Christmas light installation cost is set by how much roofline you want lit, how high it sits, how steep and broken up the roof is, and which trees and shrubs go into the display. We provide the lights, hang every run and take it all down in January, so one quote from us covers the whole season. You get a free quote, and every house is priced on its own measurements.
That's why you won't find a flat rate here. Two houses on the same street can need very different amounts of work. A ranch with one long front eave and a two-story colonial with three front peaks are separate jobs, even when the owners want the same look from the road.
What goes into a Christmas light installation quote
Here is each factor and the reason it changes the number.
What we look at | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
Length of roofline lit | Every foot gets measured, lit and clipped. More edge means more lights and more ladder moves. |
Number of stories | Second-story eaves and peaks need taller ladders and slower, more careful work. |
Roof pitch and shape | A steep roof, or one broken up by gables, dormers and valleys, takes longer per foot than one straight eave. |
Trees and shrubs | Each wrapped trunk, branch wrap or lit evergreen is its own small job with its own lights. |
Columns, railings and walkways | Porch columns, railings and walkway lights add pieces to the install. |
Takedown in January | Part of our price. Getting everything back off a cold roof is the harder half of the season. |
Roofline length is the starting point
The first measurement is the edge you want lit. For a lot of people that means the rooflines you can see from the street: the front eave, the peaks over the entry and the garage. Others want the sides lit too, or the back of the house facing a deck or the water.
We measure each edge and cut every run to that length. A run that starts at one corner of the fascia and stops at the other looks clean from the road, with no spare cord looped back at the end. It also means the price follows your house. More feet of edge means more lights, more clips and more time on the ladder, and a shorter roofline costs less to light.
If you're deciding where to stop, start with the side of the house people see. You can always add more next year.
How high the roof sits
Height is the second big factor. A single-story eave is within reach from a ladder on the lawn. A second-story peak means a longer ladder, more care setting it, and fewer feet of lights hung per ladder move. A steep pitch or a third story raises the price again. Both slow the work down and call for more gear.
You can see this across the towns we work in. Northville township's two-story fronts put a tall peak right over the door, which you can read about on our Northville Christmas light installation page. Novi's 1990s and 2000s subdivisions favored two-story entries and stacked front gables, covered on our Novi page. The bigger West Bloomfield rooflines combine a main roof, a garage roof and several gables, and the lake houses add a second front facing the water. Our West Bloomfield page goes into those.
Peaks, gables and dormers
Shape matters as much as height. One straight eave is a single run. A gable is two short runs that meet at a peak, plus the corners on each side. A dormer adds another small peak with its own corners. Each change of direction means another ladder setup and more careful spacing, so the bulbs line up when you look at the house from the street.
A roofline that steps up and down, like a colonial with a lower garage roof and a porch roof in front, takes longer per foot than a ranch with the same total length. That time is what you're paying for, so a complicated roof costs more to light than a simple one of the same size.
Trees, shrubs and the entry
Trees and shrubs are priced on top of the roofline. A trunk wrap, a full branch wrap on a maple, a lit spruce and a row of front shrubs each take their own lights and their own time. Porch columns, railings and walkway lights work the same way.
On a ranch or a lower house, these can do more of the work than the roof. A pair of wrapped front trees and a lit entry can carry the display from the street. On a tall colonial, the upper peak can carry it alone, and the yard becomes optional. Telling us which matters more to you is the fastest way to a quote that fits.
The lights we hang
We provide the lights. They're commercial-grade LEDs on heavier wire with sealed, replaceable sockets, built to sit outside through a Michigan winter.
Color is your call: warm white, cool white or multicolor. Decide before you ask for a quote and tell us, along with the rooflines and trees you want.
One cost stays with you either way, and that's the electricity. LED strands use 70 percent less energy than conventional incandescent strands, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That matters when a full roofline and a few trees run every evening from the night you switch them on until January.
Takedown is part of the price
Takedown in January is included in our quote. There's nothing extra to schedule after the holidays.
It's the harder half of the job here. Clips freeze to the gutters, cords freeze to the shingles, and there can be snow sitting on the roof. In the National Weather Service's 1991 to 2020 normals, January at Detroit Metro averages 14 inches of snow, and its average low is 19.2 degrees. Taking lights down in that weather takes longer than putting them up in the fall, and a quote that leaves it out covers a smaller job than one that includes it.
Comparing two quotes
When you line up quotes from two installers, check that they cover the same work before you compare the totals. These are the questions worth asking every company, us included:
Who provides the lights?
Is takedown included, and when does it happen?
Is every run measured and cut to the house?
What holds the lights on? Clips made for shingle edges, gutter lips and fascia leave nothing behind. Staples and nails go through the wire and the trim.
Which rooflines, trees and shrubs does the price include?
Our answers: we provide the lights, takedown is in January, every run is cut to length, and everything is held on with clips. Ask us the same questions you ask anyone else.
When you book, and the gutters first
Book in the fall, and October is best. Installs start in late October and finish in early December, and the dry days are the first to fill. By December the roof is a different place to work. December brings Detroit Metro an average of 8.9 inches of snow, with lows averaging 25.3 degrees, and frost or ice on the shingles means the work waits.
The gutters should be clear before the clips go on, and leaves are still coming down in late fall. If your gutters are due, our gutter cleaning can go on the same schedule, and the two jobs happen in the right order.
How to get an accurate quote
Send us your address and a list of what you want lit: the rooflines, the peaks, any trees and shrubs, and the color. That's what we need to start your quote.
You can see the full service on our Christmas light installation page, and every town we cover on the Christmas light installation service areas page.
Questions people ask
How is Christmas light installation priced?
Christmas light installation is priced per house. The quote is built from the length of roofline you want lit, the number of stories, the pitch and shape of the roof, and which trees, shrubs, columns and walkways are included. We provide the lights, and the quote covers both the install and the takedown in January.
Why does a two-story house cost more to light?
A two-story house needs taller ladders, more careful setup and more ladder moves for every foot of lights. Second-story peaks and gables are slow, exact work, and steep pitches add time on top of that. The same length of roofline takes longer to light at twenty feet than at ten, so it costs more.
Does lighting trees and shrubs change the quote?
Yes. Each wrapped trunk, branch wrap, lit evergreen or row of shrubs takes its own lights and its own time, so trees and shrubs are added to the roofline price. On a ranch, a few lit trees and the entry can carry the whole display from the street.
When should I ask for a Christmas light quote?
Ask in October, and sooner is better. Our installs run from late October to early December, and dry days book up before anything else. A quote takes your address and a list of what you want lit, and asking early gives you the widest choice of install dates before the shingles start to frost.
Get a quote
We're owner-operated in Northville and have been since 2014, and we're rated 5.0 on Google. You can read what customers say on our reviews page. Tell us what you'd like lit this year and we'll price your house: Get a Free Quote.
