Guides / Wake Forest & Raleigh

Christmas Light Install Day: What to Expect in the Triangle

Updated October 9, 20265 min read

Short answer: you get a text before we arrive, the crew works outside from the design you approved, the lights are custom-cut to your roofline and clipped (never stapled), a timer is set, and most homes are finished in a few hours. You do not need to be home, and you do not need to buy anything. That evening the lights come on by themselves.

First-time customers in Wake Forest, Raleigh and Cary ask the same practical questions: how long will you be here, do I need to be home, what do I need to have ready. Here is the whole visit, start to finish, the way we actually do it.

Before the crew arrives

  • You approved a design and an itemized quote, so there are no decisions to make on the day. Most homes start at $700 with everything included.
  • You receive a text a day or two before with the arrival window.
  • Make sure one exterior outlet near the display works. If you are not sure, tell us and we check it first.
  • Move cars out of the driveway if we are lighting the garage or the driveway edge.

Step 1: walk-around and measurements

Carlos checks the roofline against the design, confirms peaks, dormers and the garage line, and measures each run. Lights are then cut to length for each section, which is why the lines look straight from the street and why there are no sagging loops at the corners.

Step 2: roofline and peaks

Commercial-grade C9 LED lines go up on clips that hang from the shingle edge or the gutter lip. Nothing is nailed or stapled. Two-story peaks are done from ladders by a crew trained for that work and covered by our insurance. Cords run along the house to the outlet, not across walkways.

Step 3: trees, columns and driveway

If your design includes them, trunk and branch wraps, column wraps, porch outlines and driveway or walkway lines go in after the roofline. These are the features that make a display look finished and they add time, which is why larger designs take a full day.

Step 4: timer, test and photos

We plug everything into a timer set to come on at dusk and off late in the evening, test every section in daylight, and photograph the finished install. You get a text when we are done. That night, step outside and look.

During the season

Lights stay up through New Year's. If a section goes dark or a storm moves a strand, use the service issue form or text us and we come back at no charge. That is part of the price, not an upsell.

January: takedown

We schedule takedown in January, remove every clip by hand, coil and label the lights by section, and store them for next year. Details on the takedown page.

A one-minute checklist for install day

  1. Outlet near the display works.
  2. Driveway clear if the garage or driveway is in the design.
  3. Pets inside while ladders are up.
  4. Nothing else. We bring the rest.

Not booked yet? See when to book or request your quote.

Frequently asked questions

Most residential installs are done in a few hours. Larger displays with trees, columns and a driveway outline can take a full day. We give you the expected window when we confirm the date.

No. The work is all exterior. We text when we arrive and when we finish, and you can check the lights that evening.

Nothing. We bring the lights, clips, cords and timers. The only thing we need is a working exterior outlet near the display.

No. We use clips that hang on the shingle edge or gutter lip and come off clean in January. No nails, screws or staples.

Text us or use the service issue form and we come back. In-season fixes are included with every install.

Ready for your own install day?

Send a photo of the front of your house and we come back with a design and an itemized quote.

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