F EATURE ARTI CLE
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AVOIDING PITFALLS The most difficult aspect of adding holiday lighting to your service mix is that the season is short. “There’s not a lot of time for training,” says Dmitriy Denisenko, president of ALL-N-1 Landscape in Lawrence, Kansas. “People start calling in November, and you start installs immediately. The season is only about a month long. If you don’t have an efficient crew, you can’t fulfill your obligations.”
There are some aspects you have zero control of, however. “Light bulbs go out,” Schriver says. “When you have a light set with 100 mini-lights, that means 100 potential problems. You need a maintenance plan so you can respond within 48 hours.” And no matter what the weather, clients expect lighting to be installed as promised. Avoid over-scheduling crews so you’ll have time for callbacks and weather delays.
The timing of installations is another factor. Most contractors begin installs as early as late October and finish by the second week of December; takedowns begin the day after Christmas to mid-January. Crews also need to be comfortable with climbing. “While a typical maintenance crew member may be on a 6-foot ladder a couple times a week to trim tall hedges, we’re using 36foot extension ladders daily for rooflines or tall trees,” Schriver says. “You need people who aren’t afraid of heights.”
When it comes to design, don’t worry if you’re not the most creative person. “Most people don’t have the money for elaborate design,” Denisenko says. “About 90 percent of our clients want the roofline lighted, and if there’s any money left in their budgets, we may put up wreaths or add mini-lights on trees and bushes.”
It’s also helpful to have a basic working knowledge of electricity, including how to use an amp meter so you aren’t overloading the typical household circuits of 15 to 20 amps. “The advent of LEDs, which draw much less power, has made residential installations fairly straightforward,” Schriver says. “But you may still need to call in a licensed electrician to consult on large projects.”
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HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY? Some companies price by the labor hour, while others price by the total job. Typical residential installations run from $500 to $600 to several thousand dollars; commercial accounts may be slightly higher. Most companies establish a minimum fee, ranging from $100 to $450 per job. Takedowns typically require about one-third of the time that installations require and are included in the original bid.