Mike Waller and his associate pruned my magnolia. My best analogy is "when you get a haircut that doesn't look like a haircut, it's a GREAT job." My tree looks beautiful, and in no way "hacked." Mike trimmed a neighbor's tree last year, and based on the expert job he did for her, I didn't shop around. He is reliable, super quick, skilled, and he even cleaned up afterwards, leaving no debris behind. HIGHLY recommended! read more

Mike has taken care of our trees for several years now. He is always extremely thorough and does a great job of cleaning up afterward. He is also very knowledgeable about tree care and diseases, and has helped us through a few problems with some of our trees. Finally, he and his crew are also always very friendly and professional. We used a few other companies in the years before finding Mike and we were never very satisfied with their work. We have been so happy to find an arborist like Mike. We highly recommend him! read more

This past summer, I needed to have my parent's huge Oak trees trimmed back. They were overgrown and looked very dangerously HEAVY hanging over their home. I found this company through Craigslist and Mike, the owner came out for a free estimate. He was prompt, professional, and very tree knowledgeable! Right away, I knew he was the man to do this job! I had to get our neighbors to pay for their half (separate contracts). That ended up being a great deal, because it was primarily their tree that had grown to this beast. Mike and his team completed the entire job in 1 day. They removed approx 1500 lbs of branches, limbs, dead stumps, and more!!! It was great to watch because Mike actually climbs up into the trees (Oak Tree Heights man!) and handles it! We were all very pleased by his work and would like to refer his services to anyone who has crazy overgrown trees that need a good trimming or removal! read more

This review is only for the bid process, as we ended up going with another tree service. Based on the great Yelp reviews, gave Waller a call to see about getting stump grinding and a tree removed. Mike came out to see the property to give us a quote. He is a friendly guy, and also looked over the rest of the property to see if there was anything else that might need attention. Unfortunately, Mike's quote was significantly higher than the other tree services, so we didn't select him. A good chunk of the cost was due to the distance, which is understandable but it probably would have been better to know that in advance so it would have saved Mike the trip up to our property. One other thing was that because Mike had been so busy throughout the day working other jobs, he actually did not have any paperwork for a quote ready for us. This meant we didn't have a quote in writing, although in the end it didn't make a difference. The others I contacted included Banning Tree Service, Mitchell Tree Service, Davey Tree, and Peninsula Tree Care. read more

Had Mike deal with my overgrown trees (several birches in the front of my house and backyard; huge oak tree and some smaller redwoods in the back; a humongous cork tree and a group of redwoods in the side yard). He tackled the job in 4 days - a big job for 2 guys (Mike and his trusty sidekick, Jose). I even had him take a look at my meyer lemon tree which I just had planted back in February. It wasn't looking too good. Mike assessed that there was no saving the little guy as it was infested with scales. He offered to pull it out and take it away. Mike and Jose arrived bright and early all 4 days and got straight to it. They were professional and courteous and checked in with me regularly to ask me if I was satisfied with things so far. Mike even gave me a ring while I was out to let me know that he just saw a lady walk out of the house with my infant son (which was totally okay, by the way, since the lady was my nanny). It was nice to know he had an eye on things while I was gone. If you've got trees that need attention, Mike's your man for the job. read more

In one word, EXCELLENT! I had a palm tree (http://www.geocities.com/superr_beast/2007_09_23_Palm/index.html) removed by Waller Tree Care. It took 1.5 days, and they did a clean job. Clean in terms of getting rid of the tree and debris, putting dirt back in the crater, and keeping my living room clean by laying down plywood and tarp before the dirty job started. It was a big fat palm tree in a tight backyard of my townhouse. The only access was thru the 4-ft wide patio door. It was like taking an engine apart thru the exhaust pipe. I called a few numbers off Craigslist and Yelp. Mike Waller, the owner of Waller Tree Care, sounded the most knowledgeable and experienced. Mike showed up on time for the estimate, told me in detailed steps about his plans to get the tree out, estimated 1 days of work, and we both signed a contract for him and his crew to start the work. The price was very reasonable. My roommate watched over their work, and it was remarkable. The guys worked hard, and they communicated very well when they had a question such as "it's gonna damage this plant next to the tree. Do you want us to dig it up and replant it, or just let it be". It took them 1.5 days to finish everything, and drag equipment and debris in/out thru the living room, which was left as clean as when they found it. They also left all other plants in the yard intact. And they charged as estimated, no extra charge for the extra half day of work. So, two thumbs up for Mike Tree Care! read more

