HOA Christmas lights work best as one commercial proposal covering the whole entrance: the monument and signage, the trees and palms at the entry, install timing, free outage response, takedown and off-season storage. Boards should ask for the proposal in September or early October, request a certificate of insurance for the association file, and approve scope at one meeting. See our commercial lighting page.
What does an HOA entrance display usually include?
The entrance is a small area doing a lot of work. Most boards want the monument or sign area lit, the trees and palms around it wrapped, and the landscaping beds picked up so the whole corner reads as one thing at night.
Elements we light at an entry
- Rooflines on a gatehouse or covered structure, C9 LED bulbs along the gutter and fascia
- Ridgelines on the peaks above that roofline
- Palm trunks and tree canopies wrapped in LED mini lights
- Icicle drop lights hung from tree branches
- Shrubs and landscaping beds at the monument
- Walkway and entry edges with stake lights
- Pre-lit garland and wreaths on request
Warm white is our default and the most popular color. C9 bulbs come in any color or pattern, so if the board wants something like alternating red and warm white on the gatehouse, that is easy to draw up before the vote. Cool white and multicolor are common too. If you want the difference between roofline, ridgeline and tree work explained in plain terms, read roofline vs ridgeline vs tree wrapping.
If your entry has palms, it helps to let us know the trunk heights when you reach out to us for a proposal. We wrap with 70-light mini strands at 4-inch spacing, and a small palm takes about 2 strands where a large one takes 4 or 5. That count is most of the difference in the number.
When should the board start the approval process?
Ask for a proposal in September or early October. Boards move on a meeting calendar, so lead time matters.
Our installs run September through December. Returning customers book first, and by mid-November we are usually booked into mid-December. If your board only meets monthly, a September proposal gives you room for one round of questions and still lands an install date you like.
Crews and our storage facility are in Volusia County, so Lake Mary and Sanford work is grouped into route days. Early booking matters more there than it does closer to home.
- 1Request the proposal
Send photos of the entrance or just the address. We can measure from satellite and Street View.
- 2Review the marked-up photo
We draw the scope on a photo of the entrance so the board sees exactly which elements are lit.
- 3Get the insurance certificate
Ask for the certificate of insurance before the vote so it is in the packet, not chased afterward.
- 4Vote on one scope
Approve scope and color together. Changing color after the vote changes the build.
- 5Lock the install date
A 50% non-refundable deposit holds the date. The balance is charged the day of install.
What belongs in a commercial proposal for an association?
A proposal should answer every question a board member will raise in the meeting, so nobody has to email the vendor mid-vote.
Ours spells out the scope element by element with a marked-up photo, the install timing, working hours that avoid resident traffic at the entry, the removal window, free outage response with a contact number, payment terms, and a certificate of insurance.
Commercial properties are measured and quoted individually, so residential ranges do not apply here. You can still see how residential work is priced on our pricing page for context, and our guide on how to get a quote walks through what we ask before drawing anything.
- Scope listed by element, drawn on a photo
- Install window and working hours
- Color choice confirmed in writing
- Free outage response and a contact number
- Removal window arranged with the property
- Payment terms and deposit amount
- Certificate of insurance for the association file
Why does the certificate of insurance matter so much?
Because the association is the one holding the risk if a vendor gets hurt on common property. Boards ask for this first, and they should.
We carry a $2 million commercial and residential liability policy plus workers' compensation on every employee, and we provide a certificate of insurance on request. Ask for it while the proposal is still in draft so it goes into the board packet with everything else.
If you are comparing vendors, our guide on how to choose a Christmas light installer near you covers the rest of the questions worth asking.
Get a proposal for your community entrance
Send the entrance address or a few photos and we will reply with a same-day quote by text. Certificate of insurance provided on request.
Get A Fast QuoteOr call/text 386-215-5461Should the HOA buy lights or rent the display?
We only do one of these, and here is why. We run a full-service seasonal rental. The association never buys or owns the lights.
That means one price covers the design mockup, commercial-grade LED lights we supply and cut to fit the entrance, install by an insured crew, timers set so the display runs itself, free bulb and outage fixes all season, takedown, and storage in our facility in labeled bins with color-coded tags.
