PROJECT DETAILS
Permanent Christmas Light Installation in Austin, TX
At Sapien Lighting & Installation, we specialize in creating stunning, durable, and customizable holiday lighting solutions that elevate the aesthetic of any home. This case study details a recent permanent Christmas lights installation at a single-story residence in Austin, Texas, showcasing our meticulous process, problem-solving expertise, and commitment to client satisfaction. By combining advanced tools, rigorous safety protocols, and client-focused customization, we delivered a seamless installation that transformed the home into a festive masterpiece.
FROM THE CLIENT
“Every year it’s a struggle putting up and taking down lights. I wanted something hassle-free and Sapien lights had the solution. Their highly skilled professionals installed year-round light features just in time for the holidays.”
— Carina Hanson (Google Review)
OUR RESPONSE TO THE CLIENT:
Dear Carina,
Thank you so much for your outstanding 5-star review of our permanent Christmas light installation service and for sharing those beautiful images of your home. I am glad we were able to install the lights just in time for the holidays, and elated that you appreciate the hassle-free solution of permanent Christmas lights over traditional lights.
Saving homeowners like you the time, money, safety risks, and hassle involved with traditional Christmas lights is exactly why we introduced our permanent Christmas light installation service. We believe that permanent fixtures like the ones we installed are the future of holiday lighting because they only require installation once, and can be customized for any holiday or event.
I want to sincerely thank you for being one of our first customers for permanent Christmas light installation. It takes a lot of courage and good judgement to recognize our abilities and workmanship BEFORE others had the opportunity to review us, and to share your positive experience with others.
I also want to thank you for allowing us to showcase our work on your home publicly. It allows other potential customers to notice the care we put into ensuring evenly spaced lights, the sleek wiring, perfectly angled & aligned light beams, and aesthetic transitions between corners. These are details DIY installations often miss, leading to subpar or mediocre aesthetic outcomes that could have been avoided by hiring a professional light installation company like Sapien. Your images also showcase the vast freedom of customization our customers get after installing permanent Christmas lights. Each LED is individually addressable, meaning there are virtually unlimited combinations of light patterns and combinations available.
Sapien Lighting strives to be Austin’s #1 permanent Christmas light installation company and a global lighting leader that helps to grow the market for smart lighting from 10% to 90% of the total lighting stock over the next 30 years. Your thoughtful feedback, especially at such an early juncture for our company, helps us achieve this mission. We know that understanding our customers’ needs, desires, and preferences is essential for the continuous improvement our services and maximization of customer satisfaction and value.
Should you have any additional feedback, questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to us at any time. We also provide landscape lighting, TV mounting, and home theater installation.
Thank you,
Seth & Rick
Sapien Lighting & Installation
PS: This reply and all others are 100% personally handwritten. We highly value your feedback.
PERMANENT CHRISTMAS LIGHT INSTALLATION PROCESS
- Pre-Installation Testing: Before starting, we tested all lights to ensure functionality, bringing extra 16-foot sections to replace any defective units. This prevents the need to troubleshoot after installation.
- Measurement and Planning: We measured the roofline’s perimeter using satellite imagery and an on-site laser measure to determine the total length required for the lights. This ensured we ordered the correct combination of light sections.
- Power Source Setup: No roofline power outlet was available, so we drilled a small, discreet hole in the soffit to route an extension cord to an attic outlet, ensuring a clean and safe power connection.
- Light Placement and Leveling: Using a level, we ensured each light was equally spaced from the wall and aligned for a uniform appearance. The cable was pulled taut to create a clean, shadow-like effect against the soffit.
- Surface Preparation and Mounting: The soffit was cleaned with a microfiber cloth to ensure strong adhesion. The adhesive backing on the lights was exposed, and each light was pressed into place. For added durability, we used a Milwaukee staple gun with plastic-protected staples to secure the cable on either side of each light, avoiding damage to the cable.
- Cable Management and Trimming: To avoid overlaps or gaps, we trimmed excess cable at designated points between lights and sealed the ends with waterproof liquid electrical tape. The trimmed section (approximately five lights) was updated in the app to ensure proper functionality of lighting sequences.
- App Configuration: The RGBICWW LED lights were connected to a mobile app, allowing the client to customize colors and patterns for various holidays. We adjusted the app settings to reflect the trimmed lights, ensuring seamless operation of wave patterns and other sequences.
- Final Touches: Excess cables and the power brick were neatly organized and secured to the soffit using Velcro and staples, maintaining a polished appearance.
