The case for not doing it yourself
Hanging Christmas lights sounds simple until you are on the ladder in a cold wind. Add the steep pitch, gutters you would rather not lean on, and weather that does not cooperate, and the math changes.
What you should be getting
A full Christmas light installation covers more ground than most people expect. It starts with a plan:
https://evercrestlighting.com/about/ which lines get lit, what color, how it reads from the street. Then the install, done by a crew with the right ladders and the right hardware. Then upkeep while the lights are up. And then takedown in January and storage until next year, so nothing comes back into your garage.
Storage matters more than people think
Everybody thinks about the install. Fewer people think about the takedown. Takedown and off season storage are part of how they work, so your attic stays empty.
Residential and commercial holiday lighting
Home installs are about the front of the house and the yard. Commercial holiday lighting is doing another job: a lit building pulls attention in a season when everybody is competing for it. The install schedule is usually the negotiation, since most businesses want the ladders gone before the doors open.
What to settle before you book
Be clear about what is in scope, because "the front of the house" means two different things to two people. Agree on who owns the lights, because it changes what happens in January. And agree on what January looks like before December.
What a good quote should tell you
A quote that is just a number is not a quote. It should say what gets lit specifically enough that nobody is guessing: rooflines, entries, trees, walkways. It should say who owns the materials, since that determines where they go after the season. Takedown and off season storage need to be on the quote, not left to a handshake. And it should say who to call during the season if a section goes dark.What December looks like once you hire it out is the part worth picturing. You come home and it is done, without having climbed anything. After the season they come back and take it down, and the boxes do not come back to your garage.
If you would rather stop repeating this
For anyone who does this annually, a permanent system is a fair question to raise. A permanent LED system is installed once and left in place, does the holiday colors from your phone, and doubles as everyday lighting the other eleven months. EverCrest Lighting does both. The consultation is free. They serve Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina from Greenville. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].