The short answer
Most Denver homeowners who hire Holiday Exteriors spend between $1,600 and $2,600 for a professionally designed, installed, maintained, and removed holiday lighting display. Our job minimum is $699, and larger or more complex properties can go well beyond our typical range.
If you’ve searched online, you’ve probably seen much lower numbers. That’s not because those figures are wrong. It’s because they usually describe a very different kind of job. This guide explains what drives the cost of Christmas light installation in Denver, what’s included in a professional install, and how to get an accurate quote for your home.
Why online averages look so low
Home services sites publish Denver averages built from a wide mix of jobs. According to Angi’s Denver cost guide, the average Denver Christmas light installation runs about $506, with most bills between $343 and $973.
Those numbers mostly reflect a simple string of lights along a single roofline, often on a smaller home, sometimes hung by a handyman using the homeowner’s own lights. Angi’s own tables show how quickly the number climbs once you add trees, larger homes, or extra stories. Wrapping a single tree, for example, ranges from about $102 to more than $1,000 depending on its height.
A full professional display is a different product. It includes design, commercial-grade lights, a trained crew, maintenance all season, and takedown in January. That’s why Holiday Exteriors customers typically land well above those online averages, and why we think it’s worth explaining exactly what you’re paying for.
What Holiday Exteriors customers actually spend
We believe in being upfront about pricing, so here’s how it works:
| Pricing tier | What it typically covers |
|---|---|
| $699 job minimum | A smaller home or a focused display, such as a single-story roofline with a few accents |
| $1,600 to $2,650 (most customers) | A full display on a typical Denver-area home: rooflines, peaks, windows or entry, and some landscape or tree lighting |
| $2,700 and up | Larger homes, multi-story rooflines, heavily wrapped trees, or properties that require a lift |
Our $699 minimum exists because every job, no matter how small, requires a site visit or measurement, a design, a crew, product, mid-season service, and a return trip for takedown. The minimum lets us deliver the same quality on a small home as on a large one.
What drives the price up (or down)
Like any custom service, the final price depends on your property. The two biggest factors are how much product we use and whether we need a lift.
1. Volume of product. Every foot of roofline, every wrapped tree trunk and branch, and every lit bush adds lights, clips, cords, and labor. A modest roofline might use a few hundred feet of lights. A fully wrapped landscape can use thousands. This is the single biggest reason two homes on the same street can have very different quotes.
2. Lift or special equipment. Tall peaks, steep roofs, and large trees often can’t be reached safely with ladders. When a lift is needed, it adds rental cost, setup time, and crew time. Angi notes that installation costs can rise by about 20% “for more dangerous jobs because they require special equipment.” On larger properties, the impact can be greater.
3. Home size and stories. A two- or three-story home takes more time and more safety precautions than a ranch.
4. Trees and landscaping. Tree wrapping is labor-intensive and one of the most impactful parts of a display. Large, mature trees often need an in-person visit to measure and quote accurately.
5. Add-ons. Wreaths, garland, pathway lighting, and smart or programmable lighting all add to the total.
What’s included in a professional install
When comparing quotes, make sure you’re comparing the same service. A Holiday Exteriors installation includes:
- Custom design tailored to your home’s architecture and your style, whether that’s classic warm white or multicolor.
- Commercial-grade, outdoor-rated lights built to handle Colorado wind, snow, and temperature swings. These are brighter and far more durable than retail strands.
- Professional installation by a trained, insured crew using clips, never nails or staples that damage gutters, shingles, or trim.
- Timers, so your lights come on and go off automatically every night.
- Mid-season maintenance. If a strand goes out after a storm, we come back and fix it.
- Takedown in January, so you never have to climb a ladder in the cold.
When you factor in the cost of buying quality lights, the risk of a ladder fall, and the hours spent on a cold roof, a professional install is often a better value than it first appears.
How to get an accurate quote (and keep costs in check)
Many of our estimates can be done remotely using satellite measurements of your roofline, so you can get a number quickly without scheduling a visit. Properties with lots of trees or complex landscaping usually get an in-person visit, since trees are hard to measure accurately from above.
A few ways to get the most from your budget:
- Book early. The best install dates fill up by late October. Booking early gives you more scheduling flexibility.
- Focus on what people see. The front roofline, entry, and one or two feature trees create most of the visual impact. You can add more in future seasons.
- Prioritize trees wisely. One fully wrapped mature tree can make a bigger statement than lighting every bush in the yard.
- Ask about multi-year plans. Returning customers often get priority scheduling and can grow their display over time.
- Compare apples to apples. A lower quote may leave out maintenance, takedown, or commercial-grade product.
Get your free quote from Holiday Exteriors
Holiday Exteriors designs, installs, maintains, and removes holiday lighting for homeowners, HOAs, and property managers across the Denver metro and Front Range. Most of our customers invest between $1,600 and $2,600, with a $699 minimum, and every quote is customized to your home.
Our install calendar fills quickly every fall. Visit denverchristmaslights.net to request your free installation quote and lock in your spot for this season. You can also call our office (303) 500-5584 to inquire about our Christmas light installation services.
Sources
- How Much Does Professional Christmas Light Installation Cost in Denver?, Angi, updated November 18, 2025