ESTIMATE ONLY - work order is pending... our spending plan of course! Mike came - instantly liked him for his willingness to share his knowledge. I feel like I know alot more about trees after talking with him. He was on time and conscientious. He immediately saw problems that I had not and explained what was most likely the history of the tree that created it. He assured me he was insured and could bring proof. Also he is taking the exam for the licensing soon. read more

Hire Waller Tree Care. As a new homeowner, we were overwhelmed with yard tasks but knew that we needed to have a tree removed from our backyard and one on the side yard trimmed away from the roofline. Where to go for help? YELP!! We saw the reviews and thought we'd give Mike a chance. He arrived to do an estimate and was extremely knowledgeable. Since we know nothing about trees, Mike probably could have taken complete advantage of us. He gave us an estimate and we scheduled the tree removal. On the day of the removal, Mike and his helper arrived at the appointed time and began taking down a large Sycamore. It was quite fun to watch him climb the tree, attach safety ropes and systematically remove branch after branch. While he was cutting the tree, his helper was loading the truck with all the limbs. Mike took the stump all the way down to ground level. He then tackled the pruning of a large Ash that was hanging over the house. He removed the material over the house, thinned and topped the tree to a much more manageable height. It took Mike about 5 hours from start to finish. They clean up their mess and were very careful to avoid damage to our and our neighbor's yard. He was careful to avoid damage to the roof and rain gutters. Mike was extremely pleasant to work with and his price was incredibly reasonable. We wish we had more trees to trim! I do know that when it is time to have the other trees in our yard done, we will be calling on Waller Tree Care. read more

Literally had my leaning tree taken care of in 30 minutes of my first call at 6pm!! Very polite and respectful! Highly recommend Waller!

Called Mike Waller out in the summer of 2008 to prune our tree in front of our home (bought and moved into the same month) due to a large branch breaking and falling into the street. According to the City of San Jose, we are required to HAVE a tree, but due to budget cuts, we are RESPONSIBLE for the maintenance of said tree. (Sounds backwards, yes?) Anyway, Mike came out, we negotiated a fair price, and the job was (very nicely) done a few days later. Mike stated that he wouldn't have to come back for about three years! Great job! Now, maybe 9 months later (definitely less than a year), we started having branches break and fall into the street again. Called Mike up to come by to take a look and give a quote. Don't want any type of liability issues. He came by, looked at it, and again, we negotiated a price - this time, however, we went back and forth, but eventually settled on a very fair price - I didn't want to pay anything b/c it was less than a year, but Mike needs to make a living, but then again, he wanted to be fair (remembering what he told us previously). We ended up settling on a very fair price, with me cleaning up the branches. The next day, I got home from work, expecting a mess, due to the low negotiated price, but I came home to a BEAUTIFULLY pruned tree with minimal mess. THANK YOU, MIKE WALLER! GREAT JOB! We'll be calling on Mike if we need future work done, no doubt! You should too! Fair, honest, good business practices, and he has that personal touch - he'll remember you! (as all small businesses should!) read more

Mike from Waller Tree Care (and his helper Jose) were great - such a relief to get good tree/landscaping service after several overpriced quotes and bad experiences. Mike was on time both for his estimate meeting and for the tree service itself. The palm tree went from having a lot of dead branches underneath and looking really unkempt to looking beautiful and well-pruned. There had been some hornets nesting in the pineapple underneath the fronds of our pam tree and an exterminator had had to hack away at it. Mike fixed it so that it looked presentable again. Not only did he do all of the work on the tree, he was also able to take on a last minute job to clean up and take away some tree/hedge trimming left behing by another contractor. Mike and Jose were really the answer to our prayers in terms of making our property look nice for an upcoming party. We would definitely recommend them and would use them again in the future. Mike is very friendly and professional - great to work with. And even better his prices are reasonable. You can tell he knows what he is doing and really appreciates the business. E read more

Mike, the owner of Waller Tree Care, is amazing. A tree limb fell on our roof late on a Friday and we called him at 10 PM to come out and remove it. Wow! -- talk about emergency 24 hour service. Mike said that he would be at our house in 1.5 hours -- he actually came in 1 hour (30 minutes ahead of schedule). He was courteous and extremely professional. He climbed up the tree, used ropes to secure the giant branch, and then got it down off our roof without damaging anything. It was amazing. I couldn't believe he did this single handedly and so smoothly. Mike's expertise, professionalism, and honest approach to his work is really refreshing. I would recommend him to anyone without any reservations. read more

