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San Diego County’s Top Rated Christmas Light Installers

Design, professional installation, all-season maintenance, and January takedown. You never touch a ladder, and your home becomes the one the neighborhood slows down for.

  • The Glow Guarantee: any bulb or strand that fails gets fixed free, all season
  • Roof-safe clip mounting. No staples, no nails, no shingle damage
  • Free design preview: a mock-up of your own home lit up, with the price, before you pay anything
  • Rated 5.0 on Google. Fully insured crews
Get My Free Design Quote (858) 223-9627
Booking now for the 2026 season. We install from late October into early December, and the dates just before Thanksgiving go first.

Tell us about your home or business. We reply within one business day.

5.0 on GoogleFive-star Google reviews
Glow GuaranteeFree fixes all season
Since 2017San Diego County only
Homes and BusinessResidential, HOA, commercial

Why homeowners call us

The Ladder Stays in the Garage This Year

You know the routine. The tangled bins, the Saturday on the roof, the one strand that dies the week before your holiday party. Professional installation ends all of it.

Send us one photo of your house and we design the display on it, so you see the finished look and the price first. Then we cut commercial-grade LED strands to fit your roofline, hang them on clips, set a timer, fix anything that fails during the season, and take it all down in January. The lights, clips, and timer are ours, and they go back into our storage labeled for your address. Your only job is enjoying it.

Get My Free Design Preview
Illuminate crew installing a giant Christmas wreath above an Escondido front entry

What we light

Proudly Providing the Following Services throughout San Diego County, CA

Christmas is our flagship, and the same insured crews handle your lighting all year: permanent systems, landscape lighting, patios, Halloween, and more.

Christmas light installation in La Jolla with Santa sleigh rooftop displayFlagship

Christmas Light Installation

Custom roofline designs, wrapped trees, garland, and wreaths. Installed, maintained all season, and taken down in January.

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Permanent holiday lighting on a San Diego home at duskYear-Round

Permanent Lighting

App-controlled LEDs hidden under your roofline. Holiday scenes, everyday elegance, and security lighting from one install.

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Landscape path and palm uplighting in a San Diego yardYear-Round

Landscape Lighting

Low-voltage path lights, palm and tree uplighting, and wall grazing that make your yard look resort-grade every night.

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Commercial holiday lighting on a San Diego storefrontCommercial

Commercial Holiday Lighting

Storefronts, restaurants, HOAs, office parks, and churches. After-hours installation and full-season service available.

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Bistro string lights over a San Diego backyard patioYear-Round

Patio and Bistro Lighting

Permanent cafe string lights over patios, pergolas, and outdoor kitchens. Entertain under a warm glow all year.

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Halloween lighting with purple and orange glow on a San Diego homeSeasonal

Halloween Lighting

Purple washes, orange rooflines, and eerie-elegant designs that make your home the best haunt on the block.

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Valentine's Day red and pink lighting on a San Diego homeSeasonal

Valentine’s Day Lighting

Romantic red and pink accents for proposals, anniversaries, and date nights at home.

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4th of July red white and blue lighting on a San Diego homeSeasonal

4th of July Lighting

Red, white, and blue rooflines for Independence Day block parties and patriotic pride.

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The Glow Guarantee

If any bulb, strand, or section of your display goes dark during the season, text or call us and we will be out within 48 hours to make it glow again, at no charge, right through to takedown. We supply the lights, so replacing them is on us, not you.

Get Covered This Season

How it works

From One Photo to January Takedown

Send a Photo or Book a Walk-Through

Request a quote and send one daylight photo of the front of your house, or have us walk the property with you. Both get you the same design and the same price.

See Your Home Lit Up

We send back a mock-up of your own house with the lights on and the price beside it, usually the same day. Swap colors, add a palm, drop the garland. Nothing is owed yet.

A 10% Deposit Holds Your Date

Happy with the design? A 10% deposit locks your install date and comes off your total. It reserves a spot on a calendar that sells out, so it is not refundable once the date is held.

