What holiday light installation usually includes
- Design: deciding where lights go, such as rooflines, gables, eaves, windows, walkways, trees and shrubs
- Lights: many providers supply LED strands cut to fit your house; others will hang lights you already own. Ask which.
- Clip installation: clips that grip gutters and shingle edges, so there are no nails or staples in your roof
- Timers: so lights switch on and off on their own
- Service during the season: ask whether fixing a strand that goes out is included
- Takedown: after the holidays, and sometimes storage until next year
Why Seattle homeowners hire it out
Hanging lights here means climbing ladders in late fall, when roofs are wet, mossy and slick and the light is gone by late afternoon. Rooflines above the first story add real risk. A provider brings the right ladders and safety gear, works out where power comes from, and keeps circuits from being overloaded.
Set up to survive the rain
- Outdoor-rated lights, cords and connections, kept off the ground where water pools
- GFCI-protected outdoor outlets that cut power if water gets into a connection
- Clips that don't block water flow in the gutter
- Clean gutters underneath: lights clipped over a gutter full of needles mean overflow all season. Consider gutter cleaning before installation.
When to book
Installation usually runs from late October into early December, and schedules fill up as the holidays get closer, so it helps to request a quote early. Takedown typically happens in January. Some homeowners leave permanent hooks or clips in place to make next year's install faster.
What affects the cost
- Linear feet of roofline and the number of stories
- Roof pitch and how the roof can be accessed
- Trees, shrubs and walkways to light
- Whether the provider supplies the lights or hangs yours
- Timers, extension runs and power setup
- Takedown and storage
Need the house washed before the lights go up? Pressure washing and roof moss removal can be requested with the same form; just pick "Multiple Services".