Overgrown Bush and Hedge Removal With Roots — Beds Ready to Replant
Foundation shrubs planted when the house was built are now over the windows, half dead inside, and growing into the siding — and cutting them at the ground leaves the roots.
JMB Builders does overgrown bush and hedge removal with roots across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. Old yews, junipers, arborvitae and hedges are cut back, then the root balls are pulled with a skid steer or dug out by hand along the house. Holes are backfilled with topsoil and graded away from the foundation, ready for new plantings. Priced per project from photos.
- Priced per project, quote from photos
- Root balls pulled, not cut at the ground
- Holes backfilled and graded
- Brush and roots hauled away
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Yews, junipers, arborvitae and spirea planted along a house in the 1980s or 90s are huge now. Cutting them off at the ground is the easy part. The root ball is what stops you from planting anything new in that spot, and on an old yew or juniper it is wide, woody and full of rock and fabric from the old bed.
We cut the tops down and haul the brush, then pull the root balls. Where a skid steer can reach, it pulls each root ball out with a chain or the bucket. Along the foundation, under windows and near the gas meter and air conditioner, they are dug and cut out by hand so nothing hits the house. The holes get topsoil, tamped, and the bed is graded so it falls away from the foundation.
The bed is then ready for new foundation plantings, mulch, rock or lawn. Planting the new shrubs can be quoted on the same job.
What you supply
- Photos of the shrubs and the bed from the yard, and one close-up at the base
- Which shrubs go and which stay, flagged or pointed out
- Sprinkler lines, dog fence and outdoor lighting wires pointed out
- What comes next: new plantings, mulch, rock or sod
What JMB supplies
- Utility locate before roots are pulled
- Shrubs cut down and brush hauled
- Root balls pulled with a skid steer or dug out by hand along the house
- Old fabric, edging and rock in the bed pulled as needed
- Holes backfilled with topsoil, tamped and graded away from the foundation
- New shrubs, mulch or sod when you want them, quoted as their own line
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of shrubs and the size of each root ball
- Skid steer access vs. hand digging along the foundation or behind a fence
- Gas meter, air conditioner, window wells or steps next to the shrubs
- Rock, fabric or old edging tangled in the roots
- Topsoil to fill the holes and regrade the bed
- New plantings, mulch or sod on the same job
Send a photo of the whole bed and a close-up at the base of the biggest shrub. The trunk size tells us the root ball.
How long it takes
Foundation shrubs across the front of a typical house: one day, including backfill and grading. A long hedge row: one to two days.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Foundation shrubs
Overgrown yews, junipers and spirea along the front of the house. Cut, pulled or dug out by hand along the wall, bed backfilled and graded for new plantings.
Arborvitae or hedge row
A row of arborvitae or a privet or buckthorn hedge along a lot line. Cut down, root balls pulled by machine, the line backfilled and graded or sodded.
Removal and replant
Old shrubs out and new ones planted in the same visit: soil amended, new shrubs set at the right height, mulched and edged.
Overgrown Bush and Hedge Removal With Roots — Beds Ready to Replant: questions, answered
How do you remove overgrown bushes with the roots?
Cut the top down to a stump you can grab, then pull the root ball out with a skid steer and a chain or dig and cut it out by hand. Machine pulling is fast in open beds; along the house and near utilities we hand-dig so nothing hits the foundation, the gas meter or a window well. The hole is filled and graded when the root is out.
Can I just cut the bushes at the ground and plant new ones?
Not in the same spot. The old root ball takes years to rot and is too woody to dig a planting hole through. Yews can even resprout from a cut stump. If new shrubs are going in the same bed, the roots have to come out.
Is stump grinding an option for shrubs?
For a big shrub or small tree with one trunk, sometimes. For multi-stem shrubs like yews and junipers, pulling the whole root ball is usually faster and leaves a clean hole you can plant in. Grinding leaves chips mixed into the soil that have to be dug out before planting.
Will pulling bushes damage my foundation?
Not the way we do it. The shrubs right against the wall are dug and cut out by hand, not yanked toward the house. The foundation coating and window wells are protected while we work, and the soil is regraded to fall away from the house when the roots are out.
What do you do with the removed bushes?
Brush and root balls are loaded and hauled to a yard waste site. Nothing is left in a pile on your lot. Buckthorn and other invasive shrubs are bagged or hauled promptly so the berries do not spread.
Can you plant new shrubs after removing the old ones?
Yes, the same day or on a later visit. The bed is amended, the new shrubs are set at the right height and spacing so they do not outgrow the windows again, and the bed is mulched and edged. You pick the plants or we suggest ones that fit the spot.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Shrub Planting Service and Tree Planting — Foundation Plantings
Dead junipers in front of the picture window, a bare foundation on a new house, or a fence line that needs screening — planted right so it is still alive in three years.
Read moreLandscape Bed Edging and Mulch Installation — Beds Redone
Beds that have lost their edge to the lawn, mulch that is more dirt than mulch, and shrubs hidden in weeds — recut, edged and mulched so the house looks kept.
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The back of the lot has grown into a wall of buckthorn and saplings, or the fence line has disappeared into brush, and you want it opened back up.
Read moreStump Removal and Yard Grading — Stumps Out, Yard Leveled
The trees are down, but the stumps are still there, the yard is lumpy, and you want a smooth lawn you can mow.
Read moreLandscape Rock Removal From Flower Beds — Rock and Fabric Out
The rock beds from the last owner are full of weeds growing in dirt on top of the fabric, too hot for plants, and you want mulch, grass or a garden instead.
Read moreFence Post Replacement — Rotted or Heaved Wood Posts Reset
One post is gone at the ground and the section beside it is flat on the lawn; the rest of the fence is fine. That is a post job, not a fence job, and it is priced by the post.
Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All landscaping pages
Where we work
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