What gets left out of the conversation
Holiday lighting conversations are almost entirely about putting them up. Which makes sense, because that is the part you are excited about. But the season ends, and then there is a second job nobody scheduled. The people who asked the question up front have a much better January than the people who did not.Which is a shame, because January is where the difference between companies actually shows. Anybody can hang lights in November. The question is what the arrangement looks like when the season is over. That question is worth asking before you book, not the one you have in January.
What a January ladder day actually looks like
The takedown is worse. Cold, dark by five, and nothing to look forward to. Then the strands get boxed and shoved somewhere, 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 catalogued and stored off site, instead of living in your attic. You never store a single strand.
What storage actually buys you
Off site storage does more than free up a shelf. Your attic gets its space back, which matters if you have ever tried to find anything up 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 permanent alternative removes the question
The other option removes the takedown conversation entirely. Permanent lighting does not have a takedown. It is a bigger first step, and it does not suit every household. But if the takedown conversation is the part you dread, it is a fair question to raise.
The other question worth asking
Over a full season, a section going dark is not unusual. What matters is whether anybody comes out. Service during the season is either included or it is not, and you should know before December. Ask while you are still comparing companies, not on the twenty second of December.
What next season looks like
Year
https://evercrestlighting.com/contact/ one has all the decisions in it. Once a display is designed and stored, repeating it is administrative. Booking the second year is a short conversation. Changes build on the existing plan, instead of a blank page.
What to settle in writing
Ask if January is in the price. Ask who keeps them until next year. Ask how removal gets scheduled so you are not chasing anybody in February. 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 residential and commercial properties throughout Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, based in Greenville. The consultation is free. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].