DIY GUIDE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to remove a hedge yourself
A weekend for a short garden hedge. €135–€185 in tools and bags.
When you may do it, taking it down in stages, getting the roots out, and where it stops.
- Every step, start to finish
- Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
- Honest about when to call a pro
FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER
Do it yourself, or get a mover?
Do it yourself if…
- The hedge is short, on your own side of the boundary, and every stem is thinner than your wrist
- You can do the work between September and February, outside the nesting months
- You are fit for a day or two of heavy digging and can get help lifting the stumps
- Nothing under it matters: no drain, cable or pipe runs along the hedge line
Get a pro if…
- The stems are thick enough that you would reach for a chainsaw
- The hedge is tall, so the top would have to come off from a ladder
- It is a long boundary or a row of mature conifers, where a stump grinder or a mini-digger is the sane tool
- It is on the boundary or along a road and the ownership or the frontage is in any doubt
Safety first
- Do not use a chainsaw on this job unless you are trained to; the HSA's chainsaw guidance treats kickback as one of the commonest causes of serious injury, and no protective clothing gives full protection against a moving chain.
- Wear safety glasses, heavy gloves and boots with a firm sole; a spade slipping off a root and a springing branch are the injuries this job produces.
- Lift with your legs and get help with stumps: the HSA's manual handling guidance is that twisting while holding a load significantly increases the stress on the lower back, and a stump caught in clay is exactly that lift.
- Before you dig, find out what runs under the hedge line; drains, water pipes and electricity cables often follow a boundary.
- Never work under a section you are cutting; take the top down in short pieces you can hold.
- Keep children and pets well away while you lever out stumps, which can spring free suddenly.
Stop here: A chainsaw, a climb, a machine, or the nesting season
Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended in 2000, makes it an offence to cut, grub, burn or otherwise destroy vegetation in any hedge or ditch between 1 March and 31 August, and digging a hedge out is grubbing; do it between September and February. Under section 22, wilfully destroying the nest or eggs of a wild bird, or disturbing a bird on an active nest, is an offence at any time of year. A chainsaw is a danger the HSA says needs trained, competent use, and its guidance on kickback is the reason this guide stops where the hand tools stop. How to hire a hedge removal contractor →
| MATERIAL | COVERAGE | FOR THIS JOB |
|---|---|---|
| Garden waste bags or a skip bag | Heavy-duty bags; a skip bag for stumps | Several bags per metre of hedge |
| Topsoil | Screened topsoil to backfill the trench | About a wheelbarrow per metre where roots came out |
| Grass seed or turf | If the line is becoming lawn | To cover the strip once the soil settles |
How much waste you will have
Rough volume of brash = hedge length × height × depth, then about a third of that once it is cut up and bagged. A hedge 5 m long, 1.8 m high and 0.8 m deep is about 7 cubic metres of hedge, so roughly 2.4 cubic metres of cut material, before the stumps.
Cut material packs down a lot if you chop it small; stumps and their soil are heavy and are the part that fills a skip bag fastest.
Long-handled bypass loppers cut green stems up to about the thickness of a thumb cleanly and quickly. Geared or ratchet loppers give more bite on thicker stems for the same effort, which matters when you are doing hundreds of cuts.
A bow saw with a fresh blade goes through green wood faster than most people expect, and a folding pruning saw gets into the tight spaces between stems. Buy a spare blade; a blunt saw doubles the work.
A sharp, square-edged spade cuts roots; a strong digging fork loosens the soil around them. A long steel bar or an old fence post gives you leverage on a stump. A mattock, if you can borrow one, chops roots that a spade bounces off.
Decide where the material is going before you start. Thin twigs go in a brown bin, but a hedge produces far more than one bin holds, and the stumps and thick stems need a civic amenity site or a skip bag.
A stump grinder and a chainsaw are the right tools for big hedges, and both are dangerous in untrained hands. If your hedge needs either, the hand-tool part of this guide stops at the stumps.
THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH
Before you start — by the hedge you have
How a hedge comes out depends on what it is made of and where it stands. Find yours and do its checks first.
A young hedge, a few years old
Stems no thicker than a broom handle, roots shallow.
- Check it for nests even outside the main nesting months
- Cut the stems to knee height with loppers so you have a handle on each plant
- Dig round each plant at a spade's distance and lift it with its root ball
- Consider replanting the plants elsewhere rather than binning them
An established broadleaf hedge
Privet, beech, hawthorn, griselinia or escallonia, ten years or more old.
- Plan to do it between September and February
- Take the top down in stages before you touch the stems at the base
- Expect a tangle of roots joined along the line; work along it, not plant by plant
- Mark any buried services along the line before you dig
A conifer hedge
Leyland cypress, thuja or lawson cypress.
- Measure the trunk thickness; most mature conifer hedges are beyond loppers and a bow saw
- Remember that conifer roots spread wide and shallow rather than deep
- Cover your arms against the sap, which irritates many people's skin
- Decide early whether the stumps are coming out by hand or by grinder
A hedge on a boundary
On the line between your garden and a neighbour's, or along a road.
