Every year, the same thing happens in Omaha: the first real cold snap hits in mid-November, everyone decides this is finally the year to hire out the lights, and the good installers are already booked through December. Here's what pro holiday lighting actually costs here, and how to get on a route before the rush.
What it costs in Omaha
A single-story roofline on an average Omaha home runs $400 – $900 installed. Two-story homes, trees, bushes and ridgelines add from there. That price usually isn't just hanging lights, which is what makes it better value than it first sounds.
What's included
- Commercial-grade LED lights the installer supplies and warranties (most pros don't hang customer-owned lights)
- Custom-cut runs so the lines fit your roofline exactly
- Mid-season maintenance, so a dead section gets fixed in days, not after a ladder trip
- Takedown in January and, with many companies, labeled storage until next year
Why early November is the real deadline
Installers build routes neighborhood by neighborhood, and the warm-weather install weeks of late October and early November are when the best slots go. Book then and you'll likely pay the standard rate and have lights up before Thanksgiving. Call in December and you're paying rush pricing, if anyone picks up at all.
Pair the install with a gutter cleaning, since the crew is on the roofline anyway and your gutters need the November pass regardless. Some pros discount the bundle.
DIY or hire it out?
If you own the lights, like the project and have a one-story ranch, DIY is a fine Saturday. The math changes with a two-story house, a steep roof, or ice on the shingles; emergency rooms see a spike in ladder falls every November and December. A handyman can also handle a simple one-story job if full-service lighting is more than you need.
Either way, decide by Halloween. The homeowners happiest with their lights in December are the ones who booked in October.