Christmas Light Installation in Bergen County & North NJ
We hang plug-in holiday lights on rooflines, gutters, shrubs and trees for homes and businesses in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. We take everything down after the season and store it until next year.
Your lights or ours, hung along the roofline and gutters and wrapped on shrubs and trees, then taken down and stored until next year when the season ends. Holiday lighting work typically runs from November 1 to the end of January, so a job has two stages at opposite ends of the winter: the install, and the takedown.
We are a Garfield roofing and exteriors crew, and getting up to a roof edge safely is the part of our trade we do every working day. That is the reason a roofer hangs lights well: the ladder work, the gutter lip and the shingle edge are familiar ground. It does not have to be Christmas. Other holidays and events get the same treatment, and a business can have the same done for its storefront.
- Snow Plowing & Removal — Driveway plowing, walkways, steps and salting for homes and businesses in the same four counties.
- Gutter cleaning — Clips sit on the gutter lip, so clean gutters before the lights go up.
- Commercial snow removal — Storefront owners: lots, entrances, walks and de-icing under a written scope.
What is included, and what is not
A job includes a walk-through of the property, the installation, the takedown after the season and storage until next year. The lights are either yours or ours when you need them supplied. We agree beforehand what is lit and what stays dark, so nobody is surprised on the first evening.
The walk-through settles the practical questions in one visit: where the outdoor outlets are and whether they are protected, how high the eaves run and where a ladder can stand, which trees and shrubs get lights, whether there is a gate or a long drive to plan around, and which days suit you for the install and for the takedown. Written down, that becomes the quote.
Everything we hang is plug-in lighting, and it plugs into your existing outdoor outlets. We do not add outlets, run circuits, install hard-wired timers or put in permanent lighting. Adding an outdoor outlet is permitted electrical work in New Jersey, with a permit filing and an inspection, so it goes to a licensed electrician. If a house has no outlet where the display needs one, we tell you before we start, not on the day.
Takedown and storage
Takedown happens after the season ends, and we agree the day with you when the install is booked. Jobber, the field-service software maker, puts the usual industry window at the start of January and the rest of that month. We remove the lights the way they went up, clip by clip, coil them as they come off and store them until next year. Wreaths, garland and greenery come down the same way.
Taking lights down carefully matters on a roof edge as much as putting them up does. GAF, the shingle manufacturer, warns that grabbing a strand and yanking it can tear shingles and pull gutters down, and says to take the clips off one at a time. Storage until next year is part of the job, and the written quote states how it is handled.
What it costs
We quote the whole job, not a number multiplied by the length of your roofline, because the length is one of the smaller things that decides the price. The height of the eaves, how many gables the roofline breaks into, how many trees and shrubs are wrapped, how much has to be reached by ladder and whether we supply the lights all move it more.
Each figure below is a planning range for the scenario beside it. A larger or more complex house costs more than a typical colonial, and the final price is a written quote after we have looked at the property.
| Job | What is included | Planning range |
|---|---|---|
| Typical two-story colonial: full roofline and front shrubs | We supply the lights; installation and takedown | $1,200 to $3,000 |
| Larger home or complex roofline with several trees | We supply the lights; installation and takedown | $2,500 to $6,500 |
| Same colonial roofline, using your own lights | Installation and takedown of your lights | $500 to $1,500 |
| Door and porch greenery: wreaths, door and railing garland, a few lights | Installation and takedown | $400 to $1,500 |
Planning ranges, not a quote. Storage until next year is part of the job, and the written quote states how it is handled. A house larger than the second row describes is quoted after a walk-through. The estimate is free; the written quote follows a look at the property.
Larger homes, tall rooflines and designed schemes
A larger house, a roofline with many gables or a property with several mature trees is quoted after a walk-through, and the second row above is the planning figure for it. What drives the quote is the job, not the address: how many rooflines and gables there are, how high the highest eave sits, whether the entry has a portico or columns, and how many trees and shrubs are wrapped.
