Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: How hard would it be for me to remove three 7-8ft tall old cleyeras? , 2 by Bmh4796

Bmh4796 wrote:
I have 3 old 7-8ft tall Cleyeras in our front flowerbed that are kind sickly/balding. The home was built in 74. We bought it in 2014 from the original owner/builder. I’m not sure how old the large shrubs are, but I’m assuming pretty old. They were pruned over the years to each have a bare trunk and then a ball of foliage at the top, so they kind of resemble large topiaries rather than a hedge.

I want to remove them and am wondering if I need to hire someone or should I try to do it myself? I have some old soft touch hollies that I’d like to remove as well. They’re about 4 feet tall and 4 feet deep. You can see one in the 3rd picture. I may keep these. They look healthy in the pic but that was a couple years ago. There are spots of dieback in some of them now. and last year a yard guy trimmed them from the bottom so they look stupid now.

If I do end up hiring someone to pull the cleyeras and hollies up, do I hire tree removal guys or a landscaping company?

Thank you for any guidance you may be able to give!

PS: the cleyeras in the pics look more healthy than they are now as well. I am having shutters made for the brick wings of the house, so I don’t think I will need such large plants in the front anymore??