"David Hare-Scott" wrote in
:

Also if it is really huge and you have no experience dropping
such a thing (as seems likely) consider that DIY may be a false
economy. Tree dropping is a very dangerous business and doing
it safely is harder than it looks. The larger the tree and the
more confined the space the more difficult it gets. One reason
the professionals charge so much is their insurance is so high.
Better a lighter wallet than a crushed house, car or person.

i had a 40-45 year old Norway maple about 9 feet from the corner of
my house (previous owners were really into planting invasive
species). now, i have experience dropping trees, but i'm not touching
one that close to the house, especially with limbs overhanging the
roof, etc.
when i had the woodlot logged, i asked the cutter to take down the
Norway maple. he refused... too close to the house. so, i hired a
tree guy to cut & shred it. took him most of the day to drop it &
shread the branches, but it's gone & i'm happy. cost me less than
$600 for the maple & a similarly poorly placed fir that was heaving
the driveway with it's roots.
lee