A scheme is planned rather than improvised. We walk the property with you, agree what is lit and what is left dark, and decide where each run starts and which outlet feeds it. On a tall house, where a ladder can stand is one of the things the walk-through is for.
The entry can be a job of its own. A wreath on the door, garland along the door frame and the porch railing and a few lights is a package by itself, and it is the last row of the table. We agree install and takedown days with you, so the work happens when it suits the household.
Where we work
We hang lights for homes and businesses in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties, from our shop in Garfield. The towns below are listed first because that is where the work we are best suited to is concentrated: larger lots, older and taller houses, long private driveways, mature evergreens and roofs with many gables.
Tall houses and tall trees set the pace. A two-and-a-half-story roofline with dormers needs the ladder planned at every corner, and a tree wrapped from the ground up is lit as high as can be reached safely, which we tell you at the walk-through rather than after. Where a long drive ends in a gate, we ask for the gate code or arrange access with whoever manages the property, and we work around your schedule instead of arriving unannounced.
Condominium and homeowner associations often have rules about what may go on a building and when. Approval is the owner's to get, and we work to the rules the association or manager gives us. For businesses, the downtown storefront blocks in Ridgewood, Montclair, Englewood and Hoboken are a different job from a house: a short frontage, a canopy or a window row, and foot traffic past the ladder. In Hoboken, brownstone and townhouse fronts are narrow, and the work is planned around the stoop and the street.
Bergen County
- Saddle River
- Upper Saddle River
- Alpine
- Ho-Ho-Kus
- Franklin Lakes
- Ridgewood
- Wyckoff
- Tenafly
- Cresskill
- Demarest
- Englewood Cliffs
- Closter
- Old Tappan
- Allendale
- Glen Rock
- Mahwah
- Ramsey
- River Vale
Passaic County
- Wayne
- North Haledon
Essex County
- Montclair
- Glen Ridge
- Millburn (Short Hills)
- Livingston
- Essex Fells
- North Caldwell
- Verona
Hudson County
- Hoboken
How we hang lights without damaging your roof
Plastic clips on the gutter and the roof edge are the default, because they hold a strand without making a hole. GAF warns that nails and staples through shingles, fascia or siding leave small holes that draw in moisture, which can lead to leaks and rot. Fasteners are used only when you ask for them, and we explain that risk first.
Heavy decorations stay off the roof, and we work from a ladder rather than walking on shingles. The full surface-by-surface detail is in our guide on how to hang lights without damaging a roof.
Why people hire it out
The main risk in hanging lights is the height. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that about 14,900 people were treated in emergency rooms for holiday-decorating injuries in the 2023 season (Nov. 1, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023), about 160 a day, with nearly half of the injuries involving falls.
A single-story house with a low roofline is a fair do-it-yourself job with a spotter. The two-story front, the third gable and the tree that is taller than the ladder are the parts worth handing over.
When to book: the season calendar
The holiday lighting season typically runs from November 1 to the end of January, according to the field-service software maker Jobber. Its guide puts the busiest stretch at the two weeks before and after Thanksgiving, and takedown typically begins around January 2 and runs for the rest of the month.
Jobber's guide for lighting businesses advises reaching returning customers from late August or early September, which is a fair sign this is a job to ask about early. The walk-through is where the work is planned, and an earlier call leaves more room to fit the install day to your schedule. If you also want your driveway cleared this winter, our snow plowing page covers that.
Your side of the electrical safety
Use lights that are marked for outdoor use, and plug them into an outdoor outlet protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). The Consumer Product Safety Commission advises both, and tells consumers to check labels to confirm lights are certified for outdoor use.
Do not string together more than three sets of incandescent lights, the Commission adds, and do not overload outlets. LED lights run cooler than incandescent. If an outlet on the house is not protected or not where it needs to be, we say so at the walk-through, and an electrician is the right call.
GAF adds three habits for the plug-in side: choose lights made for outdoor use, prefer low-heat LED bulbs, and unplug decorations when you are away from home or asleep.
