Christmas light installation is usually priced by linear foot of roofline or per feature, plus a job minimum. Whichever way you quote, check it against the real cost of the job.
You are selling a season, not a night
A lighting job has four parts, and each one costs time.
- Design and measuring. A site visit, a plan, and a materials list.
- Installation. Ladders, clips, cords, timers and testing.
- Service during the season. Bulbs fail and wind moves strands. Callbacks happen.
- Takedown and storage. The same crew time again, plus a place to keep the lights.
If you only price the install, you have given away the other three. Decide up front whether the price covers the full season, and say so in writing.
Linear foot, per feature, or per job
Most installers use a mix.
- By the linear foot for rooflines, eaves and fences. Measure the actual run, including corners and returns.
- Per feature for trees, wreaths, bushes and columns. A tree takes far more time than its footprint suggests, because wrapping is slow.
- Per job with a minimum for small homes. A short roofline still needs the ladder set up, a power check and a timer.
Pick the unit that follows your labor. If a job takes longer because of height or detail, the unit price should rise with it, not stay flat.
Test every unit price the same way. Work out the labor and materials for a typical house, then divide the price you need by the feet of roofline. If the answer is below the rate you quote, the rate is too low for that kind of house.
Materials: buy, own, or rent
How you handle the lights changes your price.
- Customer buys. You charge labor and a small handling fee. Your risk is low, but so is the repeat income.
- You supply and the customer owns. Charge the full material cost plus markup. Fewer returns, but you hold stock.
- You own and the customer rents. Spread the cost of the lights over several seasons. Include wear, losses, storage and repair. Never price a rental as if the lights were free.
Whichever model you use, count clips, extension cords, timers, replacement bulbs and spare strands. These small parts add up fast.
The time costs most quotes miss
- Height and access. A two-storey roofline needs more setup, more crew and more care than a bungalow.
- Weather. Rain, snow and wind delay jobs. A delay in peak season pushes other jobs back.
- Power. Finding outlets, running cords safely and testing circuits all take time.
- Travel. The season is busy, so many short drives across town add up.
- Takedown. It is faster than install, but it is still paid labor. Sorting and boxing the lights takes time too.
Add these to the hours before you apply your margin. A job that looks like four hours on paper is often five once the drive, the ladder moves and the testing are counted.
Mistakes that quietly cost you money
- Leaving takedown out of the price. You will still do it in January, for free.
- Not charging for repairs. If service calls are included, set a limit. Otherwise a few bad strands can cost a full trip.
- Underpricing trees and wraps. Wrapping is slow, so it deserves its own rate.
- Buying cheap lights. Poor strands fail early and cause callbacks.
- Taking jobs too late. Late bookings squeeze crews into bad weather and short days.
- Forgetting storage. Racks, bins and space have a cost, even if nobody sends you that bill.
When to say no or raise the price
The season is short, so each crew day is valuable. Protect it.
- The roof is steep, wet or unsafe. Your insurance and your people matter more than one job.
- The customer wants a large display on a late booking with no deposit.
- The house is far from your other jobs and the travel is long.
- The customer wants to keep changing the design after the install starts.
- The property has no safe power source and the work needs extra equipment.
Late-season and last-minute jobs should cost more. They break your route and your crew plan.
Your deposit policy matters here. A deposit holds the date, pays for materials, and filters out customers who are not serious. Take one on every job, and make the balance due when the lights are on and working.
Check the real numbers in January
At the end of the season, compare each job's planned hours with real hours, and count the service calls. Those numbers show which homes and which types of work paid, and which ones did not. Use them to set next year's rates.
CrewBrain tracks the real cost of each job so you can see which jobs earn their price.
A worked example: a roofline, two front windows and a pair of porch columns, installed only
| Item | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 2 people × 4.5 hours (including drive time) × $30 per hour | $270 |
| Materials | Supplies used on the job | $120 |
| Vehicle and fuel | Truck time and fuel for this job | $25 |
| Job costs | $415 | |
| Price at a 50% margin | $415 ÷ 0.50 | $830 |
| Left after job costs | $830 − $415 | $415 |
Where the price goes in this example
Every dollar of the price, split into the costs it covers and what is left over.
- Labor $270 (33%)
- Materials $120 (14%)
- Vehicle and fuel $25 (3%)
- Left after job costs $415 (50%)
The whole bar is the price the customer pays: $830. Illustrative numbers, built from the table above.
Hourly cost per person is the full cost of one hour, including taxes and insurance. Materials cover clips, cords, timers and a share of lights wear. Takedown would be priced as a second visit. These numbers are an illustrative example of the method. They are not a price list, and not a promise of what your jobs will earn.
Try it with your own numbers
Job costs means crew time (with drive time), materials, vehicle and fuel. Hourly cost per person is the full cost of an hour, including payroll taxes and insurance, not just the wage. This is a simple calculator, not a quote.
Built for Christmas light installation: the Christmas light installation pricing calculator works from roofline and gutter lights, trees and bushes wrapped, takedown later (roofline ft), with example speeds you can change to your crew’s.
Keep going
- CrewBrain for Christmas light installation companies: how the software handles quoting, scheduling and crew time for this trade.
- How to price a service job: the five-step method behind every page in this series.
- Job price calculator: the same calculator as above, on its own page.
- Price increase calculator: see how many customers you can lose before a raise stops paying.
- How to price pressure washing jobs
- How to price window cleaning jobs
- How to price gutter cleaning jobs
- What is a good profit margin for a service business?
- How to estimate labor hours for a job
- How to quote a job professionally
- All pricing guides by trade
Questions owners ask
How much should I charge to install Christmas lights?
Start from the hours, crew cost and materials for the job, then divide by one minus your margin. Check the result per linear foot against your minimum so small homes still pay.
Should takedown and storage be included in the price?
Only if you price them. Takedown is a full visit and storage takes space and time. Either include both in one season price or list them as separate lines.
Should I charge by the linear foot or by the job?
Use the linear foot for simple runs and per-feature pricing for trees and wraps. Add a job minimum so small jobs cover setup, travel and power testing.
How do I price repairs during the season?
Decide in advance. Either include a set number of service visits in the price, or charge a standard fee per callback. Unlimited free repairs will erase your margin.