Christmas Light Installation FAQ, Des Moines Straight Answers Before You Book
What it costs, when to book, what happens on install day and who owns the lights afterwards. If your question is not here, text Tate at 515-585-9079.
Price and payment
How much does it cost?
Most homes are priced by the foot of roofline. Booked by November 14, 2026, the rate is $5 a foot, with a $500 minimum job. Your exact price comes after we measure.
Is it cheaper to book early?
Yes. The rate goes up on November 15 and again on December 1, because a late booking is harder to fit into a full route. Book before mid-November for the season's lowest rate.
Do you give a discount for signing up for more than one year?
Yes. Your first season is full price. Sign for three years and the next two seasons are 20% off. Sign for two and your second season is 15% off.
How do I get a number without an appointment?
Send your address on the form. Tate pulls satellite imagery of the roofline, measures the runs and counts the peaks off the image, and texts a ballpark back. Usually the same day. Nobody comes to the house for that part.
Is the estimate really free?
Yes, with no obligation. If the ballpark does not work for you, that is the end of it. Nobody will call you every week until November.
Is the satellite ballpark my final price?
Not quite. The ballpark is close, but the firm price comes after Tate measures your house in person, and that measured price is the one written into your service agreement.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. Every house gets one price for the season. The biggest part of it is the feet of roofline you want lit, and the number of peaks, the stories and how easy the roof is to reach move it too.
Are there any hidden fees?
No. One price covers the measurement, the lights, the install, fixes all season, takedown in January and storage until next October. Trees, wreaths, garland and extra timers are priced on their own and only added if you ask for them.
Is takedown extra?
No. Takedown in January is in the price, and so is storage of your set until the following October. There is no second bill in the new year.
What am I actually buying?
The measurement, the custom-cut install, maintenance all season, takedown in January and storage of your set until next year. In one price, with one person responsible for all of it.
Do I have to light the whole house?
No. You pick which parts of the roofline get lit, and the price follows the feet you choose. There is a smallest job worth the drive, and if yours is under it, Tate will tell you on the phone.
How and when do I pay?
Payment is due when the install is finished, unless your service agreement says otherwise. We take cash, check, card, Venmo and Cash App.
Is it cheaper to hang my own lights?
For a small, easy run it usually is. A single-story ranch with a low front gutter and one straight roofline is a job most people can do in an afternoon. What you pay us covers more than the hanging, though: lights cut to your house, fixes all season, takedown and storage. And we would rather you stayed off the roof, so get a free estimate before you get the ladder out.
Booking your install
When do you start installs?
We begin as early as mid-October. The earlier you book, the more likely you are to get your preferred date before the November rush.
How late can I book and still be lit for Thanksgiving?
Aim to be booked by the week before. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, and the two weeks in front of it are the busiest of the year.
Can I pick my install date?
Installs are booked by route, so your day depends partly on where your neighbors are on the schedule. We agree the date with you ahead of time and text you a reminder before we come.
Can I cancel or change my booking?
Yes. Call or text as early as you can and we will move your date or cancel it. If any work has already been done, Tate will tell you plainly what it was before anything is billed.
Which towns do you serve?
Around Des Moines: Adel, Ankeny, Clive, Dallas Center, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights. We also install in Cedar Rapids. Just outside those? Text 515-585-9079 and ask.
I rent my home. Can I still get lights?
Yes, with your landlord's OK. When you book, you confirm that you own the home or have the owner's permission. Seasonal lights hang on clips, with no nails or screws wherever the roofline allows, which usually makes it an easy thing to ask.
Do you work in HOA neighborhoods?
Yes. Check your HOA's rules on holiday lighting before you book, especially dates and anything fastened to the house. Seasonal lights hang on clips and come down in January, which fits most rules.
Can I book lights as a gift for someone else's house?
Yes. Send their address with your name and number, and Tate works out the details with you. The homeowner has to be on board, since they will need to let us work on the house.
What happens on install day
Do I need to be home for the install?
You do not have to be, but we would love it if you were. We like to meet every customer in person, ideally before you decide to book, which is what the measurement visit is for. If you cannot be home on install day, leave any gate unlocked, keep pets inside and make sure we can reach your outdoor outlet.
How long does the install take?
Most houses take one to two hours, depending on size. Some larger homes can take up to four.
Who will be at my house?
Usually Tate. He owns the business, measures your roofline and hangs the lights, and a few friends work with him, so you may meet them too.
Where do the lights plug in?
Into an outdoor outlet your house already has. If there is no outlet near the roofline, or the one you have does not work, we can run an extension cord to an outlet in your garage instead. We do not do any electrical work.
Do you use nails or screws?
For a seasonal C9 install, no. Clips hook over the gutter lip or slide under the edge of the shingle, without nails or screws wherever the roofline allows it. Where a section does not allow it, Tate agrees the method with you before he starts on that section.
What if my gutters or fascia are already damaged?
