Christmas Light Installation · Milton

Christmas Light Installation in Milton

A good Milton light install starts with the shape of the house, not the length of the string. A stepped townhouse row, a 1970s backsplit and a Main Street gable each want a different plan, and the plan is what you are paying for.

Most Milton houses built since the late 1990s share a front elevation: a garage gable pushed toward the street, a covered entry, and an upper storey set back with its own eave and often a second, taller gable above. Lighting only the lower eavestrough makes the house look as if it stops at the garage. Lighting the upper eave and both gable lines draws the actual shape of the house, and that is where most of the ladder time goes. On a 1970s Timberlea backsplit the job is almost the reverse: long, low eaves at different levels that light quickly and look generous. In Old Milton it is about the trim: steep gables, porches and bay windows.

What is installed

• Rooflines. Eavestrough runs on every face you want lit, on all-in-one clips that grip the gutter lip. Bulb spacing is set so the line reads evenly from the street.
• Gables and peaks. Rake edges clipped to the shingle tabs or drip edge, meeting cleanly at the peak. On Milton's two-storeys this is usually the upper gable and the garage gable.
• Windows and doors. Outlined with clips on the trim or brick ledge, never with anything drilled.
• Columns, railings and porches. Wrapped or outlined where the house has them, which in Old Milton is often the best feature.

The lights and the power

Installs use professional-grade LED that is rated for outdoor use and carries a recognised Canadian approval mark, as the Electrical Safety Authority advises. Runs are planned so no more strings are joined end to end than the maker allows, every outdoor connection is on a GFCI-protected outlet, and connections are kept off the ground and away from the driveway and walkway where snow, salt and shovels would get to them. Cords are not run through doors or windows. A timer or smart plug is set to switch on at dusk and off at a time you choose; on the Ultra-Low Overnight plan, where weekday 4 to 9 p.m. is the most expensive block, that is worth knowing.

Timing

The install window runs from late October to early December. Late October and November are easier: dry gutters, frost-free shingles and longer afternoons. Lights go up whenever suits and switch on when you want them to, so an early November install with a switch-on after Remembrance Day is common. Owners who want the house lit for the Main Street Santa Claus Parade book for the first half of November.

Outlets

Many newer Milton houses have one exterior outlet at the front and one at the back, sometimes on the same circuit as the garage. If the plan needs more capacity or an outlet in a better place, that is a job for a Licensed Electrical Contractor, who files the notification with ESA; the installer will say so plainly rather than overload an outlet or string extension cords across the lawn.

Frequently asked questions

Serving Milton and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.