- Establish whose hedge it is before you cut anything; check your folio map or ask
- Agree the work and the replacement boundary with your neighbour in writing
- Along a road, keep the footpath clear and never let material fall onto the carriageway
- Put up the replacement fence or wall before you leave the boundary open, if pets or children use the garden
THE JOB
The steps, in order
Check the timing, the boundary and the nests
30 minStart with the checks above for your hedge. Book the job for a dry spell between September and February. Walk the hedge and look inside it for nests from both ends and the middle; an old nest in winter is fine to remove, an active one is not. Peg out the boundary line with string so you know exactly where your side ends. Ask your neighbour, and whoever knows the house, where drains and cables run.
- Watch the hedge for ten minutes; birds coming and going give an active nest away
- Photograph the boundary line before the hedge is gone
- A folio map from Tailte Éireann shows the registered boundary
Mistake to avoid: Assuming the hedge is yours because it is on your side of the garden; boundary hedges are often shared.
Take the top down in stages
1–2 hoursWork from the top down and from the outside in. With loppers, cut the outer side shoots back to the main stems first, so you can see inside the hedge. Then cut the main stems down in pieces about an arm's length long, holding each piece as you cut so it does not fall onto you. Do not try to fell the whole height in one cut from the bottom. Stack the brash in one place as you go so the work area stays clear.
- Cut at chest height or below; reach for the top with long loppers, not a ladder
- Work with the hedge's lean, not against it
- Chop brash small as you go and it bags far more easily
Mistake to avoid: Cutting a tall stem at the base and having it fall the wrong way, onto a fence, a window or you.
Leave stumps at knee height
30–60 minOnce the top is off, cut each main stem to about knee height rather than at ground level. That stump is your lever: you will push and pull it back and forth to loosen the roots, which is far easier than digging round a stump flush with the ground. Use the bow saw for stems too thick for the loppers, and keep the saw cut level so it does not bind.
- Mark any stem that is very thick; it will need the most digging
- Clear the brash before you start digging so you have room to swing the spade
- A knee-high stump also stops you tripping over it
Mistake to avoid: Sawing everything off at ground level and leaving yourself nothing to lever with.
Dig a trench along the root line
2–4 hoursDig a trench along both sides of the hedge line, about a spade's distance out from the stems, to expose the main roots. Loosen the soil with the fork first, then lift it out with the spade into the barrow or onto a sheet. Stack the topsoil separately from the subsoil so you can put it back in the right order. As you meet roots, cut the thin ones with the spade and leave the thick ones for the next step.
- Work along the line in short sections, not round each plant
- Wet clay is heavy; take smaller spadefuls and more breaks
- Keep the trench edges vertical so they do not collapse into the hole
Mistake to avoid: Digging right up against the stem, where the roots are thickest and the spade just bounces.
Cut the roots under and around each stump
1–3 hoursWith the trench open, cut each main root where it leaves the stump. Use the spade's edge on the softer roots, the loppers on anything up to thumb thickness, and the saw on the thick ones, pulling soil away so the blade does not run into stones. Work round the stump until only the tap roots underneath are holding it. Reach under with the saw or a sharp spade to sever those last.
- Push the stump away from you while you cut so the root opens up and the saw does not bind
- Change to a fresh saw blade when stones have blunted the first
- Cut roots, do not tear them; torn roots hold on longer
Mistake to avoid: Hacking at roots with the spade buried in stony soil and breaking the spade handle or your wrist.
Lever out the stumps
1–2 hoursGrip the stump and rock it back and forth, then from side to side, and feel where it is still holding. Cut that root and rock it again. When it moves freely, slide the bar under it and lever it up and out, or lift it out with a helper. Keep your back straight and lift with your legs. Shake as much soil as you can off the root ball back into the trench before you move it.
- Two people lifting one stump is safer and quicker than one person struggling
- Knock soil off with the back of the fork, not your hands
- Roll heavy stumps into the barrow rather than lifting them in
Mistake to avoid: Jerking a stuck stump with a bent back; this is where most of the injuries on this job happen.
Clear the remaining roots
1–2 hoursFork through the trench and pull out every root you find that is thicker than a pencil. Small fibrous roots can stay and will rot. On privet, laurel and some other hedges, bigger pieces left in the ground can resprout, so be thorough. Rake the area over and pick out the last pieces by hand.
- Leave the area a week and pull anything that sprouts
- A sieve over the barrow catches small root pieces from the topsoil
- Do not burn roots or brash in the garden; it is waste with proper routes
Mistake to avoid: Leaving chunks of root in the ground and finding a row of new shoots in spring.
Backfill and level the line
1–2 hoursPut the subsoil back first and tread it down in layers, then the topsoil on top. Add extra topsoil where the stumps came out, because the trench will settle. Firm it, rake it level and leave it to settle for a few weeks before you seed, turf or plant the line. If you are putting up a fence or wall in its place, do that before the final levelling.
- Overfill slightly; it will sink
- Water it in and let it settle before you lay turf
- Mix compost into the topsoil if the line is to become a border
Mistake to avoid: Filling the trench flush and finding a sunken strip across the lawn a month later.
