Requesting a Christmas light quote takes about a minute: your address, how many stories, what you want lit and when. The same day you get a price by text and a design mockup drawn on a photo of your house. A 50% deposit locks the install date, the balance is charged on install day, and nothing is due at takedown.
A Christmas light installation quote should take you about a minute to request and land in your texts the same day. Here's what to have ready, what comes back, and how the deposit and scheduling work — so the quote turns into an install date instead of a tab you forget about.
What to have ready
- Your address. We measure the roofline in linear feet on the satellite view, so the address matters more than a description.
- How many stories. Height is the biggest price factor after footage.
- What you want lit. Roofline only? Roofline plus ridgeline? Trees, shrubs, walkways? If you're not sure, say "roofline plus whatever makes sense" — a good installer will suggest the rest.
- Timing. A target week, or at least "before Thanksgiving." Install dates lock in the order deposits arrive.
- A rough budget. Not to negotiate — to size the design. Most homes land in the $1,000 – $2,000 range; the pricing page has the full breakdown.
- Two to four photos of the front of the house, plus any trees or columns you want lit.
Castle's quote form asks exactly these questions, one at a time, and shows you the price range for your home type before you finish.
Text us two to four clear photos of the front of the house, plus any trees or columns you want lit. A good photo turns a quote around faster than any description, because the mockup gets drawn right on it.
What comes back
Two things. First, a price — with Castle, texted the same day, all-in: lights, design, installation, free in-season fixes, January takedown and off-season storage. Second, a design mockup of your actual home showing where every run of lights goes: roofline, ridgeline, trees, pathways. It's the drawing the crew installs from, so what you approve is what goes up.
- 1Send the form or a text
Address, stories, what you want lit, timing, budget. Photos if you have them.
- 2We measure and draw the mockup
Roofline in linear feet from the satellite view, then the design drawn on your photo.
- 3You approve scope and color
One text to confirm: which elements, which color. Warm white is our default and most popular.
- 4Quote by text and email, same day
One line per area, the mockup attached, the rental terms spelled out.
- 550% deposit locks the date
The balance is charged the day of install. Nothing is due at takedown in January.
How the deposit and schedule work
When you accept the quote, a 50% deposit holds your install date. It's non-refundable — except if the installer can't install safely, in which case Castle refunds it in full. The balance is due the day of installation, by card on file, check or cash. The quote is the contract from the moment you accept it, and you have three days to change your mind in writing.
Why late October and early November quotes get better dates
The whole neighborhood wants lights on for the same three weeks: Thanksgiving through mid-December. Those install dates go to whoever put a deposit down first. A quote requested in late October or early November usually turns into a date you'd pick yourself, plus the 15% early-booking discount for 2026. A quote requested the week after Thanksgiving turns into "we'll fit you in where we can." Our post on when to book Christmas light installation in Florida lays out the month-by-month calendar.
Questions worth asking any installer
- Are the lights included, or am I buying them? (Why it matters.)
- Who fixes a dead strand in December, and what does it cost?
- Are you insured — liability and workers' comp?
- How do you attach to my tile, stucco or metal roof?
- When exactly do the lights come down, and who stores them?
A sample quote, start to finish
Here's a typical run-through, with the details made up so nobody's house is on the internet. Say a two-story home in Port Orange, roofline plus two wrapped palms, "before Thanksgiving," budget in the $2,000 – $3,500 range. The form shows the two-story range on screen before the homeowner finishes. The next morning our team texts back a price inside that range and a mockup of the house with the roofline, ridgeline and both palms marked. The homeowner asks to drop the ridgeline; the mockup and price are revised the same day. They pay the 50% deposit, pick a date the week before Thanksgiving, the crew installs in a morning, the display runs on its timer, and the lights come down in January. Next fall, they get a text asking if they want the same layout again.
What if the quote comes back higher than you expected?
Say so. A good installer can usually get closer to a budget by trimming layers rather than quality — drop the ridgeline this year, wrap one palm instead of two, light the front walkway and skip the driveway. Because Castle stores your layout, the layers you skip this year are easy to add next year without a redesign. What we won't do is thin out the spacing or swap in cheaper strands to hit a number; the whole point of a professional display is that it looks like one.
Sharing a rough budget up front really helps. It isn't for haggling. It tells us whether to draw roofline only, or roofline plus ridges and palms, so the first mockup you see is the right one instead of the third.
Red flags in a quote
- No mockup or drawing. You're approving a description, not a design.
- A price with no scope. "Christmas lights, $900" doesn't say whether the ridgeline, trees or takedown are included.
- Lights sold separately. Fine if you want to own them; just add it to the total.
- No mention of insurance. Anyone on your roof should carry liability coverage and workers' comp.
- No takedown date. A display that's still up in February is a quote that skipped this line.
Get Your Quote In 60 Seconds
Nine quick questions, a price range on screen, and a same-day quote by text.
Get A Fast QuoteOr call/text 386-215-5461Getting a quote is the same everywhere we work — from Daytona Beach to Sanford. Browse all service areas or learn about residential installation.