Case Study: How Professional Tree Removal Saved a Galway Home from Storm Damage

If you’re living in Galway, you know well that the weather has a mind of its own. One minute the sun is splitting the stones, and the next, you’re looking at a sky blacker than a pint of stout, with the wind howling like a banshee round the gable end.

We’re used to it, of course. It’s part of the charm of the West. But for homeowners, particularly those of us with mature gardens in places like Newcastle or Salthill, that charm can turn into a right headache when the winter storms start rolling in off the Atlantic.

This week on the blog, we’re sharing a story from a recent job that really highlights the importance of being proactive with your garden. It’s a classic case of storm damage tree cutting in Galway, and how a quick decision by a local homeowner saved their roof (and their wallet) from a disaster.

Spotting Trouble Before the Weather Turns

It started like any typical Tuesday in November. We got a call from a gentleman named Patrick, living just up the road in Newcastle. Now, Patrick has a lovely spot, a classic semi-detached home with a garden that he’s clearly put years of work into. But there was one problem, and it was a big one.

Standing right at the back boundary wall was a massive Sycamore tree.

Now, don’t get us wrong. We love trees. It’s the bread and butter of what we do here at J.B. Property Maintenance. A big Sycamore can be a majestic thing, giving you privacy and shelter. But this particular tree had been neglected for donkey’s years. It was top heavy, leaning slightly towards the house, and to make matters worse, it had a massive fork in the trunk that looked about as stable as a three-legged chair.

Patrick told us on the phone, “Lads, every time the wind picks up, I’m lying awake waiting for the crash. It’s creaking something fierce.”

He was right to be worried. We’ve seen it a hundred times. A tree that looks grand in the summer, with all its leaves fluttering away, becomes a giant sail in the winter. When you add the weight of a sodden, wet Galway winter to a compromised trunk, you’re playing a dangerous game.

The Assessment: More Than Just Chopping It Down

We headed out to Newcastle the same afternoon. At J.B. Property Maintenance, we don’t believe in keeping people waiting, especially when safety is on the line.

When we arrived, the first thing we noticed wasn’t just the size of the tree, but the location. It was a tight squeeze. The tree was wedged between Patrick’s garden shed, his neighbour’s new fence, and the main house. To top it off, the power lines weren’t a million miles away either.

This is where the difference between a lad with a chainsaw and expert tree removal in Newcastle really shows.

A cowboy might look at that and say, “Ah sure, we’ll just fell it that way and hope for the best.” That’s how fences get smashed and tiles get stripped off roofs.

We took a different approach. We performed a full risk assessment. We checked the root plate stability (which was already starting to lift slightly, a bad sign) and inspected the union of the branches. The rot in the main fork was deeper than Patrick realised. If Storm Isha or any of the big gusts we had last year had hit this tree full on, it wouldn’t have just lost a branch, the whole thing would have split down the middle.

We told Patrick: “It has to go, and it has to go before the weekend.” There was a yellow wind warning forecast for Friday, and this tree wasn’t going to survive it. 

The Job: Surgical Precision in a Galway Garden

Thursday morning came, and it was a soft day, as we say misty rain and a bit of a breeze, but safe enough to climb.

For a job like this, you can’t just cut from the bottom. We had to dismantle the tree section by section. It’s a process called “sectional felling,” and it’s like a high stakes game of Jenga in reverse.

1. The Rigging: Our lead climber went up with a harness and rope system. Because of the glasshouse below and the pristine lawn Patrick was so proud of, we couldn’t just let the branches drop. We used a rigging system to lower every single branch down slowly. It takes a bit longer, but it means we don’t leave the garden looking like a bomb hit it.
2. The Drop Zone: Ground crew coordination is key here. While the climber is up top battling the wind and the sway of the tree, the lads on the ground are controlling the ropes, guiding the heavy timber down safely, and processing it immediately into the chipper. It’s a well-oiled machine.
3. The Tricky Bit: The hardest part was a heavy limb hanging right over the neighbour’s fence. This is the kind of storm damage tree cutting Galway residents often dread because it involves access issues. But because we’ve been doing this for 25 years, we knew exactly how to sling it. We used a “zip line” technique to guide the branch away from the fence and straight to the chipper. Not a scratch on the fence. The neighbour was watching from the kitchen window with a mug of tea, and gave us the thumbs up.