Next season the same display goes back up, because it is tagged and cut for your entrance already. We also do not install lights somebody else bought, including app-controlled or permanent systems, and we do not set out stand-alone yard decor like inflatables. More on how the rental works on our rental page.
- Someone on the board owns the bins all year
- Storage space has to come from somewhere
- Outages are the association's problem
- Strands get mixed up between seasons
- Ladders and liability fall on the community
- We own all lights and equipment
- Cut to fit the entrance, tagged and binned
- Free outage fixes all season once reported
- Takedown and off-season storage included
- Insured crew, workers' comp on every employee
What happens when a light goes out at the entrance?
You call or text us and we fix it free, usually within 72 hours once it is reported. We are not responsible for outages nobody tells us about, so give your property manager the contact number from the proposal.
Things we see in a Florida season
- GFCI outlets tripping after heavy rain
- Wet outlets that will not reset
- Landscapers cutting or snagging wire
- Squirrels chewing wire
Tell your landscaping contractor the lights are up before the first mow. The property is responsible for damage caused by other service providers. Keep working outlets near the lit areas as well, and GFCI outlets are what we recommend at an entrance.
A small thing that saves hassle: we set the timers so the entrance lights itself every evening, so it's best to leave them as programmed and give any community decorations their own outlet. If anything ever looks off, just call or text us and we'll take care of it.
How do lights attach without damaging the entrance structure?
No screws, no staples, no drilling. Clips slide under or clamp to shingles, clip onto gutters, or connect to metal flashing.
On a tile roof, a shingle-style clip slides up under the tile where it fits, and on the ridgeline we often use a removable adhesive that comes off at the end of the season. It works on tile, stucco, shingle and metal. There is more detail in our guide to lights on stucco, tile and metal roofs.
One thing we don't do: icicle lights on a roofline. Nobody makes a commercial-grade icicle light that lasts. Rooflines and ridges get C9 LED bulbs.
When do the entrance lights come down?
Removal timing for commercial properties is arranged with the property, so the board picks a window that suits the community rather than getting a surprise crew on January 2.
At season end someone unplugs the cords and contacts us to schedule removal. Weather can delay removal, and we will tell you if it does. Everything goes back into labeled bins with color-coded tags at our facility.
More on that side of it on our removal and storage page.
Which communities do you serve?
Castle serves homes from Daytona Beach to Winter Park. Volusia County is home base, and we also work Seminole and Orange County.
For entrance work specifically, the pages for Daytona Beach, Lake Mary and Sanford cover how we schedule each area. Seminole County installs get grouped into route days, so a September proposal gives your board the widest choice of dates.
Send the entrance address through our quote form and we will reply with a same-day quote by text, or text 386-215-5461.
Frequently Asked Questions
Commercial properties, including community entrances, are measured and quoted individually, so we won't throw out a number before we see the entrance. Send photos or the address and we build a proposal around the actual monument, trees and structures. Residential price ranges on our pricing page do not apply to commercial work, so use them for context only, not for budgeting the entrance.
No. We run a seasonal rental, so we own all lights and equipment. One price covers the design mockup, lights cut to fit the entrance, installation, timers, free outage fixes, takedown and off-season storage in labeled bins with color-coded tags. The same display goes back up next season because it is already cut and tagged for your entrance.
Yes, on request. We carry a $2 million commercial and residential liability policy plus workers' compensation on every employee. Ask for the certificate while the proposal is still in draft so it goes into the board packet with the scope and pricing. That way nobody is chasing paperwork the week before install, and the vote can happen in one meeting.
September or early October. Installs run September through December, returning customers book first, and by mid-November we are usually booked into mid-December. Boards that meet monthly need that lead time for one round of questions before the vote. Seminole County work is grouped into route days from our Volusia County base, so early booking matters even more there.
We do, free, usually within 72 hours once someone reports it. The proposal includes a contact number, so give it to your property manager. We are not responsible for outages nobody reports. In a Florida season we see GFCI trips after heavy rain, wet outlets that will not reset, landscaper damage and squirrels chewing wire, so tell your landscaper the lights are up.
Get Your Christmas Light Quote
Answer a few quick questions. Our team texts you a same-day quote.
Get A Fast QuoteOr call/text 386-215-5461