After reading the reviews, I was about to schedule an appointment. However, I read a review further and noticed that the owner was taking his CSLB exam in 2009. I also read another review where they questioned his license status. I called and they still have not obtained their license. They may be insured and bonded but they are not licensed to perform services for over $500. Also, do they have w/c insurance to cover their employees. They only beef I have with the lack of license is the unfair advantage they have over legitimate businesses who have a license and play by the rules. Please get your license! If they obtain their license I may schedule an appointment for future jobs. read more

I wish that all contractors could be like this! We had lagged on finding someone to take care of trimming our overgrowth of trees in our backyard. As a result, I am glad that fellow Yelpers were able to point us in the right direction. Mike was so professional from start to finish. We were able to set-up an appointment with him for a free quote. He didn't try to up sell us on anything, and kept everything really simple to what we really wanted done. His prices were really reasonable and you can't beat the customer service. His availability was pretty flexible and was able to schedule his services right away. THE TREE SERVICE: He showed up on time. Did what we wanted to have done from trimming to removing a tree. There was one tree that we needed to had trimmed since it was overgrowing into our neighbor's side. We really didn't want to cut it so that it looked like someone sliced it in half. Mike knew how to take care of it and you can't even noticed that the tree had a trim. Problem solve. Cleaned up everything and even hauled the trimmings away in his truck. Not too many tree trimmers do that. He did a great job and really liked his work and customer service. TIP: Mention that you found him on Yelp and he will give you a discount! read more

We needed someone to take out a dead tree and a hedge and trim a couple trees. Mike came out the day we called and gave us a very reasonable estimate and a discount for mentioning Yelp! He said he could do the work the following Thursday. On the day he promised, he showed up on time and made quick work of the trees and stumps. He cleaned up completely -- not even any leaves in the pool! Mike and his crew were friendly, thorough, and efficient. I don't know what more I could ask for. read more

I had a dying cedar removed by Mike and he has handled the whole project very professionally. Communication is great and you can really feel his appreciation for your business. The free estimate was setup within days of our first phone conversation, a competitive quote was given, and project day was then set. He even accommodated a last minute (literally) schedule change request due to my other ongoing yard project. The tree was taken down in a couple of hours (I watched the first 20 mins and it is fun). Mike cut it into wood logs and stacked them nice and clean under the awning. I am glad I picked Mike for my first tree project. Excellent work, highly recommended! read more

Mike is such a professional and very knowledgeable. He takes the time to explain things and does such a beautiful job. We have several giant trees of all different types from avocado, olive, irish strawberry, fig and more. There is an art and science to this and he has it down. read more

Mike and Jose are the bomb! I had Mike come to do an estimate on the many crazy trees, fruit trees, neighbors bamboo etc. growing in our yard and was pleasantly surprised by how low his quote was. The week of the scheduled work it was extremely stormy - I was honestly expecting to have to reschedule and would have been fine with that considering the weather. They still showed, as promised, and worked 10 hours, in the rain, to get the job done! They were both really nice and extremely hard workers. The yard looks great, I can't wait to see it bloom in the spring. I highly recommend them. read more

Looking at reviews on Yelp, I was pleased to see that tree care businesses were included, though not many reviews were here at that time. Since then, several more reviews for Mike have sprouted up, and with good cause. I gave Mike a call and had him come out to do an estimate. We did a walk-thru of the property, going over what work I wanted done, and Mike making notes. Then he made a second pass, writing up an estimate, and had it ready about 20 minutes later. Mike was professional, courteous, and friendly. The estimate was clear, and the pricing was more than reasonable for the work being done. While a lot of people are good at what they do, but terrible at the business side of things, Mike handles the business side without that "used car guy" feel. If you're looking for an estimate on tree trimming or removal, especially if you're worried about paying an arm and a leg, give Mike a call. read more

I needed someone to trim our overgrown orange tree, remove a large but dead bush, grind down the stump, and grind down another old stump. After reading all of the wonderful Yelp reviews for Mike, I gave him a call. I was able to easily get a hold of Mike on the phone. We setup an appointment for him to look at the work to be done, and to give an estimate for the work. He came out right on schedule, and gave a very reasonable estimate, including a Yelp discount. He showed up ontime on the scheduled work day (even a few minutes early). He and his helper made great time in trimming the tree and removing the bush. They were able to grind away both stumps. One of them was on an elevated surface. When I had asked a different tree trimmer about this stump on the elevated surface months ago, that person had said it wasn't possible to remove such a stump; it would just be too difficult. But not too difficult for Mike! He hoisted that grinder and made short work of that stump. When they were done, they cleaned-up everything completely. We walked through all of his work, and he asked if everything was as I desired. He told me he wanted us to be 100% satisfied, and we definitely were. I would highly recommend him. read more

