The trees will live no problem. Them filling back in is a problem. Conifers like that can not bud out/make new growth from old wood. The best thing to do is clean up the mess. Make proper cuts were things were hacked or ripped. Stand back and reassess the potential and possibilities.

Thanks. I'm so upset about this. Just knowing the trees will live is a bit helpful. Do you have a recommendation for something to fill that space? Maybe another arborvitae a few feet away but in the middle? I'll trim up the mess and reassess. This is incredibly helpful at calming me down.

Knowing that these poor trees will have a big hole between them is helpful in dealing with the painting company. Thanks!

it appears to be a rather dark space .. perhaps when these were planted.. they were in the full sun they prefer .. but as the years rolled by .. larger trees shaded the area ...

that shade.. will now make it hard to plant anything.. that will grow as fast as you prefer ..

if you want plant suggestions.. you have to tell us where you are ... big city name that we recognize ...as well as better pix of the whole situation.. not just the holes in the trees ...

ken

Trees > people. Hack off the painters' limbs.

Wow I'm stunned. How could any contractor just destroy property like that? Holy moly.

I agree with Christopher. Clean them up and then see what you have and think about what to do next.

And perhaps have the painting company pay for anything new you purchase to plant as well. It's not just the trees you lost but your privacy, and I know how important that is. Good luck and keep us posted.

:)

Dee

While it is hard to tell from the pictures the painters may have done you a favor. It looks like the tree are quite close to the house, possibly under the ceiling of the second floor. It appears they were actually were against the second floor of the house. Being that close the painters had no options but cut the trees back to get the ladders into position to paint the second floor

If it were mine, I would trim them up as best I could, and take out the ones that probably will never provide the screen they did. I would replace with something like spirea, Rose of sharon, or other tall fast growing tall bushes. Also I would plant them further from the house.

If that is a porch above the ceiling You need to plant screening trees 20 to 30 feet from the house, and when they are grown, they will provide the privacy you are looking for.

this is one reason to hire fully insured contractors ... anything short of such.. is at your risk

ken

The painters did no one any favors. They acted beyond the responsibility of their contract, and should be liable for all the unnecessary damage. Where property owners plant and grow things are by their own choice, no matter how thoughtful or not.

Anyone who has managed plants in landscapes where other ingress and egress needs occasionally occur knows that you don't have to hack your way through. That is simply a Neanderthal approach (and apologies to Neanderthals that know better, precursors of today's Landscape Architects). One can use rope, tape, string, wire, bedsheets, and a host of other bindings or coverings to move or constrain vegetation and branch structures to create necessary space to perform any sort of activity. Knowing that considerate painters use significant tarps to protect surfaces from wayward drips and drops, I imagine these same items could have been the correct method by which to "create space" to work. IN FACT, a clever painting contractor would have pointed that out while pricing the job with the property owner. Imagine the conversation:

Ken Schmidt: I'll need you to paint this side of the house. How much?

Painter: Hmm. With no plants in the way, that'd be $500. With those behemoth pines in my way, I suspect it will take 10 times longer than normal, so it'll be more like $5,000.

Ken Schmidt: Are you kidding? And those are NOT pines, thank you very much. Surely there you have worked on homes with plants around them before. We don't live in a desert.

Painter: Well, let's think about this. I use these big thick tarps to cover floors and walks and furniture and shrubbery when I work. I wonder if that could be part of the answer. These plants look pretty pliable. You got any rope, or clothesline? Maybe a bucket of bungee cords?

Ken Schmidt: Indeed I do, and a host of teenagers that will think this is just the coolest thing to do on a summer weekend. I'll get them to help, and we'll have this prepped in no time.

Painter: What a team we are!