Wreaths, garland, trees and bushes
Beyond rooflines and gutters, we hang wreaths and garland and light trees and bushes, for homes and for businesses. Door and porch greenery goes up with the lights so the entry looks finished, and it comes down with them after the season.
Lights wrapped on trees and shrubs are wrapped from the ground up and removed the same way.
Businesses, HOAs and storefronts
A storefront, an office building or a condominium entrance gets a walk-through and a written quote; there is no standard price for a storefront. What decides the job is the frontage, the height, the number of entries and who has to approve it.
Landlord or association approval is the customer's to get, and we work to the property manager's rules on days, hours and surfaces. We agree install and takedown days with you, so the work fits around your opening hours.
Contract and paperwork
You get a written quote, and a home improvement job over $500 gets a written contract that carries New Jersey's three-business-day cancellation notice, as the state requires. We are insured for this work.
Our New Jersey home improvement contractor registration is HIC reg.# 13VH13970900, and it appears on every contract. The estimate is free; the written quote follows a look at the property.
Common questions
Can I hire someone to put up my Christmas lights?
Yes. We install plug-in holiday lights for homes and businesses across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. A job starts with a walk-through of the property, then the installation, then takedown after the season, with storage until next year.
How much does Christmas light installation cost in North Jersey?
We quote the whole job. For a typical two-story colonial where we supply the lights, the planning range is $1,200 to $3,000, and a larger home or complex roofline with several trees is $2,500 to $6,500. Hanging your own lights on that colonial is $500 to $1,500. The final price is a written quote after a look at the property.
Do you supply the lights, or can you hang mine?
Both. We install the lights you already own, or we supply ours when you need them. The two are priced differently, as the table shows, so tell us which you want when you call.
When should I book?
The holiday lighting season typically runs from November 1 to the end of January, and the busiest stretch is the two weeks around Thanksgiving. Jobber's guide advises lighting businesses to reach returning customers from late August, so an early call leaves more room to fit the install day to your schedule. Ask for a walk-through when you are ready.
When do you take the lights down?
Takedown happens after the season ends, and we agree the day with you. The usual industry window is January. We remove the lights clip by clip and store them until next year.
Will clips damage my shingles or gutters?
Plastic clips are the default on shingles and gutters because they hold a strand without a hole. GAF warns that nails and staples through shingles, fascia or siding can let in moisture, causing leaks and rot. We use fasteners only when you ask for them, and we explain that risk before we do.
Do I need an electrician?
Not to plug lights into an existing outdoor outlet. A new outdoor outlet is permitted electrical work in New Jersey, with a permit filing and an inspection, so that goes to a licensed electrician. If an outlet is not where the display needs it, we tell you before we start.
Do you store the lights?
Yes. After takedown we store them until next year.
Do you install permanent lights?
No. We hang plug-in lights that run from your existing outdoor outlets. Permanent or hard-wired lighting is electrical work for a licensed electrician.
Do you do other holidays, and businesses?
Yes to both. The lights do not have to be for Christmas, so other holidays and events are fine. We also hang lights, wreaths and garland for storefronts and other businesses, quoted after a walk-through.
Sources
- CPSC: Happy Holidays Start with Safety, release of Nov. 19, 2024 (injury counts, three-sets rule) — retrieved
- CPSC: Holiday Season Decorating Safety Tips, release of Dec. 13, 2004 (GFCI, outdoor-rated lights) — retrieved
- GAF: 6 Tips for Installing Holiday Roofing Decorations, Dec. 14, 2021 (nail holes, gutter clips, heavy decorations, ladders, removal) — retrieved
- Jobber: Christmas light installation business tips, updated Nov. 13, 2024 (season dates, busiest period, takedown timing) — retrieved
- P.L. 2023, c. 237, section 39 (amends N.J.S.A. 56:8-151: written contracts over $500, three-business-day cancellation) — retrieved
- N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A (electrical work: outlets as minor work, notice, permit and inspection) — retrieved
Planning your lights?
Tell us about the house: the roofline, the trees and shrubs, and whether you have lights or want ours. We will come back to you with a written quote after a look at the property.