I asked Mike Waller to remove three died trees from my backyard. The job was finished with great quality. The trees standed along the power lines and there was very small space to get access to them. Mike cut them down very professionally: removed the tree top piece by piece to let the trees clear off the power lines. After the job was done, I found my backyard ground was clean: no single leaf or branch or debris left over. I believe the price is quite reasonalbe based on the quality service that I received from this company. read more

Michael is great! Came right on time, finished quickly, gave professional suggestions. He is a plant expert! My tree is near the fence. He did not drop a leave in my neighbors' yards and cleaned up all the branches and leaves. He is a professional! read more

Mike in 1 word was awesome!! Called his listed number and within minutes he was in my backyard same day sizing up my trees needing pruning. He gave me the best quote for my 2 trees, happily agreed on it and easily set up a date to do the job. Showed up on time to do the job & as promised finished pruning & clean up for my 2 trees in less than 5 hours. From now on I will be using Mike for my trees & will be glad to recommend him to my family & friends anytime. read more

Mike is an outstanding tree care professional. He is thoroughly knowledgeable about all aspects of tree care and his work is of the highest quality. Additionally, Mike's business acumen is outstanding. He is always on time and his fees are definitely in line with the extent and caliber of the work he performs. Mike comes with the highest endorsement !! We will definitely continue to call upon him. Karen Lamar, Esq Los Altos read more

I have a moderate size Hollywood Cedar tree in my courtyard and needed it trim back. Mike did a wonderful job and cut it perfectly. I'm totally happy with the result and would certainly call again if needed. He also has great customer service and his cost is very reasonable. I totally recommend WTC! read more

I have a large magnolia tree in my front yard that was in desperate need of trimming and was just a mess. I was seriously thinking about having it removed completely. However, when Mike came out to give me a quote, he said it was great looking tree that needed some trimming and just an overall cleaning. Mike and his colleague came to my house this past Monday and worked for 3.5 hours--the results were amazing! The tree looks great! Mike did a great job at a great price. And they also did an amazing job with the clean-up--my front lawn looked better than it did when they arrived--I told you the tree was messy! I'm thrilled with the results and my neighbors have been commenting on the job too! I would recommend Mike to anyone and everyone who needs an expert on tree trimming! Well done! read more

Mike Waller and his assistant Carlos did an excellent job gutting our rampant bamboo and pruning our fruit trees. When Mike came for the estimate, the time and care he took in surveying the needs of our trees testified to his knowledge and expertise. I found his pricing to be reasonable compared with other quotes, and liked his sincerity and enthusiasm for the work. Though our sky-high bamboo thickets seemed impenetrable, Mike and Carlos successfully cut the weeds down and ground their roots away in less than two days. And even though we'd only quoted the avocado tree for trimming, they generously gave our other fruit trees a makeover as well. I'm really happy with their thorough job, and will definitely hire them again! Thanks, Mike and Carlos! read more

I called "Waller Tree Care" last year to have a couple of trees trimmed. My first question for him was if he is a licensed contractor. He is not. So I decided to wait a while and think about if this was really an important issue for me. I figured it's only a couple of trees so Mike came out and gave me an estimate, it was a small job about $400. I asked if he could do better on the price and he did, somewhere around $300. Long story short, Mike had forgotten some of the things we spoke about when he came for the initial estimate. So as a result he had to make a second trip back to correct some trimming we had discussed. Not the best experience. In retrospect it is important that you know that an unlicensed contractor cannot bid a job for more than $400 so beware of any estimate over this amount. Also consider that Mike is a one man show working on your property, scaling trees with no contractors license...I would be concerned with insurance coverage should he fall out of one of your trees on your property. Always make sure anyone who works on your property has valid insurance. You can contact the California Contractors License Board to verify any licenses at www.CSLB.com. read more

