Replacement value on 40' queen palm

[JungleGina]

A friend's 40-foot queen palm was run over and she is trying to determine replacement value for insurance purposes, including cost of installment.  Can anybody help? Many thanks!

[cfkingfish]

It honestly depends on your location. If you are in South FL or Hawaii, it is going to be much less than if you are in Houston, New Orleans, or even colder parts of SoCal.

[JungleGina]

Christian, I'm in your neck of the woods...Sarasota, FL.

BTW, I'd written you a couple times about wanting to visit your place and never got a response. Would still like to check it out sometime.

[glbower]

Here in Southwest Florida, a mature queen in the ground is worth zip so its depreciated value (what insurance will pay for the one damaged) will also be next to nothing. I tried to talk local nurseies into digging a couple up just for the palms and had no luck.

What you need to do is get an estimate from a nursery for digging up the old one and replacing it with a new one. With a little luck, they may pay your replacement costs with just the estimate. After Hurricane Charley, however, it was difficult to get replacement dollars unless you provided a paid receipt.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Tell them it was a 40' Jubaea Chilensis...

[Jim in Los Altos]

In my business we've purchased healthy field grown queens in the 35 to 45' range and planted them in accessible areas of new landscapes for $2,500.00 to $3,000.00. Others in my business have charged considerably more for queens that big sometimes because of the weight of the palms and somewhat difficulty in planting very tall palms properly. In comparison a Phoenix canariensis half as tall would cost $6,000.00 to $8,000.00 in the ground. A heavier, larger crane is neccessary too.

[amazon exotics]

I can't even give em away!

[Alan_Tampa]

1 million dollars, worth a try.

It could talk, maybe or was a seer.  As far as they know.

Alan

[Bilbo]

Hey Jim!

That all sounds topsy turvy cos over here in Europe a Big CIDP is cheap and Big Queens are the reverse . . .

. . . Dont even ask cos I for one sure dont know!?!

Over here I can guarantee that a Big Queen is much the more desirable.

I do know how to plant palms of course and am well familiar with all the undergound guying techniques (deep earth anchor etc) going and am never happier than getting up in that Genie Boom* . . . (except the time the hydraulic hose burst!!!)

*(I think you guys call them Cherry Pickers)

I really wish I could buy palms here at some of your prices over there . . .

Cest la vie

Regardez

Juan

[cfkingfish]

Gina-

I am sorry I never received any emails. I will send you a PM. Are you friends with a lady named Brenda?

About the queen, this is what I would estimate for insurance purposes:

$25 per foot of plant overall

$200 to plant it by a reputable company if it is in an accessible area.

Try and have the insurance buy this because oftentimes they will counter or try to "sell down" the palm. I know someone who had a Copernicia gigas run over and trying to explain to an insurance company that a 3 foot plant is worth almost $500 is like talking to a wall!

[JungleGina]

Thanks Christian, that is exactly the information I was looking for.

[Bilbo]

You guys are sure lucky over there with some of those prices but a genuine scaper in the Med doesnt get outta bed for less than two grand sterling per day.

(Thats purely rumour of course).

Those Riviera owners are right to use the expensive palm guys as they know best how to plant all those expensive palms : ie motto is :get in an expert!

You get what you pay for . . .

Regardez

Juan

[LJG]

Queens are worth nothing to the home owner in terms of getting rid of them. Best case is someone takes them for free and does not charge to remove them. To the seller, they can get a little something because someone will need it for a project, so it now has value. A tree like that goes for $1000 - $1500 installed here in San Diego using the specimen palm suppliers here.  If you do not go direct and use your landscaper, it will double.

[Zac in NC]

(cfkingfish @ Jan. 25 2007,07:53)

QUOTE

Try and have the insurance buy this because oftentimes they will counter or try to "sell down" the palm. I know someone who had a Copernicia gigas run over and trying to explain to an insurance company that a 3 foot plant is worth almost $500 is like talking to a wall!

Exactly...how would you explain that to them, who probably think a palm is a palm is a palm, and the only kind id fan and feather and coconut.

Zac

[DoomsDave]

Don't fudge values.

You need insurance, and they may be b*st*rds at times, but if you lie about value, that's fraud, and a great excuse for them to be evil to you.

Which you don't want, even if you're rich.

dave  (the attorney)

[glbower]

As I said, the best way to prove its worth is to go to a nuresery and get a written estimate to dig the old one out and put in a new one of the same size. Adjustors understand written estimates; they are totally clueless about the relative values of different heights and species of palms.

[oppalm]

(glbower @ Jan. 25 2007,18:17)

QUOTE

As I said, the best way to prove its worth is to go to a nuresery and get a written estimate to dig the old one out and put in a new one of the same size. Adjustors understand written estimates; they are totally clueless about the relative values of different heights and species of palms.

insurance guy here - glbower is right.  provide the adjuster a legitimate estimate to replace and most companies will work within the estimate.   Don't try to scr*w them because it can (and mostly like will) come back to haunt you.    Some insurance companies may have their own landscaping outlet and may be able to get it done cheaper than your estimate.   But be proactive and provide a legit estimate.

[Alicehunter2000]

(amazon exotics @ Jan. 25 2007,06:14)

QUOTE

I can't even give em away!

I will take any size queen that you want to give away.

[amazon exotics]

Hi David, I do have a few large ones I need to get rid of. I have offered them to many friends-landscapers and can't give em away. I'm a landscaper and won't ever plant a queen on a job I design. Your welcome to them. Too bad your so far. Heck, I'd even pluck them up with the bobcat for ya! Better than killing them. ( I hate killing any palm ) even queens. :cool:

[Jim in Los Altos]

Derek,

Must be nice being a landscaper where there are so many alternatives to queen palms. I use them by the boatload in my professional landscapes and thank heaven for them in chillier winter climates. I do use hybrids when ever I can since they're more interesting but also much more expensive. A robust, healthy queen palm, I believe, can be quite a sight.

[amazon exotics]

Jim, It's great being able to use a large variety of palms in my landscapes. I do upscale landscaping on Sanibel & Captiva Islands and Queens just don't fit the bill. Here they are more a cheap commerical palm. I do like them they are just a dime a dozen so to be different than others I plant more rare and unusual palms. Don't get me wrong, I still plant alot of commerical palms, CoCo, foxtail, Roebs, and other commons I just try to shy away from Queens. I do plant other Syagrus though. Their an interesting species :: . I also don't plant Washies if I'm not required to. Right now I'm pushing large P. sylyestris as speciment palms. They were Fla. 2006 plant of the year. Awsome palms! Better looking & hardier than Medjool. Anybody looking for large Sylvestris from 5'-20' ct in Fla let me know. I can get the best. So fat you can't put your arms around them. Their on roids!!

[Moose]

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2007‎ ‎2‎:‎58‎:‎59‎, JungleGina said:

A friend's 40-foot queen palm was run over and she is trying to determine replacement value for insurance purposes, including cost of installment.  Can anybody help? Many thanks!

Should be grateful she didn't have to pay to take it down.