The honest case for doing it yourself
Plenty of people enjoy putting up their own lights, and a small display on a single-story house can be a reasonable DIY job. If that describes you, the rest of this article is a guide to when the balance tips the other way.
Where DIY gets hard
Hanging lights across rooftops and landscape features is time-consuming and can be dangerous for anyone without experience in safe installation techniques. Ladders, cold weather and rooflines are a poor mix.
Design is the other hard part. Without a plan, a display tends to grow by trial and error, with one more string each year and no clear look.
What a holiday lighting company does differently
Aqua-Bright's Columbia service covers the whole job: design, installation and removal of your Christmas lights.
- Design. Its lighting specialists help choose colors and patterns, from delicate white-light elegance to spectacular rainbow lights.
- Safe installation. Technicians arrive with the essential tools and take all the necessary safety steps.
- Quality materials. Displays are securely installed and designed with high-quality lighting and materials.
- Removal. The crew safely takes everything down after the season.
Aqua-Bright's view is that hiring a professional saves both time and money while producing a better result.
The bulbs matter
Aqua-Bright uses energy-efficient LED lights and FX Luminaire products. LEDs are not easily broken, even outside in winter. They last for years without replacement and use less energy than standard CFL bulbs, which counts on displays that stay on for hours at a time.
Columbia businesses
The DIY question rarely comes up for a business, and a Christmas lighting company is often the only realistic option. Aqua-Bright installs displays for commercial buildings of all sizes and industries in Columbia.
During the holiday shopping season, lights draw attention to a business, its entrance and its signage, and they help attract new and returning customers. The decorations include tree and shrub lights, roof displays, wreaths and outdoor lighting displays.
A quick way to decide
If you are still unsure, run through four questions:
- Does the display need a ladder above the first floor? If yes, the safety case for a professional crew is strong.
- Do you have a clear design in mind? If not, design help is worth as much as the installation.
- Will you have a free weekend in late November, and another in January? DIY means both putting lights up and taking them down.
- Is this for a business? A storefront display has to look right every evening of the shopping season.
Two or more "yes" answers to the hard parts usually point toward hiring a holiday lighting company.
Keeping lights up longer
For clients who want lights on all year, Aqua-Bright can schedule monthly maintenance inspections so the display stays in good working order. Its portfolio and customer reviews are on its website. It serves several Maryland counties, as well as Washington DC and Northern Virginia.