The short answer
In Southeast Michigan, professional Christmas light installation typically runs $18–32 per linear foot of roofline with a $595 job minimum — and that number should include design, commercial-grade materials, installation, in-season maintenance, and January takedown. A modest single-story roofline lands near the minimum; large two-story homes with peaks run four figures.
The Per-Foot Number, and What It Buys
Professional Christmas light installation in our market prices by the linear foot of lit roofline: $18–32 per foot for a full-service seasonal install, with a $595 minimum. A simple 60-foot ranch front lands right around that minimum. A full two-story colonial outlining 150 feet of eaves, gables, and porch lines runs $2,700–$4,800 depending on complexity. Those numbers sound different from a $40 box of store lights because they buy a different thing entirely.
Full service means the display is designed for your architecture, built from commercial-grade LED C9 bulbs on custom-cut runs, installed by an insured crew, maintained through the season — a dark bulb gets fixed, not shrugged at — and taken down in January while you drink coffee. You never climb anything.
What Moves the Price
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Linear footage | The base driver — more lit roofline, more materials and labor |
| Stories and pitch | Second-story eaves and steep peaks slow every step of the hang |
| Roofline complexity | Gables, dormers, and valleys mean more cuts, clips, and ladder moves |
| Extras beyond the roofline | Trees, shrubs, columns, and railings price as add-ons |
| Power situation | Long runs to outlets and timer setups add hardware |
Skip the Estimate Appointment Entirely
The traditional quote process — someone drives out with a tape measure and squints at your gutters — is the part we automated. LightCast measures your roofline from one photo: upload it, tap a known reference like your garage door, and it returns your footage, your peak count, and a real price range in about a minute. It's the same measurement our crews plan from, and the final number is confirmed on site before anything is ordered. How the measuring works is its own story — covered in how installers measure and price.
Questions worth asking any installer: Is takedown included or extra? Is mid-season maintenance included? Are the bulbs commercial-grade LED or retail strings? And what happens to the lights after January — storage arrangements differ across companies, so get it in writing. With us: design, materials, install, maintenance, and takedown are all in the quoted number.
Timing Changes the Math Too
Install calendars fill from late October, and the earliest bookings get the best schedule slots — displays can be hung early and left dark until you're ready. The full calendar logic is in our scheduling guide; the short version is that November callers pick their week, and December callers take what's left.
The Bottom Line
$18–32 per roofline foot, $595 minimum, everything included through takedown. Measure your own house with LightCast and you'll know your number before you ever talk to a human — which is exactly how quoting should work.
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