Why people stop doing it themselves
The job seems small in the driveway, then it eats a whole weekend. Between the ladder, the cold, and the strands that quit halfway through, plenty of homeowners hand it off.
What you should be getting
A full Christmas light installation covers more ground than most people expect. First a design, drawn for your house rather than pulled off a shelf. Then the install, handled by people who do this all season. Then upkeep through December. And then takedown, then off season storage, which is the part that keeps your attic empty.
Storage is the underrated part
Most homeowners budget the setup and forget the January half. Takedown and off season storage are part of how they work, so your attic stays empty.
Residential and commercial Christmas lighting
At a house, the design is the roof edge, the entry and whatever is worth lighting in the yard. For a business, the display is doing marketing work, which is why storefronts, entries and patios get the attention. The install schedule is usually the negotiation, since most businesses want the
https://evercrestlighting.com/contact/ ladders gone before the doors open.
Worth putting in writing
Agree on the scope specifically: the roof edge, the porch, the trees, the walk. Sort out ownership of the materials before the install. Settle the end of season in the same conversation as the install.
What a proper estimate should tell you
A quote with one number and no detail is not enough to compare. Scope should be written down: the exact lines and features included. It should say whose lights these are, because that decides what happens in January. Takedown and off season storage need to be on the quote, not left to a handshake. And it should say what happens if something quits in the middle of December.The realistic version is undramatic. A crew shows up on a scheduled day, the lights go up, and you did not touch a ladder. In January the same thing happens in reverse.
The other option: lights that stay up
For anyone who does this annually, the permanent option is worth a look. A permanent LED system goes in once along the roofline and stays, handles the holidays through an app, and doubles as everyday lighting the other eleven months. EverCrest Lighting installs both. Consultations are free. Based in Greenville, they cover Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].