Christmas Light Installation Cost
A Christmas light installation quote is not one number for every house. A single-story ranch with one straight eave and a two-story home with dormers, a steep tile roof and three separate rooflines are not the same job, even at similar square footage — so the price isn't either.
Seasonal lighting starts at $600, and most homes land around $1,400 once the roofline is counted. That range exists because there isn't one honest flat number that covers both of those houses — what there is: a free look at your actual roofline and a line-item quote built from it.
What actually sets the price
A Christmas light installation quote is not one number for every house. A single-story ranch with one straight eave and a two-story home with dormers, a steep tile roof and three separate rooflines are not the same job, even at similar square footage — so the price isn't either.
More detail
Seasonal lighting starts at $600, and most homes land around $1,400 once the roofline is counted. That range exists because there isn't one honest flat number that covers both of those houses. What there is: a free look at your actual roofline and a line-item quote built from it.
Length is the first driver. The quote follows the actual linear footage of roofline, walkway or tree you want lit — more footage is more lights, more clips and more time on the ladder.
Height and access are the second. A single-story eave with easy ground access is a faster, safer job than a two-story roofline behind a tile roof or a steep pitch.
Homes around St. George and Washington County run more of the second kind than the first, and that changes the number even when the footage is the same.
Style is the third. Commercial-grade C9 bulbs, smaller C7 or mini-lights, a single color versus several, and additions like wreaths, garland or a wrapped tree each add material and labor beyond the bare roofline.
Options that move the number up or down
Beyond the roofline itself, most of what raises or lowers a quote is optional, and it helps to know that going in. Windows and front-facing doorways add detail without much extra labor. Walkways and porch railings are lower-risk to reach and often run on a different, warmer strand than the roofline.
Wrapped trees and shrubs add material and time in proportion to how much of them get covered. Wreaths and garland are usually priced as their own line rather than folded into the roofline number.
None of this needs to be decided before you ask for a quote. The design walk is where these get discussed and priced individually, so you can see what each piece costs relative to the others and drop anything that doesn't fit the budget without starting over.
Booking early affects the price too
Most homeowners want lights on before Thanksgiving weekend, which makes the useful install window roughly the first three weeks of November — the same three weeks every installer in the county is working against.
Booking in September or October isn't only about getting the date you want; it's also the reasoning behind the Early Bird discount, which lowers the number for anyone who books before the rush rather than during it.
What the number actually pays for
A Glow Forward quote is not a labor charge for the hours on the ladder. It is one number for the whole season: the design walk that sets what gets lit, the commercial-grade lights and hardware we supply, the installation itself, in-season service if something goes dark, and the January takedown and storage.
See Christmas Light Installation for the full breakdown of what that covers.
That in-season piece is part of why a seasonal quote sometimes reads higher than a one-time hang-and-forget job priced online. A dark section in December is a phone call, not a bill, and that coverage is folded into the number up front rather than charged later.
How we build your quote
There is no lock-box price list, because a fair number depends on seeing the house first. The process is short: tell us where you are and roughly what you'd like lit.
We take a look — usually from street-level and aerial photos, so there is nothing to schedule just to get started. You get back a custom design with a few options and a line-item quote, itemized to what's actually going on your house, not a flat headline figure.
200 feet, by itself, isn't a price
A common question is what a specific length costs, and 200 feet is a common one to ask about. The honest answer is that footage alone doesn't set the price.
Two hundred feet along one straight, single-story eave is a different job from 200 feet split across three rooflines on a two-story home with a steep pitch, even though the tally on paper is identical. That's exactly why the quote above starts with a look at your actual house rather than a length typed into a calculator.
Why $600 to $1,400 is a range, not a quote
Seasonal lighting starts at $600, and most homes land around $1,400 — but neither number is your number until we've actually looked at your roofline.
A per-foot rate looks helpful until it meets a real house, and then it's either wrong or it quietly grows once someone sees the details. We publish the range so you know what to expect; the quote you get back is the one that holds.
Seasonal cost versus permanent, over the years you stay
Every seasonal quote is a fresh number, because it includes a new install this November and a takedown next January, regardless of what last year's price was. That's the tradeoff: lower to start, and it repeats every year you keep booking it.
Permanent lighting works the other way — one installation, and after that just the electricity to run it.
If you expect to be in the house for several more winters, it's worth putting the two side by side over that whole stretch rather than one season. See Permanent Lighting Cost for how that comparison plays out.
A closer look
What it looks like
FAQ
Questions people ask
Something else on your mind? Call (435) 357-0411 and ask us.
How much does it cost to pay someone to put up Christmas lights?
Glow Forward's seasonal installs start at $600, and most homes land around $1,400 once roofline, height and style are counted — it depends on the roofline, so we don’t publish one number that fits every house. Every job gets a custom design and a line-item quote after we look at your home, free and with no obligation.
How much does it cost to install 200 feet of Christmas lights?
Footage by itself doesn’t set the price. Two hundred feet along one straight, single-story eave and two hundred feet split across a two-story roofline with a steep pitch are different jobs, even though the tally is identical. We quote from the actual roofline, not a number typed into a form.
What actually changes the price from house to house?
Length of roofline first, then height, pitch and how easy the house is to reach safely, then the style you pick — commercial-grade C9s versus smaller C7s or mini-lights, one color or several, and extras like wreaths, garland or a wrapped tree.
Is the quote really free?
Yes. We look at your home — usually from street and aerial photos, so nothing has to be scheduled just to get a number — and send back a design with a few options and a line-item quote. No charge, no obligation to book.
Does the price include taking the lights down again?
Yes. Design, materials, installation, in-season service and January takedown and storage are one package and one number, not separate charges added later.
Is it cheaper to switch to permanent lighting instead of paying for seasonal every year?
Permanent costs more the first year and then stops. Seasonal costs less to start and repeats every November. Which wins depends on how many more winters you expect to be in the house — see Permanent Lighting Cost.
Free design and quote
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Your name, how to reach you, and roughly what you would like lit.
We look at your home
Usually from street and aerial photos, so there is nothing to schedule to get started.
You get a design and a quote
A custom design with a few options and a line-item quote. Change anything you like.
No pressure and no multi-year contract. If it is not right for you, that is fine too.
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Elfy, our assistant, asks a few quick questions in the chat. A person prepares your custom design and quote.
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