DAE get into arguments over keeping trees for yard projects?

I was at a site where the homeowner insisted on removing two healthy pines to put in a fire pit area. My crew said it was a waste of good trees, but the client worried about roots and falling branches. We ended up trimming instead of removing, but it was a tense talk. It made me wonder where others draw the line on stuff like this. Do you usually try to save the tree, or is removal sometimes the only real option?