We have a 25+ year-old fruitless Mulberry tree that has never been professionally pruned. This year with the heavy winds and limbs hanging on the roof, it was time to get it cut back. I searched on the internet for a certified arborist and selected three companies for estimates. Michael responded quickly (a matter of hours), whereas I had to wait days for another company to contact me. I sent him pictures and he gave me an estimate via email. Since he was the most responsive and his estimate was reasonable, we set up an appointment that week and did not pursue other estimates. Michael and his crew did such a fantastic job, we called them back to remove a 50 year old Ash tree that had grown roots over the sewer. Again, the crew came out and did a great job. They were very professional and personable, and we would not hesitate to hire them again. We recommended Waller Tree Care to our neighbors, who were also pleased with their services. read more

Mike continues to provide superb service. His landscaping skills are excellent. Last year he pruned my cherry and lemon trees and told me that they would produce in large numbers now. Both trees provided more fruit than i have ever had in the past 10 years. This year he is replacing shrubs that died, moving shrubs that are in the wrong place and generally trimming my oak trees, birch trees and flowering cherry trees. It is always a pleasure to work with him and I appreciate the fact that he shares his ideas with me regarding as to what season we should be trimming what tree/shrubs rather than just doing everything at one time. My trees and shrubs appreciate it and so do I. read more

Waller Tree Care deserves 10 stars. I found out Waller Tree Care by googling. The reviews here are very true about Mike's excellent service. My father's duplex needed some tree pruning. There are 6 trees (all about 15 feet tall) in the backyard. They all grow past the power line and push the fence. I called Mike and asked him to come over to give me an estimate. He is willing to accommodate my working schedule to come early morning for the estimate. 2 days later, which was the day after Thanksgiving, the crew arrived on the morning and started to work. When I came back afternoon and looked at the trees, I was amazed by the amount of work they did. All trees were trimmed down and back away from the fence. No debris was left. The trees became nice and neat again. The price is very reasonable for the professional service. IMO, Mike deserves 10 stars. I'm glad that we have him serving our community and will definitely recommend him to my friends and neighbors read more

Michael and his crew did a fantastic job pruning our massive pine tree. He is trully a professional - from returning my initial call the same day to coming out and giving us a reasonable estimate ro completing the job as predicted. I think he really likes trees and more importantly he demonstrated knowledge about them. He and his crewed were here the entire day. They worked quickly and surprisingly quietly. And they cleaned everything up. Our neighbor and we split the cost. Our neighbor was impressed too. I would not hesitate recommending him. Well done. read more

Mike did a great job at trimming our tree. After he finished, he double checked with us if we like it. And I told him there were a few places I want to trim back more, and he got right back on it. He also cleaned up everything very well. read more

Mike and his helper (I wish I knew his name - he was a really nice guy too) trimmed three trees for us. He arrived for the estimate on a weekend (a Sunday no less) and had a well rounded knowledge of the trees - not just knowing what to trim, but knowing when to stop (avoiding damage to the tree's health) We had a mulberry that hadn't been trimmed in at least seven years, so it was quite a job for them. They arrived on time, were super super nice and did a fantastic job trimming the trees and it was spotless when they were done. It looks great now. It totally exceeded our expectations. read more

Mike trimmed two of our eucalyptus trees and a few others that were a bit overgrown. He showed up on time and finished the job as promised. He also cleaned up very well. Was a professional and a pleasure to do business with. I would recommend him and would use his service again as well. read more

Mike is knowledgeable about tree care and very conscientious about completing the contracted job. Considering the time it took to do the work, his price was very reasonable. He cleaned up the work area better than we expected after the tree and stump removal was done. 5 stars! read more

Great tree guy! Loved his work. We have a HUGE tree in the front yard & he came out gave a reasonable price (very comparable to other quotes), but what won me over was his attitude and quality of work. They did exactly what we discussed, on time, and professional. Left no mess! Will use him again for sure. read more

We had a great experience with Mike Waller and his tree care. He is very accessible by phone and was willing to accomodate our schedule and make an evening or weekend appointment to meet and go over the tree care plans. He did tree thinning and shaping, large bush removal and other bush trimming for a reasonable price and gave a yelp discount. Everything was cleaned up. Mike is courteous and communicative. Highly recommend. I will use his company again. read more

Mike trimmed/cut an apple tree in our backyard last September that was in desperate need of help. He seemed very knowledgeable and even did some extra research on apple trees to make sure it was done properly. Mike was very professional, showed up on time, cleaned up after he was done, and was very reasonably priced. The tree has now bloomed for spring and looks great. We will use Mike again for our tree trimming needs. read more