Dig it up and use the saw to cut the roots or pull it out with a truck.
Mike

do you need that specific space ....????

on my 5 acres .... i would cut it flush to the ground.. apply some roundup to the cambian layer ...and then figure out what to do with the dead part .. of which.. i can burn out in the country ...

even in suburbia ... with rather limited space ... you could plant something as close to 2 or 3 feet away .. using the saw to get any roots out of the planting hole ...

i also just bought a dewalt sawzall-type thingee jigger bob .... have hubby go buy a TREE PRUNING blade.. it makes all the difference in the world for cutting wet wood .... its the difference between using a butter knife.. and a steak knife on a bad steak.. lol ... [the common blade is for cutting kiln dried lumber.. not trees]

if you want to learn about pruning.. and can face constructive criticism.. post a pic.. and we can discuss your work ...

but bottom line.. i am glad.. you are thinking about divesting.. lifes too short to bother with someone elses mistakes ...

and in return for cutting it down.. mother nature will favor you with a mushroom show for a few years.. as she breaks down the decomposing roots.. i call that.. a 'free show' ....

just make sure.. you can get it low enough.. not to leave a tripping hazard .... if it is in the lawn ... rather than a garden bed ...

if it is in the lawn.. cut the tree at about 3 feet.. so there is just trunk ..... just start digging.. exposing the roots.. and using the trunk as a lever ... keep moving it around and digging.. until you can get it out of there ... yes.. it is some excersize .... but its better than paying to have it done ... perhaps a neighborhood bay will do it ... you really dont need a college education for this.. just brute strength ....

good luck

ken

tonk,
Ken is the resident expert of killing and removing trees that bother him. If anybody here knows how to do it, it's Ken. ;-) (Just joking with you Ken). Joking aside, Ken is completely right. Sometimes it's just the best thing to do. We have a tree that I planted about 5 years ago (long story) that had a 6" trunk at ground level.I used a limb saw, and pickaxe, but still have a stump I haven't been able to get out. Point is that you just keep working on it until you reach your goal (removal). It is work, but it can also be educational. Everything we plant that does not make it, or is removed for some reason, I do a post-mortem to learn whatever I can. So in your case, why the tree is leaning is a good place to start (root problems, improper planting, soil problems, etc). This has been VERY beneficial over the years.

Just a couple of thoughts, and encouragement.

Arktrees

Oh thanks!! Here are some pix.

When it was about 5ft from the house. You see the shape is quite asymmetrical.
{{gwi:353071}}

I transplanted it with the wider size to the left.
{{gwi:353072}}

After pruning
{{gwi:353073}}

Tilted to the right.
{{gwi:353074}}

Location on the lot -- Orange dot
{{gwi:353075}}

This post was edited by ttonk on Tue, May 7, 13 at 10:27

You guys should be able to dig that out easy.
I could dig that out and I'm an old lady :)
Just have a saw or loppers handy to cut stubborn roots.

When you cut it down to begin be sure and leave four or five feet of stump to help you lever the root ball around.

I have a different idea. The tree appears to be not that large and you have already moved it once. If it were mine I would leave it go as is and let it grow. As it grows it will fill out. NEXT year and in years after you can CAREFULLY prune it into a nice looking tree.

We had an oddly shaped flowering cherry. We took our time in deciding what to trim, and then made the cuts. This year the new growth is turning it into a nice looking and shaped tree. This fall we will make a couple of other well-thought-out-cuts to further improve its looks.

This post was edited by knuttle on Tue, May 7, 13 at 22:21

I was expecting a lot worse before I saw the pics. I don't think it looks that bad. Certainly salvagable with some trimming. But if you want it gone, that one shouldn't be too hard to dig out with a shovel. I have an old apple orchard, and as the trees die, I dig out around the trunks (some are more than a foot across), then I get my son to chop the trunk down below grade (he likes the exercise), then I fill dirt over the top and plant a new one a couple feet away.
(I think your junipers need trimming.)

I've not read the other responses, but here's how hubby and I do this job....

Take a saw and cut out all the branches that you can SAFELY reach.... hub uses a saws-all with a pruning blade. Works great. A set of loppers might be all you need though.

Top the remaining canopy at about 3-4 feet off the ground.

Start rocking the tree side to side and back and forth. Observe movement in the earth at the base. This will help you identify a root. Once you figure out where one is, one of you rock back in the opposite direction of the root while the other takes a sharp spade and plunges thru the root.

Repeat the rocking until you have the surface roots all sliced thru. If needed, remove the top 8" or so of dirt and repeat the rock and slice at that level. Once you get the roots out at about 8" below soil level, you can take the saws-all and cut out the stump.

Replace dirt. VOILA!

I don't think the tree looks bad. It might be too close to the house when it gets big. Some crab apples don't get very big though; it depends on the variety. It sounds like you haven't been very patient with it. It takes a while for plants to fill in after they have been transplanted.

I could cut that down and I am also an old lady. You can get a pole saw for $60 or $70 and remove the taller branches one at a time, then cut it at the base. Dig down a bit so you can cut it low. Since your husband has his new saw he probably wants to use that. You can tie a rope on it and pull while the other person saws at the base. You need a long enough rope so you don't pull it down on yourself. If most of the branches were off it shouldn't be too hard to do.

You don't have to have a stump if you cut it low.

Oh Thank you all!
Does this mean I actually did a fine job pruning? hehe
I may have subconsciously pictured it in the most flattering angle.

I now have a good idea on how to remove it, but the guilt of not giving it a chance is setting in again.

It is indeed a bit close to the house and I don't know the exact kind, so the growth potential is a mystery to me.

Junipers are long gone. replaced with boxwoods.

This post was edited by ttonk on Wed, May 8, 13 at 15:07

Please allow me to hijack my own post.

How do I hide those utility boxes? My neighbor has maiden grasses. Could you recommend any small EVERGREEN shrub that goes well with maiden grasses, but not maiden grasses (so that we can have some variety.)

That is a wet spot and I often have some standing water after rain but it eventually gets drained. There's a pop up drain somewhere left to the utility box. I have been hesitating to make a planting bed as I could screw up the already not so great drainage.

This post was edited by ttonk on Thu, May 9, 13 at 14:14

Azaleas, camellias, winter daphne, and the list goes on.

Place them so the utility worker can get them. You should be able to completely hid them with three or four bushes placed about 4 feet from the center of the utility cluster.

Thanks! I'm researching those plants now~

duplicate posting

This post was edited by ttonk on Fri, May 10, 13 at 13:44

It took about 10 min for me to do this alone. The pruning blade was wonderful.
{{gwi:353076}}

Then, it took 2 hours for two of us to get the root ball out, remove all the dirt from the roots and chop them so that we can put them in the yard waste bag, scrape mulches off the lawn, and fill the hole with dirt.
{{gwi:353077}}

I am indeed happier without it. lol
Thank you ALL!!

This post was edited by ttonk on Sat, May 11, 13 at 20:57