The Aftermath: Peace of Mind is Priceless

By 3 PM, the tree was gone. All that was left was a neat stump (which we ground down for him later so he could turf over it).

We tidied up everything. And we mean everything. We pride ourselves on leaving a place cleaner than we found it. We blew the sawdust off the patio, raked up the stray twigs, and even took away some old garden waste Patrick had been meaning to bring to the dump himself.

The transformation was instant. The garden was brighter, sure, but the atmosphere was different. The looming threat was gone.

Patrick came out, looked at the empty space, and let out a big sigh of relief. “Jesus lads,” he said. “I’ll sleep tonight now. That was hanging over me in more ways than one.”

And wouldn’t you know it, Friday night brought a gale that rattled the windows across the county. Winds hit 100km/h in parts of Connaught. If that Sycamore had still been standing, with that rot in the fork, it’s a near certainty it would have come down. Instead of a €500 – €800 removal job, Patrick would have been looking at thousands in roof repairs, insurance excess, and the absolute misery of trying to get a roofer in the middle of winter.

Why You Shouldn’t “Chance Your Arm” with Storm Damage

We see it all the time. People think, “Ah, I’ll handle that branch myself,” or they hire a fella who knocked on the door with a chainsaw in the back of a van.

Here’s the truth: Tree surgery is dangerous work.

When a tree is damaged by a storm, it’s unpredictable. The wood is under tension. If you cut the wrong branch, the whole thing can spring back and hit you, or twist and fall the wrong way. We have the insurance, the training, and the gear to do it safely.

In Galway, specifically, we have a lot of Ash trees suffering from Ash Dieback, and big old Beeches that rot from the inside out. They might look solid, but they’re brittle. Climbing them without the right knowledge is a recipe for disaster.

5 Signs Your Tree Might Not Survive the Next Storm

Since we’re on the topic, here are a few things you can look out for in your own garden. If you spot these, give us a shout at J.B. Property Maintenances before the next weather warning turns red.

1. Mushrooms at the base: If you see fungi growing near the roots or on the trunk, it usually means the wood inside is rotting. It’s nature’s way of decomposing a tree, but you don’t want it happening while the tree is standing next to your car.
2. The V Shape: Trees with two trunks growing from a tight V shape are weak. The bark grows into the joint (included bark) and pushes them apart over time. One strong wind can split them.
3. Dead Wood: If there are branches without leaves (in summer) or that look dry and brittle compared to the rest, they are widow makers. They will fall, it’s just a matter of when.
4. Leaning: A tree that has always leaned is usually fine, it’s grown that way. But if you notice a tree is leaning more than it used to, or the soil around the base is heaving up on one side, that tree is falling.
5. Touching the House: If branches are rubbing against your roof or gutters, they can cause physical damage, but they also act as a bridge for rats and pests. Plus, the wind vibration can damage your property’s structure over time.

Why Choose J.B. Property Maintenances?

Look, we know there are plenty of options out there. But we’ve been serving Galway, Mayo, and Clare for over 25 years. We’re local. We know the soil, we know the weather, and we know the trees.

• We’re Fully Insured: If something goes wrong (which it rarely does, but we plan for everything), you are covered.
• We’re Fast: When you search for “expert tree removal Newcastle” or “emergency tree cutting Galway,” you’ll see us pop up because we answer the phone.
• We’re Tidy: We treat your garden like it’s our own garden. No mess left behind.
• We’re Affordable: We give fair quotes. No hidden nonsense.

The Bottom Line

Patrick’s story is a happy one because he took action. He didn’t wait for the tree to fall on his extension. He saw the danger, he called the professionals, and he got it sorted.

If you have a tree that’s worrying you, maybe it’s blocking all the light, or maybe it’s creaking a bit too loudly on these windy nights, then don’t ignore it.

Give us a ring on 087 002 3533 or drop us an email at info@jbpropertymaintenances.com. We’ll pop out, have a look, and give you an honest assessment. It might just need a bit of pruning (a haircut, as we call it) to let the wind pass through it more easily. Or, like Patrick’s Sycamore, it might be time to say goodbye.

Either way, you’ll sleep better knowing your home is safe.

Stay safe out there, Galway. And remember, if the wind is whistling, keep the head down and let us handle the heavy lifting.

J.B. Property Maintenance, Serving Galway & Connaught for over 25 Years. Professional. Reliable. Local.