Tell Tate before the install, because it changes how that section is done. The service agreement states that the installer is not liable for the failure of gutters, fascia or shingles that were already damaged, rotten or improperly secured before the work began.
Do you light two-story houses?
Yes. A two-story front is a normal job. It takes longer to reach and work on, which is one of the things that moves the price. If a roofline is one we will not work on, Tate will tell you up front.
What happens if it snows on my install day?
We move it. Snow, ice, high wind and lightning all stop ladder work. When that happens, Tate books the next day he can work and texts you the new time. A weather delay never changes your price.
The lights themselves
Do I need to provide the lights?
No. We provide everything: commercial-grade bulbs, custom-cut cord, clips, and timers. Once the job is paid in full, that set is yours. You own the bulbs, the clips and the cord outright. When we store it over the summer we are looking after your property, labelled for your address, and you can take it back any time you want it.
Who owns the lights on my house?
You do. The bulbs, clips, cord and track become your property once you have paid in full. Storage is us holding your property for you between seasons. It is not a rental.
Why C9 bulbs?
C9s are the big classic bulbs you picture on a roofline, and they read clearly from the street. We use commercial-grade LED C9s, which are brighter than store strings and built to go up and come down every year.
How do the lights turn on and off?
They are set on a dusk timer, so they come on by themselves when it gets dark. With color changing C9s you can also change the colors from your phone.
Can I change the colors during the season?
With color changing C9s, yes. You change them from your phone whenever you like: warm white on a Monday, red and green on Christmas Eve, team colors on game night. Classic C9s stay one color mix all season, so you pick it before the install. Warm white, multicolor and a custom mix all cost the same.
What else can you light besides the roofline?
Trees, wreaths and garland. Trees are wrapped and priced by size, wreaths are hung and lit, and garland is priced by the foot. Each one is optional and priced on its own.
Can you hang lights I already own?
Ask first. Store strings, older sets and lights cut for a different house are not the same job as a set built for your roofline. Send Tate a photo and he will tell you straight what he can reuse.
Will the lights raise my electric bill?
Barely. A commercial LED C9 draws about half a watt, so a 100-foot roofline with a bulb every foot uses around 50 watts, less than one old incandescent bulb. Six hours a night at Iowa's typical rate comes to roughly a dollar or two a month.
During the season, and after
What happens if a bulb burns out halfway through December?
You text Tate and tell him what you can see from the driveway. He comes back and fixes it within 48 hours. There is no extra charge, because season-long maintenance is part of the one price you already paid.
What if a bulb breaks during the install?
It gets replaced at no cost. Season-long maintenance covers every bulb and clip we put up, on install day and every day until takedown.
My lights went out. What should I check first?
The outdoor outlet. If it has a reset button, press it, because wet weather trips them. Then make sure the timer is still plugged in. Still dark? Text Tate a photo and he will be out within 48 hours.
What if I don't like how it looks?
Tell Tate before he leaves, or text him once you have seen it lit that night. If a run is crooked or a section is not what you agreed on, he comes back and fixes it.
Will you take down lights another company put up?
Yes. Send Tate a picture of the lights and he will give you a quote. If you sign up with us for next season, that takedown is free.
What if I move?
The set is yours, so it can go with you. It was cut to this house, so a new house needs a new measurement, and Tate will tell you straight which runs can be reused.
Permanent lights
What is the difference between track and puck?
Track is the premium option, with the bulbs and the wiring inside an aluminum channel. Puck is the value option, mounted in rows with the wiring on the surface. It installs faster, it costs less, and it shows more.
Can I have lights for Halloween or the Fourth of July?
Yes. Permanent lighting is the easy way: it stays on the house all year and you pick the colors from your phone, like orange for Halloween, red, white and blue for the Fourth, and team colors on game day. If you would rather not have lights up all year, we can hang seasonal lights for those holidays too.
Can permanent lights go in any time of year?
Almost. We install permanent lighting from February through September. October through January is the Christmas season, when every seasonal roofline goes up and comes back down, so we do not take permanent jobs then.
About Shimmer & Shine
How long have you been doing this?
Since 2023. Three houses that first season, about twenty the next, and more than fifty houses lit so far.
Do you light businesses?
Right now we only light homes.
Will you post photos of my house?
Maybe, in our portfolio. If you would rather we did not, tell Tate, or email info@shimmerandshinelights.com at any time and we will stop using them.
When can I reach you?
Any day of the week, 8am to 7pm. Texting 515-585-9079 is the quickest way to reach Tate.
Get A Free Satellite Estimate
Tate pulls satellite imagery of your roofline, measures the run, and texts you back a real ballpark. Usually the same day. No appointment, and nobody comes to your house for this part.
Get my free satellite estimate Call or text 515-585-9079
Waukee, Urbandale, West Des Moines, Clive, Johnston, Ankeny, Grimes, Norwalk, Adel, Dallas Center and Windsor Heights.