A contractor's guide to pricing holiday lighting installs correctly — covering materials, labor, storage, and how to calculate a profitable, market-competitive quote.
Walk or review satellite imagery of the property and measure the total linear footage of: roofline, fascia, windows, bushes, trees, and any other areas to be lit. This is your primary quantity metric.
Based on your linear footage, calculate how many strands of lights you need. Multiply quantity by your wholesale cost per strand. Add in clips, extension cords, timers, and any specialty pieces.
Add your markup to material costs — typically 30–50% for lighting materials. This covers handling, storage between seasons, and profit on materials.
A typical residential install takes 2–6 hours depending on complexity, roof pitch, and crew size. Multiply your estimated hours by your labor rate (usually $50–$120/hour depending on market).
If you offer takedown and storage, add a separate line item — typically 30–40% of the install price. Clearly state whether lights are stored with you or returned to the customer.
Steep pitches, multi-story homes, and complex rooflines require more time and safety equipment. Add 20–50% to your labor estimate for homes with pitch angles above 4/12.
Holiday lighting installs typically require a 25–50% deposit at approval. Set a minimum job size ($800–$1,200 is typical) to ensure every install covers your fixed costs and setup time.
Include an AI-generated preview of the finished display in every estimate — it dramatically increases close rates.
Buy materials in bulk at the end of season for next year's inventory — wholesale costs can be 40–60% lower than in-season.
Price based on the value to the customer, not just your cost. A beautiful holiday display on a $600,000 home is worth more than cost-plus math suggests.
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