Permanent Holiday Lighting: Questions to Ask

WatchWarm White Lights: 1st Prize for a Technical Roof

You've probably seen them in your neighborhood. Lights that stay on the house year-round, tucked under the eaves, and change color for Christmas, the Fourth of July or game day.

Permanent lighting can look great. It's also a bigger decision than a seasonal display, because it gets attached to your home for the long haul. As roofers, we want y'all to go in with your eyes open. Here are the questions to ask before you commit, and how it compares to the seasonal service we offer.

What Is Permanent Holiday Lighting?

Permanent lighting is a set of lights mounted along your roofline, usually in a track or channel under the eaves or on the fascia, wired to a power source and controlled by a timer or app. The idea is you never put lights up or take them down again.

Seasonal lighting, which is what G3 installs, goes up for the holidays and comes down after. Commercial-grade C9 LEDs, custom fit to your roofline, then taken down and packed into a storage bin that stays at your home.

How Is Permanent Lighting Attached to My Home?

This is the first thing I'd ask. Permanent systems are usually fastened into your fascia, soffit or trim. Ask:

1. What exactly gets drilled or screwed into my home? How many fasteners, and into what material?
2. Will anything touch my roof or shingles? You don't want penetrations in the roof itself.
3. How is it sealed? Every hole is a possible path for water and critters.
4. What happens to the holes if I remove it later?
5. How does it handle wind? North Texas storms are no joke.

What Happens When I Need Roof or Gutter Work?

This one gets missed. Roofs and gutters need work over the life of a home, and in North Texas, hail is a fact of life. If permanent lights are mounted on your fascia or near your drip edge, they may need to come off before a roofer can do the job, then go back up afterward.

Ask who handles that, and plan for it. Our roofing and storm damage team sees this more and more.

Does My HOA Allow Permanent Lighting?

Check first. Many HOAs treat permanent lighting as an exterior modification, which can mean an architectural approval request before install. Some have rules on colors, brightness or hours. Our guide to HOA holiday lighting rules has a checklist.

What Else Should I Ask Before Buying?

• Who handles the electrical work, and are they licensed?
• What warranty comes with the product and the install, and what does each cover?
• What happens if a section goes out? Who fixes it, and how?
• Is the app or controller easy to use? Will it still be supported years from now?
• How visible is the track during the day? Some systems blend in better than others.
• Will it fit my roofline? Complex rooflines, steep pitches and second stories can make mounting harder.

Get the answers in writing. Know what questions to ask.

Is Seasonal Lighting a Better Fit for Some Homes?

For a lot of homeowners, yes. Seasonal lighting doesn't add permanent fasteners to your home, doesn't get in the way of roof or gutter work, and you can change your look each year. Warm white one year, candy cane the next. You never touch a ladder because we handle install and takedown.

Permanent lighting makes sense for some folks, especially those who want lights for lots of occasions through the year. It's not a wrong answer. It's just a different one.

How Does G3 Help?

We'll give you a straight answer about your roof and what makes sense for your home. If seasonal is the right fit, our crew custom fits commercial-grade C9 LEDs to your roofline, installs them safely, and takes them down after the season. Our work is backed by a 1-year workmanship warranty. Watch the video above to see a technical roof we lit up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready for lights without the ladder or the drill? Start your estimate on our lighting page or call (945) 300-9018.

Keep learning: see our Holiday Lighting page, read Are Professional Christmas Lights Worth It?.