Can you post a close up of the foliage? That does not appear to be a red maple, Acer rubrum (and which is not available in a red leafed form), but rather a red leafed form of Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, like Bloodgood or Emperor 1.

If a Japanese maple, you want to keep pruning to a minimum. Unless you are very careful with any pruning, you can adversely affect the habit and appearance of the tree. And it is unlikely the tree will ever grow large enough with a full enough canopy spread to be of concern of running into the side of the house. So any pruning may be completely unnecessary.

Thank you for the help. Here is the closeup of the leaf.

You do have the makings of a very wide Japanese maple tree there with those two co-dominant trunks and its sunny location. So if that's not something you would like, you may want to cut back the widest horizontal branches that I have highlighted in the picture below. This will give the tree structure a nice V shape.

The tree is not going to stop trying to spread out as wide as possible, but this will slow down the process, as long as you don't cut too much too fast and cause it to send out even faster growing water sprouts. Cutting just one branch a year might be a wise course.

Before you touch it, read up on proper tree pruning tools and techniques. This link has some good info.

I would NOT be in any hurry to remove either of the highlighted branches!! Japanese maples often start branching very low to the ground - it is one of their common features and what typically keeps them to a smaller size (less clear 'trunk' = less height). Removing either branch will result in a tree with a lopsided growth habit.....removing both will result in the loss of more than 50% of the tree!!

There IS a limit as to how wide the tree will spread, so even heading back those branches may be unnecessary. And heading back a JM properly and aesthetically is a skill that takes time to develop, so not something you can easily pick up online or from a video.

Most sources and authorities on JM's will caution you to prune JM's as lightly as possible, never removing more than 1/5th of the canopy volume at one time. Two main issues are typically emphasized: do not attempt to prune to control height and prune only to enhance the natural growth habit, not to alter it. You can (and should) remove any dead wood when it becomes visible and adjust for crossing or rubbing branches. And you can remove smaller, lower branches that would interfere with clearance (never remove a branch that is more than half the diameter of the parent stem). Other than that, just some crown thinning or developing "layers" of branches is typically all that is recommended.

"removing both will result in the loss of more than 50% of the tree!!"

Sorry gardengal, that's a load o' hooey. If you save the OP's second picture to a paint program and zoom in close as I did, you will see that the two branches on the right are long sprouts with minimal foliage. The one I highlighted on the left appears to be fuller than these, but as you wrote, trimming only one side will give it a lopsided look. Due to early pruning neglect the tree has formed co-dominant leaders resulting in an unusually wide growth habit. The OP has stated that he is displeased with this. If he could afford to hire an expert to fix it, he probably wouldn't be asking us for help.

"Due to early pruning neglect the tree has formed co-dominant leaders resulting in an unusually wide growth habit. "

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. There was NO "early pruning neglect"!! That is just the way these trees grow and most authorities will tell you never to touch a JM with pruners until the tree is at least 5 years old. And JM's do not produce defined leaders anyway - read up on decurrent growth habits. I have grown, sold and consulted on Japanese maple care for many, many years and taught pruning classes. I stand firmly by my contention that minimal pruning is required or should be considered in this situation.

btw, my comment about the 50% was in reference to both the left and right side branches being removed - there wouldn't be much tree left! And if you only pruned the branches you highlighted on the right side, you would have only a half a tree and lopsided one at that. Neither are suggestions I would endorse at all. Unfortunately, malpruned JM's abound.....I see them on almost a daily basis. And it is typically the result of trying to make the tree into something it is not by folks who don't have the skills or the knowledge of the plant and its natural habit.

Thank you all for the help. As I mentioned, I've never trimmed a tree before, so I have no experience in what can or should be done. I love how the tree has tripled in size over the past few years and want it to continue to grow and remain healthy. The tree seems to have two dominant branches starting from the bottom with a little more growth on one side than the other, and I wasn't sure if that was another reason why it's growing outwards a bit.

I'm going to research and see if I can hire a tree expert to come in to take a look. Based on what you've told me so far, I'd rather hire someone than take a chance on poor pruning.

Thanks again!
Paul

I think that's a very good plan :-)) A Japanese maple is not a tree you should start with if you have never pruned before!! Contact a certified arborist. And make sure they have experience in pruning JM's. Not all do and experience is the key here! These are not pruned in the same manner as any other common shade tree is.

Good luck with your tree. Please keep us posted on its progress if you can.