Challenges and Solutions
Obstacles in the Yard: A backyard fence and a shed housing trash cans obstructed ladder placement. We positioned the ladder slightly over the fence, maintaining balance, and worked around the shed and AC unit by carefully adjusting ladder angles.
Uneven Soffit Corners: In tight corners where the ladder couldn’t fit, we angled it strategically to align lights with the soffit. To avoid damaging soffit boards, staples were placed away from board edges to prevent fracturing.
Complex Soffit Design: For soffits with multiple beams, we offered the client the option of an aluminum lighting track. The track was measured for equal spacing, drilled into the soffit, and lights were clipped into pre-cut slots, ensuring a secure and professional installation.
Weather Considerations: The installation was scheduled on a clear day to avoid safety risks associated with rain or slippery surfaces.
Client Preferences and Customization
The client chose RGBICWW LED permanent Christmas lights for their versatility, offering red, green, blue, warm white, and bright white options to create vibrant displays for holidays like Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. The client chose direct mounting over installation in an aluminum track (which we also offer) to keep costs lower. The lights were installed under the soffit to protect them from direct rain, ensuring weather resistance without submersion.
Safety Protocols
Technician Training: All technicians are OSHA 30 certified, ensuring they are thoroughly trained in safety standards and proficient in handling tools and equipment.
Ladder Safety: Ladders were positioned securely, with careful attention to balance when navigating obstacles like fences. For single-story homes, standard ladders were sufficient, reducing risk.
Weather Precautions: Installation was conducted on a clear day to avoid slippery surfaces or adverse conditions.
Tool Safety: Staples were applied carefully to avoid damaging the light cables or soffit boards, with plastic-protected staples used to ensure cable integrity.
Electrical Safety: Waterproof liquid electrical tape was used to seal cut cable ends, preventing water ingress and ensuring long-term durability.
Permanent Christmas Light Installation Duration
Duration: The installation took approximately 9 hours for the single-story home, including testing, measurement, mounting, and cable management.
Minimizing Disruption: We scheduled the permanent Christmas light installation at a time convenient for the client, worked efficiently to complete the project in one day, and ensured the property was left clean and undisturbed. Ladders were moved carefully to avoid damaging landscaping or structures.
Warranty and Support
We provide a two-year full warranty on the permanent Christmas light installation. If any section of lights or the power supply fails (due to reasons other than yanking, biting, shooting, etc), we replace the affected section or component at no cost to the client. This ensures long-term reliability and client satisfaction without requiring a full system replacement.
OUTCOME
The permanent Christmas Light installation resulted in a stunning, professionally installed lighting display that met the client’s vision for a versatile, year-round solution. The RGBICWW LED lights provided vibrant, customizable colors and patterns, perfectly suited for both festive and everyday use. The client was thrilled with the seamless integration of the lights with the home’s architecture, the ease of use provided by the app-controlled system, and the added peace of mind from our comprehensive warranty.
Key Takeaways
This project highlights our expertise in overcoming logistical challenges, prioritizing safety through OSHA 30-certified technicians, and delivering tailored solutions that align with client preferences. By leveraging pre-installation testing, precise measurements, professional-grade tools, and a robust warranty, we created a durable and visually appealing installation that enhances the home’s curb appeal year-round.
ABOUT SAPIEN LIGHTING & INSTALLATION
Sapien Lighting & Installation strives to be the #1 permanent Christmas light installation company in Austin, Georgetown, and surrounding areas.
“We don’t just install lights – we create the moment when your neighbors slow down driving past your house, wondering how you made your home look like that.”
Our technicians have 5000+ hours of experience and have performed installations for the corporate offices of Meta, Amazon, Visa, Bytedance, and JP Morgan Chase.
Being a customer of home services can be challenging. Contractors often don’t pick up the phone, show up late, fail to communicate expectations, and don’t follow up to ensure customer satisfaction. That’s unacceptable. We don’t have the perfect solution, but we hold ourselves to high standards and look for ways to improve our installation service on every job.
Curious about permanent Christmas light installation or TV mounting? Text or call us at (737)-777-9099.
OUR SERVICES
FROM OUR BLOG
The Stunning History of Christmas Lights: 1000 Years From Candlelight to Permanent LEDs
The warm glow of holiday lights transforms neighborhoods into winter wonderlands, creating an atmosphere of magic and festivity that cuts through the darkness of the
The Complete Guide to permanent christmas light installation
Tired of the yearly struggle with tangled strings and wobbly ladders? Imagine a world where your home is always ready for the holidays, or any
What No One Tells You About Permanent Christmas Lights
High Upfront Cost Okay, let’s be real. The biggest hurdle with permanent Christmas lights is the initial cost. It’s definitely more than stringing up those
