Everybody plans the install. Nobody plans the takedown
Holiday lighting conversations happen in October and November and stop at the install date. Which makes sense, because that is the part you are excited about. Then it is January, and something has to happen. The people who asked the question up front are the ones not on a ladder in the cold.Which is a shame, because it is the half that separates one company from another. Anybody can put a display up. The question is whether anyone comes back. That question belongs in the first conversation, not the one you have in January.
The self service version
The takedown is the unpleasant half. Cold, no enthusiasm, and a mess at the end. Then the strands go into a bin, and the bin goes into the attic, where they tangle, get crushed, and lose a section by next November.
The version worth paying for
On a properly structured holiday lighting service, January is already covered. At the end of the season the crew comes back and removes the display. Everything gets labeled and put away properly, instead of living in your attic. You never store a single strand.
Why storage is not a small detail
Three things happen when the lights do not live at your house. Your attic gets its space back, which matters if you have ever tried to find anything up
https://collinmxkf729.quantlynix.com/posts/permanent-lighting-installation-the-process-in-plain-english-what-goes-into-a-permanent-lighting-installation-a-homeowner-s-walkthrough there. The lights do not degrade in a hot attic, since attic heat and crushing are what kills them. Labeling is why year two looks like year one.
The other route
The other option makes January irrelevant. A permanent LED system is installed one time and left in place, so nothing comes down and nothing needs a shelf. It costs more up front and it makes sense for households that never skip a season. But if the takedown conversation is the part you dread, it is a fair question to raise.
What happens if something goes dark on the twentieth
Over a full season, something will eventually need a look. The question is who you call. Some companies include service through the season. Others bill each trip. Ask before you book, rather than the week you need it.
Year two is much shorter
Year one has all the decisions in it. Once a display is designed and stored, the following year is scheduling. Booking the second year is confirming a date and saying whether anything changed. If you want it extended or trimmed back, that is a conversation, not a redesign.
What to ask before you book
Ask whether takedown is included or billed separately. Ask who keeps them until next year. Ask how the takedown gets scheduled. EverCrest Lighting includes takedown and off season storage with its holiday lighting work, and installs permanent lighting for people who would rather stop repeating it, for homes and businesses throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, from Greenville. Consultations are free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].