DIY vs. Professional Christmas Light Installation
Updated July 2026
This is a directory of professional installers, so treat the following with appropriate skepticism. But the honest answer is that a lot of houses do not need a professional, and pretending otherwise would waste your money.
The real cost comparison
DIY, year one: $150–$400 for decent LED strands, clips, timers, and an extension pole, plus a ladder if you don’t own one ($150–$300 for a good extension ladder). Call it $300–$700 all in.
DIY, year two onward: $0–$100 for replacements. This is where DIY wins decisively on money.
Professional, every year: $400–$1,200 for a typical house, every single season, because you’re renting the lights along with the labor.
Over five years, DIY on a simple house costs a few hundred dollars. Professional costs $2,000–$6,000. That is not a close call financially.
Where the money goes instead
What you’re actually buying from a professional is:
- Not being on a ladder. Falls from ladders send tens of thousands of people to emergency rooms every year, and the December ones cluster around exactly this activity.
- Six to ten hours of your time, twice — once in November, once in January.
- A better-looking result, because custom-cut strands sit flush and don’t sag.
- Someone else’s problem in January, in the cold, when the novelty has thoroughly worn off.
When DIY is clearly right
- Single-story house with roofline you can reach from a standard ladder on level ground.
- You already own a ladder and are comfortable on it.
- Modest scope — front roofline and a couple of bushes.
- You have the time in November and, more importantly, the will in January.
- You enjoy it. Some people genuinely do, and that’s a legitimate reason.
When to hire someone
- Two stories or more, especially with steep pitch.
- Anything requiring you to work above a hard surface — driveway, patio, pool deck.
- Mature trees. Wrapping a large tree well is a skill, and doing it from a ladder is how people get hurt.
- You’re over 60, or have any balance, mobility, or medication issues. This is the most important line in this article. The injury math changes sharply with age.
- Slate, tile, or metal roofing, where the wrong attachment method causes real damage.
- You want it to look designed rather than decorated.
The middle option people forget
You can buy your own lights and hire a company for labor only. That typically runs $200–$600 — meaningfully cheaper than a full-service package, because you’re not renting product.
You own the lights, you control the look, and someone else goes up the ladder. For a lot of two-story houses this is the correct answer, and many landscaping and window-cleaning companies that do seasonal light work will happily quote it.
Ask for it by name. Some companies don’t advertise it.
If you decide to hire, the questions-to-ask checklist will save you more than the price difference between the first and second quote.