Install, Service, Takedown

Most homes go up in one day. The Glow Guarantee covers the season, then we take everything down in January and store it until next year.

How we quote

What Christmas Light Installation Costs in San Diego

We price by the foot and by the item, not by guesswork. Every rate below includes the lights, the install, in-season repairs, January takedown, and storage.

What we light2026 season rate
Roofline C9 bulbs, first story$8 per linear foot
Roofline C9 bulbs, second story$10 per linear foot
Icicle lights along the roofline$10 per linear foot
Walkway, fence, and garage outlines$8 per linear foot
Palm trunk wrapFrom $105 per tree
Trunk and branch wrap on canopy treesFrom $175 per tree
Bushes and hedgesFrom $60 per strand
Porch columns, beams, and stair railsFrom $120
Pre-lit wreaths, 24 to 60 inches$300 to $1,950
Lit garland and bowsFrom $85
Smart timer and power setupIncluded

Every job has an $800 minimum, which covers roughly 100 feet of roofline.

Typical projectUsual total
Single-story roofline only$800 to $1,600
Roofline plus a few wrapped trees$1,800 to $2,500
Full front of the home: roofline, trees, wreath, and garland$3,000 to $4,500
Estate or multi-elevation custom display$7,000 and up

Most San Diego homes land between $1,200 and $2,400 all-in. Your exact number comes back with your design preview, built from these same rates.

Years two and three cost less. The design and custom cutting happen once, in year one, so returning customers pay 10% less than their first-year price in each of the next two seasons. Monthly payment plans are available on three-year agreements.

Get My Exact Price

The honest comparison

DIY, a Handyman, or Illuminate

What you getIlluminateDIYHandyman
See your home lit up before you payFree mock-upYou guessRare
Commercial-grade LEDs includedYes, and we store themStore-boughtUsually yours
Strands cut to your rooflineCustom-cutStore lengthsStore lengths
Roof-safe clip mountingAlwaysStaples and hopeVaries
Mid-season repairsFree, Glow GuaranteeBack on the ladderNew service call
January takedown and storageIncludedYour weekendExtra charge
Insured for rooftop workFully insuredYour riskSometimes

Real reviews

Rated 5.0 by San Diego Homeowners and Businesses

★★★★★

Absolutely love this company! Their Christmas light installations are stunning and really bring the holiday spirit to life. The team is professional and the displays are gorgeous.

Christina C.Verified Google review
★★★★★

Love the service they provide!! So much easier and safer than getting up on the ladder myself. Saves time and looks better as well!

Audra Wright-AldersonVerified Google review
★★★★★

I highly recommend Illuminate! They are incredibly professional, efficient, and went above and beyond to make Awaken Church look stunning this Christmas.

Nick TaylorVerified Google review

Read all reviews

Permanent holiday lighting glowing on a San Diego home at dusk

Install once, glow forever

Permanent Lighting Is the Upgrade San Diego Is Asking For

A discreet LED track under your roofline, color-matched to your trim, invisible by day. From your phone you switch between warm white elegance, Christmas colors, Halloween orange, or Padres game-day scenes.

Permanent systems are priced from $35 per linear foot, with a workmanship warranty on the install and a manufacturer warranty on the LEDs, which are rated for 50,000+ hours. No more yearly install fees, no ladders, and most systems pay for themselves in 3 to 5 seasons.

Explore Permanent Lighting

Where we work

San Diego County, CA Service Area

If you don't see your area listed, call us at (858) 223-9627 and we'll let you know if we service your area.

From coastal La Jolla to inland Ramona, our crews cover all of San Diego County. Find your city below.