Get rid of the material
1–2 hoursSort the material as you clear it. Light twigs and leaves go in your brown bin or on the compost heap. Thicker branches and stumps go to a civic amenity site that accepts garden waste, or in a skip bag. Chip or chop the brash small if you are making more than one trip; it shrinks a great deal. Check the site's rules and opening times first, because not every site takes garden waste.
- Shake soil off stumps before you take them; you pay for weight
- Ask a neighbour with a trailer before hiring one
- Keep a few logs for a wildlife pile in a corner
Mistake to avoid: Tipping the brash in a ditch or a field; that is illegal dumping and the fine falls on you.
The mistakes that cost the most
- Taking a hedge out in the nesting months without checking for nests
- Cutting stems to the ground and losing the leverage the stumps would have given you
- Removing a boundary hedge that turns out to be your neighbour's
- Leaving roots in the ground on a hedge that resprouts
Stop here and get a tree surgeon
- Any stem is too thick for a bow saw, or the only way through it is a chainsaw
- The hedge is tall enough that the top would have to come down from a ladder
- The stumps need a grinder or a mini-digger, or there are services under the line
- There is an active nest in the hedge, or it is March to August and the hedge cannot wait
| WHAT YOU SEE | WHY, AND THE FIX |
|---|---|
| New shoots coming up where the hedge was | Root pieces left in the soil. Dig them out as the shoots appear, following each shoot down to its root; repeat for a season. |
| Sunken strip where the hedge used to be | The backfill has settled. Top up with screened topsoil, firm it and reseed or relay the turf. |
| Stump will not move at all | A tap root underneath is still holding. Dig deeper on one side, reach under with the saw, and cut it; if the stump is very large, it is a job for a stump grinder. |
| Fungus or mushrooms on the old line | Rotting root pieces underground feeding fungi. It is harmless in most cases; dig out what you can and it fades as the wood rots. |
| Neighbour unhappy with the gap | The boundary was open before the replacement was ready. Put up a temporary fence and agree the permanent boundary before taking out the next section. |
| Soil heavy and wet along the line | The hedge was drinking a lot of water. Dig in grit and compost before you turf or plant, and give it a season. |
| Lawn edge damaged where you worked | Barrows and boots over wet grass. Lay boards next time, and repair with a half-moon edge and some seed. |
WHAT YOU SAVE
What it costs to do it yourself
| Loppers | €34.99–€54.99 |
|---|---|
| Bow saw and spare blade | €19.48–€24.98 |
| Digging spade and fork | €49.98–€69.98 |
| Heavy-duty gloves and safety glasses | €19.98 |
| Skip bag | €11.99 |
| Total, first time | €136–€182 |
| DIY total | €135–€185 |
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
The tools are yours to keep. The cost most people forget is disposal: civic amenity sites charge for garden waste by the load or the weight, and a skip bag collection is extra.
RATHER NOT?
Hedge removal contractors near you, with prices shown
The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
Leave the backfilled strip for a few weeks, top it up, then seed, turf or plant it.
Light twigs and leaves go in the brown bin or the compost heap; mywaste.ie says tree trunks and large branches should not go in the brown bin, and lists civic amenity sites that accept garden waste through its waste services locator.
Walk the line every couple of weeks through the next spring and pull any shoots from left-behind roots before they establish.
Wash the soil off, dry and oil the blades, and file the spade's edge. A saw blade that hit stones is usually cheaper to replace than to sharpen.
Removing a hedge: questions people ask
Section 40 of the Wildlife Act restricts cutting and grubbing out hedges between 1 March and 31 August. Take a hedge out between September and February. Destroying an active nest is an offence at any time of year under section 22.
Generally not for an ordinary garden hedge. Check first if your house is a protected structure, is in an architectural conservation area, or if a planning condition on your estate covers front boundaries.
Leave the stump at knee height, dig a trench round it, cut each root where it leaves the stump, and rock it to find the last root holding. Lever it out with a bar or with a helper.
It can, from root pieces left in the soil, particularly privet and laurel. Fork through the trench for every root thicker than a pencil and pull any shoots that appear the next spring.
Light material goes in the brown bin or the compost heap. Stumps and thick branches go to a civic amenity site that accepts garden waste, or in a skip bag.
The Locufy Irish price guide puts hedge removal at €200–€900 per job, typically €400. Ask whether stump removal and taking the waste away are included.
MORE GUIDES
More DIY guides
Sources — checked October 2026
- Husqvarna — how to trim a hedge: renovating and cutting an old hedge down
- Husqvarna — how to prune a tree: cutting thicker branches, chainsaw use
- HSA — guidance on the safe use of chainsaws
- HSA — manual handling of loads, guide to the General Application Regulations
- Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, section 46 — section 40 as amended
- Wildlife Act 1976, section 22 — nests and eggs of wild birds
- NPWS — restrictions on cutting hedgerows and burning
- mywaste.ie — garden waste
- mywaste.ie — wood and timber
- Woodie's — price check: loppers and saws
- Woodie's — price check: loppers and saws, page 2
- Woodie's — price check: spades and forks
- Woodie's — price check: gloves
- Woodie's — price check: safety glasses
- Woodie's — price check: skip bags