Christmas Light Takedown, Storage and Maintenance
Included with every install we do — and available on its own if someone else put your lights up, or if last year’s set is still in the eaves.
Call or text (707) 343-4469 Get a Free Quote
- Veteran owned
- Family run
- Napa local
Takedown is the part nobody books and everybody needs. Lights go up in a good mood in November. They come down in January, in the rain, on a ladder, after the goodwill has worn off — which is why so many valley houses still have a run of cable in the eaves in June.
Every install we do includes takedown and storage in the price. But we also do it as a standalone job, because a lot of the calls we get in January are from people who put the lights up themselves and have run out of enthusiasm.
What takedown includes
- Full removal. Roofline runs, clips, tree wraps, garland, wreaths, stakes, timers and cords. Clips come off with the lights — nothing is left on the building.
- Sorting and labelling. Everything is coiled, sorted by section and labeled so next season is an install, not a puzzle.
- A working check as it comes down. We find the dead sections while it is in our hands, so the problem surfaces in January rather than the night you put it up next year.
- Storage. For our own installs, we store it. For customer-owned sets, we can box it properly and leave it with you, or store it for a small seasonal fee.
- A clean finish. Cable ties cut, stray clips collected, nothing left in the gutter line.
Why leaving them up is the expensive option
The most common thing we see in the valley is a display that went up one December and simply never came down. It looks harmless. It isn’t.
- UV destroys cable. A Napa summer is brutal on PVC. Insulation goes chalky and brittle, and a set that would have lasted five seasons dies in two.
- Clips fail and runs sag. Once a run sags into a gutter it traps debris, and now you have a drainage problem as well as a lighting one.
- Fire-season risk. Degraded cable and connections sitting in defensible space through the dry months is exactly what nobody in Napa or Sonoma wants on their house. Removal in January is the cheapest risk management there is.
- Rodents. Cable left in eaves and tree canopies gets chewed, and the failure never shows up until you switch on in November.
In-season maintenance
Between installation and New Year, things occasionally fail. A connector takes water, a bulb goes, a run gets clipped by a delivery van backing up. For our own installs this is covered — call or text and we come out, no charge, no argument.
We also take maintenance calls on displays we did not install. The three faults we see most:
- Water in a connection tripping the GFCI. Almost always a junction without a drip loop. Quick to fix, and quick to prevent next time.
- One dead section on a series run. Usually a single failed bulb or socket taking a whole leg down with it.
- Timer confusion. Photocells sited where a porch light fools them, so the display never comes on or never goes off.
How we protect your home
- We never walk clay or concrete tile — coming down or going up. Tile cracks under body weight, so we work from ladders around the perimeter both ways.
- We won’t remove lighting from a property without the owner’s authorization. If you are a tenant or a property manager, we need the owner’s sign-off.
- We won’t re-hang customer-owned retail sets we judge unsafe. We will show you why and let you decide, but we won’t put failing cable back on a house.
- We won’t guess at storage. If a set is not ours and you want it kept, we agree that before we take it down.
What takedown costs on its own
Standalone takedown is priced on scale and access — the same drivers as installation. If we installed it, it is already covered.
| Scope | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Included with our install | $0 | Takedown and storage are in the seasonal price |
| Single-story, roofline only | $150 – $350 | Removal, sorting, labelling, boxed and left with you |
| Two-story or roofline plus landscape | $300 – $700 | Multiple rooflines, tree wraps, walkway runs |
| Estate or commercial property | Quoted per property | Scheduled around your calendar |
| Seasonal storage of your own set | From $75 | Labeled, boxed, kept until you want it back |
These are typical ranges for Napa Valley properties, not a quote or an offer. Your firm price comes after we look at the property.
📞 Call or text (707) 343-4469 to get takedown on the January schedule. Get a Free Quote
Common questions
When does takedown happen?
Do I need to be home?
Can you take down lights you didn’t install?
What if my lights have been up for years?
Do you store lights for customers?
Something failed in December — is a call-out extra?
Can you fix a display someone else installed?
Will removal damage paint or gutters?
📞 Call or text (707) 343-4469 and we will get you on the January calendar. Get a Free Quote