Same yard, minus the stump: drag the handle
Slide it back and forth. Illustrative example of what a ground-out stump looks like.
We grind it 6 to 12 inches below grade, rake the chips back, level the spot, and hand you back a corner of the yard you'd written off.
Licensed, bonded, and insured. The estimate is free and there's no obligation attached to it.
Slide it back and forth. Illustrative example of what a ground-out stump looks like.
You've steered the mower around it all summer. You've caught a toe on it, snagged the garden hose on it, maybe glared at it from the porch with a cup of coffee. We grind stumps 6 to 12 inches below grade, rake the chips back, and level the ground, and that dead corner of the yard goes back to being lawn. Most residential stumps are done in under two hours, and estimates are free by phone or text.
We handle residential and light-commercial stump grinding across Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Mead, and Cheney. Here's what comes with the visit:
What every estimate covers: grinding the stump 6-12 inches below grade, dealing with surface roots as needed, and raking and leveling the work area before we go. Chip haul-away and extra-deep grinding for a patio, sidewalk, or structure are available as options, just ask.
A stump doesn't just sit there. It's the obstacle the mower swerves around, the trip hazard the grass swallows by July, the flat gray circle where nothing useful grows. And the longer it stays, the more small bills it runs up. Here's what it's actually doing to your yard.
Curb appeal and property value. A stump in the middle of an otherwise sharp front yard reads as a job half-finished, and in a Spokane market where buyers are comparing three similar houses on the same block, that first impression carries weight. Grinding it out closes the loop, and the yard finally looks done.
Safety and mowing hazards. A low stump hiding just under the grass is a toe-catcher and a blade-killer. Every mow becomes a detour, and one solid hit can chew up the deck. On a sloped South Hill lawn it's easy to forget exactly where the thing sits, right up until somebody finds it the hard way.
Pests and insects. Rotting wood is a standing invitation to carpenter ants and wood-boring beetles, and a stump close to the house puts them a short crawl from the framing. Grinding clears the buffet before anything moves in.
Fungal disease. Spokane's damp springs and shaded, tree-heavy lots let shelf fungi and root rot colonize a dead stump fast, and that decay can travel through the soil into the roots of a healthy tree next door. The earlier the stump comes out, the less time the rot has to spread.
Unwanted regrowth. Silver maples, poplars, and cottonwoods, all common on older Spokane lots, will throw up stubborn suckers from the leftover roots for years after the trunk is gone. Grind the stump and the annual sprout-whacking ritual ends with it.
The two terms get used interchangeably, but they're different jobs with very different price tags, timelines, and holes in your yard. Here's the honest comparison:
| Factor | Stump Grinding | Full Stump Removal |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Rotating cutting wheel grinds stump and surface roots into wood chips 6-12 inches below grade | Entire root ball excavated and removed from the ground |
| Roots remaining | Deep roots stay in ground and decay naturally over time | Complete root system removed |
| Cost | Lower, priced on-site for most residential jobs | Significantly higher, requires heavy excavation equipment |
| Disruption | Minimal, small work footprint, surrounding turf largely undisturbed | High, large hole left, significant soil disturbance |
| Time | 30 minutes to 2 hours per stump | Several hours to a full day depending on root mass |
| Best for | Most residential situations, lawn repair, landscaping, replanting nearby | Building on the exact footprint, or when root system is causing structural damage |
A simple way to decide: Choose grinding if you want the stump gone from sight and the ground ready for grass, mulch, or garden beds, which covers nearly every homeowner we meet. Choose full removal only if the entire root ball has to come out for construction, a concrete pour, or major regrading.
For most Spokane yards, grinding wins on every count that matters: faster, cheaper, gentler on the surrounding lawn, and the spot is usable again within days. If your situation genuinely calls for full removal, we'll say so at the estimate. It's your yard and your money.
Every job runs the same way, because the routine is what protects your lawn, your fence line, and your afternoon:
What a stump costs to grind comes down to four things: how big it is, how far the roots sprawl, how hard the wood is, and how easy it is to get a grinder to it. Here's the general range for Spokane residential jobs:
| Stump Size | How Pricing Works |
|---|---|
| Small stumps up to 12 inches diameter | Free estimate, priced on-site |
| Medium stumps 12 to 24 inches diameter | Free estimate, priced on-site |
| Large stumps over 24 inches diameter (cottonwood, large pine) | Free estimate, priced on-site |
| Confined access or difficult location surcharge | Varies, assessed at estimate |
The estimate you get is for your stump, not an averaged guess: diameter, root spread, wood hardness, access, and whether the chips are staying or going all figure into the number. Ask about grinding multiple stumps in one visit, since the trip out is shared across the job.
Want a real number, not a range? Call (509) 632-4080, and the crew gives you a free, specific estimate once they've seen what they're up against.
A stump doesn't vanish, it turns into a mound of shredded wood, bark, and soil thrown up as the wheel chews through the trunk and roots. That mound is a normal part of the job, and where it ends up is entirely your call.
Most people have us rake the chips back into the void and level it off. Over the next year or three they break down and feed the soil, and the thin, rocky ground sitting over basalt on a lot of Spokane lots can use every bit of organic matter it can get. One catch: fresh chips pull nitrogen out of the soil while they rot, so grass seeded straight into them comes in thin. Reseeding right away? Cap the chips with topsoil or compost first and seed into that, not into the raw chip layer.
If you have garden beds nearby, congratulations, you just came into some free mulch. We can pile the chips wherever you like. Spread two to four inches deep around trees and shrubs, they hold soil moisture, smother weeds, and feed the beds as they break down.
Want the spot completely clear? We can haul the chips and grindings away for an additional fee, which leaves a clean void you can fill with topsoil and seed immediately, or cover with sod. Just tell us before we start the job and we'll plan for it.
Stump grinding is the quick win of tree work. Most single residential stumps take between 30 minutes and two hours from setup to cleanup, and where a job lands in that spread comes down to a few things:
Multiple stumps in scale nicely, since the setup and the trip out are shared. A property with four to six average-size stumps is typically a half-day job. Bigger counts or truly large stumps may take a full day.
Your estimate comes with a realistic time window so you can plan around it. Most customers don't need to be home while we grind: as long as we have access and the scope is confirmed, we handle the job and follow up when it's finished.
Call and it goes straight to your local Spokane crew. The estimate is free and there's no form to wrestle with.
Call (509) 632-4080Free estimate over the phone, real person Try the 30-second calculatorSize up your job on the home pageFree estimate. No obligation.