A new house, three ways to light it.
A first-year customer doesn't know if they want just the roofline or the whole yard until they see the prices next to each other. Redline turns your measurements into three design levels side by side, takedown and storage on each, and the deposit that locks their install date.
From the measure to a locked install date
Measure the house
Roofline and gutter runs, peaks and ridge lines, tree heights and trunk sizes, shrub count, where the outlets and the timer go. Photos of each side go on the job.
Price three design levels
Good is the roofline. Better adds peaks and the trees by the driveway. Best is the whole front: shrubs, wreaths and garland too. Each is its own draft with a complete total.
Spell out who owns the lights
If your price includes lights you keep and store, say so. If the customer buys them, say what next year costs without them. That goes in the email with the quote.
Take the deposit to lock the date
Put a deposit percentage on the quote. When they pick an option, move the job to Accepted and invoice the deposit (Solo and up). They pay by card on the pay link.
Save the measurements for next year
The quote and the notes stay on the customer's file. Next August the renewal starts from what you hung, not from a new ladder trip.
A first-year quote in September
Three drafts for Lena Kaplan, using your prices:
Good, roofline 165 ft at $8, timer, takedown and storage: $1,635
Better, adds peaks 40 ft and 2 trees at $225: $2,405
Best, adds 6 shrubs at $45 and the wreath: $2,770
50% deposit on each. Look right?
Approve them and they save to her file. The email lays out the three options, that the lights stay yours and are stored over the year, and the renewal note. It goes from your Gmail when you tap Approve & send.
Quotes by chat work on every plan. Billing the deposit is on Solo and up. Example prices only.
What goes on a holiday lighting quote
| Line | Unit |
|---|---|
| Roofline lights (bulb type and color) | Per linear foot |
| Peaks and ridge lines | Per linear foot |
| Tree wrapping (height noted) | Per tree |
| Shrubs and net lights | Each |
| Wreaths and garland | Each, or per foot for garland |
| Timer or controller | Each |
| Extension and power runs | Each, or flat |
| Takedown and storage | Flat |
| Outage service call, if not included | Each |
Your sales tax rate applies to the whole invoice. If your state taxes the lights but not the labor, check how that fits before you rely on it.
First year versus every year after
The first quote at a house carries the most weight. It sets what the customer thinks lighting costs, and it decides whether you're selling a yearly service or a one-time install. Some installers who keep and store the lights price the first year to cover them and the renewal lower, and they say so up front so the second-year price feels like a reward, not a surprise.
Redline doesn't pick your pricing model, and it doesn't know what lights cost you. What it does is keep the three options, the measurements and the email you sent on the customer's file. When renewal season comes, the Christmas light installation software page picks up from there.
Customers who come in through your free Pro Page land in Contacts as leads, so the measure visit and the quote start from a file that's already there.
Straight answers on lighting estimates
Redline does
- Three design levels, each with its own total
- Lines by the foot, by the tree and each
- Remember your per-foot and per-tree prices
- Keep house photos and measurements on the customer
- Invoice the deposit that locks the install (Solo and up)
Redline doesn't
- Make a lighting mockup of the house
- Measure a roofline from a photo or satellite image
- Let the customer pick an option and accept online
- Send the deposit invoice on its own when they say yes
- Track which lights are in which storage bin
Questions contractors ask
Can I show the customer a design?
Redline doesn't make mockups. If you make one in another app, attach the image to the customer's job and mention it in the email with the quote.
How do I quote a commercial property?
The same lines with bigger numbers, plus whatever lift or bucket truck time you charge. Keep the property manager as the contact and the building on the job title.
Is quoting free?
Yes. Quotes by chat work on Free. Deposits, invoices and card pay links start on Solo at $29 a month. See pricing.
More for holiday lighting
- Holiday lighting softwareThe whole lighting workflow in Redline
- Holiday lighting estimate templateFree, by the foot and by the tree
- Holiday light schedulingInstalls before Thanksgiving, takedowns in January
- Quotes and estimatesOptions, tax and deposits
- Markup vs margin calculatorPrice lights and labor for the margin you want
Quote the next house from the curb.
Redline is free to start. Send the footage and the trees, and it builds the options.
Keep reading
- Holiday lighting softwareRenew last year's houses, take early deposits, book install and takedown.
- Christmas light installation softwareRenew last year's houses, collect deposits early, book install and takedown.
- Holiday lighting scheduling softwareInstall days filled before Thanksgiving, takedowns booked at the same time, outage calls by town.
- Quotes and estimatesItemized quotes by chat or from a photo, with a deposit. Options and tax in the composer.