La JollaDel MarCoronadoEncinitasCarlsbadOceansideEscondidoSan MarcosVistaPowayRancho BernardoCarmel ValleySolana BeachChula VistaEl CajonLa MesaSanteeLakesideRamonaSpring ValleyLemon GroveNational CityImperial BeachMira MesaUniversity CityRancho Santa FePoint LomaPacific BeachScripps RanchCardiffValley CenterAll service areas →

Questions, answered

Christmas Light Installation FAQs

How much does professional Christmas light installation cost in San Diego?
Roofline lighting is priced by the foot: $8 per linear foot for C9 bulbs on a first story and $10 on a second story, with an $800 minimum. A single-story roofline usually runs $800 to $1,600, and most San Diego homes land between $1,200 and $2,400 once trees or garland are added. Every price includes the lights, installation, in-season repairs, January takedown, and storage.
How much does it cost to put Christmas lights on a two-story house?
Second-story roofline is $10 per linear foot instead of $8, because the work is slower and needs more equipment. Two-story homes also tend to carry more roofline than they look like from the street, so the quickest way to an exact number is one photo of the front of your house.
Is there a minimum job size?
Yes, $800, which covers about 100 feet of roofline. That includes the design preview, custom-cut lights, the install, a smart timer, repairs all season, takedown, and storage. If the design comes back over your budget, tell us your number and we will redesign to fit it.
Do I have to buy the lights?
No. Commercial-grade LED bulbs, clips, and a smart timer are part of the price. We own them, store them for you between seasons, and replace anything that fails, so nothing ends up in your garage.
Can I see the design before I pay?
Yes. Send one daylight photo of the front of your house and we send back a mock-up of your own home with the lights on, plus the price, usually the same day. Change colors or add trees as often as you like. Nothing is due until you approve it, and the preview is free even if you decide to wait a year.
How do I book, and is there a deposit?
Once you approve the design, a 10% deposit holds your install date and comes off your total. The calendar is first come, first served, so the deposit is what reserves your spot, and it is not refundable once the date is held.
When should I book Christmas light installation in San Diego?
September is the best time and October is next. We install from late October into early December, most homes go up between the first week of November and the weekend after Thanksgiving, and the dates just before Thanksgiving are the first to go.
When do you take the lights down?
In January, usually in the first two weeks. Takedown is part of every package: we remove every strand and clip, check each bulb, and store the display labeled for your home until next season.
What happens if a bulb or strand goes out during the season?
Our Glow Guarantee covers it. Text or call and we are out within 48 hours to repair or replace the section, at no charge, for the whole season.
Will the installation damage my roof? Do you hang lights on tile roofs?
No staples, nails, or tape. We use clips sized to your gutters and roofline, and every strand is cut to length so nothing is stretched or forced. On tile roofs the lights run along the gutter, the fascia, or the edge of the first row of tile, never across the tile field itself.
What happens to the lights when it rains?
Connections are kept up off the ground, wrapped, and set with a drip loop so water runs away from the plug, and the display runs on a GFCI outlet. If a storm does knock a section out, the Glow Guarantee covers the fix.
Is Christmas light installation cheaper the second year?
Yes. The design and custom cutting happen once, in year one. In years two and three you pay 10% less than your first-year price, and we store, maintain, and repair the display in between.
Do you work with HOAs and businesses?
Yes. We design inside your HOA’s approved colors, lighting hours, and takedown deadlines, so send the rules along with your photo. We also light storefronts, restaurants, offices, and churches across San Diego County, with after-hours installs when needed.
What areas of San Diego County do you serve?
All of San Diego County: the coast from Oceanside to Imperial Beach, North County, East County, and the South Bay, including La Jolla, Carlsbad, Escondido, Poway, El Cajon, Chula Vista, and the communities in between. If your town is not on our service area list, call and we will confirm.
Are you insured?
Yes. Our crews are fully insured, and we are happy to send proof of insurance before any work starts.
What is permanent holiday lighting and how much does it cost?
It is an LED system set in a slim aluminum channel under your roofline, color-matched to your trim so it disappears by day. You run it from a phone app: warm white most nights, Christmas colors in December, orange for Halloween. It is priced from $35 per linear foot, the LEDs are rated for 50,000+ hours, and most systems pay for themselves in 3 to 5 years of skipped seasonal installs.