Christmas light planning guide

How do I measure my house for Christmas lights?

Break the roofline into sections and add them up. Typical sizes: a garage is about 30 ft, each gable 25 to 35 ft, and straight runs 10 to 40 ft. Example: two gables (about 30 ft each), one straight run (20 ft) and a garage (30 ft) is about 110 ft.

Add about 10% for peaks, corners and the run back to the outlet. Easier: in step 2 of the calculator, upload a photo, mark a known length (a garage door is usually 16 ft, a front door 3 ft) and trace your roofline. It measures the feet for you.

How many Christmas lights do I need for my house?

• C9 rooflines: one bulb per foot at 12 in spacing (four bulbs every five feet at 15 in). 150 ft of roofline is about 150 bulbs.
• Strands: most C9 strands are 25 ft, so divide your feet by 25 and round up.
• Wrapped trees: about 15 mini lights per square foot of bark. The calculator’s tree tool works this out from trunk thickness and height.

How much does professional Christmas light installation cost?

Rooflines are usually priced per foot, about $4 to $12 per foot depending on height and how hard the roof is. Many installers have a job minimum around $500. A typical home lands around $1,000 to $2,000. Wreaths, garland and wrapped trees are priced per item, and big wrapped trees can cost more than the house.

The calculator shows a ballpark using typical prices. For your real price, get free quotes from local installers.

How many Christmas lights can I plug into one outlet?

A standard 15 amp circuit is 1,800 watts; stay under 80% (about 1,440 watts). LED C9 bulbs use under 1 watt each, so one circuit runs well over a thousand LED bulbs. Old incandescent C9s use about 7 watts each, which is why they tripped breakers. Light wire (SPT-1) is rated 7 amps, so the calculator tells you when to split a run.

Should I use C9 bulbs or mini lights?

C9 bulbs for rooflines, peaks and gutters: bigger, brighter and easy to see from the street. Mini lights for wrapping trees, bushes and railings, where you want lots of small lights close together.

Can I see what Christmas lights will look like on my house?

Yes. In step 2, upload a photo of the front of your house and draw C9 lights along the roofline. Save the picture and share it with your family or an installer.

Are you a Christmas light installer? Try the Christmas Light Estimator for quoting, photo mockups and job profit.