, southern magnolia and longleaf pine.
Tampa requires a site clearing permit when protected or grand trees sit within 30 feet of the build. Before the city inspects, the trees coming out get red flagging and the building corners get rough stakes. Barricades go up around the trees that stay, and our machines work outside them. Removing a grand tree takes public notice first, and the city may ask whether the plans can shift.
Unincorporated Hillsborough County requires a Land Alteration and Landscaping permit before trees over 5 inches DBH come off a homesite. That application goes in with the building permit. Oaks 34 inches DBH and up can be grand oaks, and the county requires them kept unless it approves removal. The permit is sorted out before work starts, and we can walk you through the county's permit page.
Pasco County has no lot clearing permit of any kind. On a bare lot, trees that need a permit wait for an assigned address and a site development permit. In unincorporated Hernando County, trees 18 inches DBH and up need a permit, palms and sand pines aside. The county also requires Brazilian pepper and lead tree removed from new development sites.
Citrus County does not issue permits for clearing alone. Protected trees, 4 inches DBH and up, come out only with a permit to build on the site. The county calls its policy Call Before You Cut. Keeping trees means no permit fees, and removed trees are replaced or covered by a mitigation fee.
Gopher tortoises live on upland ground all over Florida, yards included. The state wildlife agency, the FWC, counts any work within 25 feet of a burrow as a disturbance. If the work cannot keep that distance, the owner needs an FWC relocation permit first. Until then, our machines stay 25 feet from the burrows.
Call or text for a free estimate. We work the corridor from Tampa north to Crystal River.
(813) 293-2948From the first call or text to the finished work, here is how it goes.
Call or text (813) 293-2948 and tell us what needs doing and where. Send photos if you like.
We come out and look at the tree or the lot in person. We check the access for our machines and what sits under the branches.
You get a free estimate in writing, with the work spelled out. Once you say yes, we set a date.
The crew does the job as written, whether that is a takedown, a trim or a clearing. Big trees near the house come down in sections, on ropes or with the crane.
The brush goes through the chipper and the wood goes on our trucks. Then we rake up and take a final look at the work with you.
Common questions about site prep around Tampa and north to Crystal River. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
We clear trees and brush from house lots and acreage between Tampa and Crystal River. You choose forestry mulching or brush removal, and we pull or grind the stumps.
Learn More
We take down and haul off old fences, decks, sheds and concrete slabs. The site is cleaned up and rough-leveled when the structure is gone.
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We grind tree stumps below grade with our stump grinder, one old stump or a lot full of them. We rake the chips into the hole or haul them away.
Learn MoreBig trees over houses and pools can come down in sections with our crane. Our tracked lift reaches into the canopy to trim big oaks beside a two-story house.
Fenced back yards get our compact loaders. They carry the logs and brush out through the gate to the chipper and our trucks.
Cleanup is part of every job, big or small. We haul the wood and brush away and rake the yard before we pack up.
We work from shops in South Tampa and Homosassa. Between them, we cover the whole corridor from Tampa north to Crystal River.
Real reviews from real jobs, 35 reviews on Google.
I was impressed with the workers. They were respectful of my property. As for the cutting they did exactly what I wanted. The pricing was reasonable.
Very professional and responsive. Quoted fairly & competitively. Showed up on time and did a great job. Highly recommend and would work with again!
I had a tree that was rotten and needed to come down asap. A sharper image gave me an estimate and theirs was significantly less than competitors. Not only did they do the job quickly but they did an outstanding job. So grateful for this tree service. They helped me protect my home!
Send us a few details about the job and the town it is in, with photos if you have them. Call or text (813) 293-2948 or use the form, and we set up your free estimate.
Tell us about the tree, the lot or the structure and where it is. We look at the job and put the estimate in writing.
