Question: would any of you consider paying to have holiday decorations set up for you?

[llecs]

Would any of you consider paying to have holiday decorations set up for you (e.g. lights for the house, outdoor decorations, indoor decorations)? If so, why? If not, why not?

[Uborrow-Upay]

Yes, I would consider it, as long as whomever set everything up for me would also take everything down for me after the holidays were over.  Nothing looks more ridiculous than seeing a house decked out with Christmas stuff in mid-July.

No one has offered this service that I know of in my area, although I haven't actively looked for it.

Reasons I'd consider it include that I dislike using ladders (heights make me nervous) and I don't like having to spend hours in the cold January weather taking everything down (I'm in CT).  

A reason I might not consider it is potential liability for injury to the installer.  The installer would have to have insurance which indemnifies me before entering my property to perform the work.  I won't use uninsured contractors for any reason, ever.

If the installer had insurance, would take the decorations down in January and was reasonably priced...yes, I'd go for it!  And I'd throw in a bottle of 18 year old Scotch as an added "Thank You", too!  Ho Ho Ho!

[llecs]

Thanks for your input. I'm in the same boat with ladders and heights. It has been 10 yrs since I last installed Christmas lights and now I remember why it has been ten years since I last installed Christmas lights.   After chickening out 3/4 the way through it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to get back on the ladder to get back down. There's no more realization than having 8 y.o. DD say, "Daddy, I'll catch you if you fall."

About 2 yrs ago, I hired a company to do it. Despite living in No. VA in a DC suburb, there's not much competition, or at least companies are making it hard to find them. I got two quotes for our simple split level two, story home. One was for $1900 and one was for $1700. I would have gone for the $1700, but they never called me back after leaving messages. So, I paid $1900 and they installed commercial-grade lights along the horizontal edges of the house, placed each on timers, and put a big wreath in our bay window. I asked them to come again last year and the price went to $2100, so I nixed it. The price seemed too high and I don't even get to keep the lights.We were out of town last year so we didn't care if the lights were up.

This year I wasn't willing to pay all of that. So I figured that starting a business would be better. I bought the same lights the prev. company used and spent $250 for the lights, wreath, extension cords, and instead of timers, I purchased remote controls. I started it myself for free, but hired someone to finish the last 1/4 at $100. So, for $350 in total I have the exact same setup that I paid $1900 for previously. That got me thinking about the profit margin from doing this. I can slash the price by third on a location like mine and still have a large profit margin all the while paying for the supplies, labor, taxes, insurance, advertising, storage, etc. Maybe, just maybe.

[Uborrow-Upay]

If you handle the administrative and marketing end of it, and leave the physical stuff to hires...it sure sounds like a winner!

Next year, take a run up to CT.  I'm in!

(Hope Glenmorangie is satisfactory for the added ho ho ho).   

[haulingthescoreup]

In our area, many landscape maintenance companies do this. Gives them something to do between late October and early February, I guess.

I assume that they already have workmen's comp, etc set up, although I've never checked on it.

But when I drive down Cherokee Boulevard (in the older lah-de-dah neighborhood in our city), I see landscaping trucks everywhere, and this is what they're doing.

Sounds like a good idea for a spin-off business!

[DI]

No!  It takes away the opportunity  of doing something fun with the family.  Part of holiday decorating is to relive one's childhood at xmas time with the young ones. It's an opportunity for the kids to create memories and for one to reminiscent on theirs. 

Paying someone to decorate is not being humble.  If one has the means and energy to do it themselves, one should feel blessed.

So don't pay.  Create joyous memories and give that money to someone who's less fortunate.  

Message Edited by DI on 12-13-2009 09:38 AM

[Anonymous]

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@llecs wrote:

Thanks for your input. I'm in the same boat with ladders and heights. It has been 10 yrs since I last installed Christmas lights and now I remember why it has been ten years since I last installed Christmas lights.   After chickening out 3/4 the way through it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to get back on the ladder to get back down. There's no more realization than having 8 y.o. DD say, "Daddy, I'll catch you if you fall."

About 2 yrs ago, I hired a company to do it. Despite living in No. VA in a DC suburb, there's not much competition, or at least companies are making it hard to find them. I got two quotes for our simple split level two, story home. One was for $1900 and one was for $1700. I would have gone for the $1700, but they never called me back after leaving messages. So, I paid $1900 and they installed commercial-grade lights along the horizontal edges of the house, placed each on timers, and put a big wreath in our bay window. I asked them to come again last year and the price went to $2100, so I nixed it. The price seemed too high and I don't even get to keep the lights.We were out of town last year so we didn't care if the lights were up.

This year I wasn't willing to pay all of that. So I figured that starting a business would be better. I bought the same lights the prev. company used and spent $250 for the lights, wreath, extension cords, and instead of timers, I purchased remote controls. I started it myself for free, but hired someone to finish the last 1/4 at $100. So, for $350 in total I have the exact same setup that I paid $1900 for previously. That got me thinking about the profit margin from doing this. I can slash the price by third on a location like mine and still have a large profit margin all the while paying for the supplies, labor, taxes, insurance, advertising, storage, etc. Maybe, just maybe.

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Just make sure you do have the insurance 

[llecs]

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txjohn wrote:

Just make sure you do have the insurance 

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Most def. Last thing I need is a lawsuit from an employee who fell off the roof or from a homeowner demanding money after our ladder fell through their window.

[Anonymous]

I do every year! Our landscaping/yard maintenance company does all of the outdoor lights and decorations for us. There is no way that I'm letting my DH near our home with a ladder, tools, and a twinkle in his eye (because it'd undoubtedly result in the eye 'twinkle' of a concussion, traction for the multiple fractures, and quite probably electrocution... LOL!). No siree... no do-it-yourself business for DH, and I'm sure as heck not about to do it.

We do the indoor decorations ourselves.

[Anonymous]

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@llecs wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Just make sure you do have the insurance 

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Most def. Last thing I need is a lawsuit from an employee who fell off the roof or from a homeowner demanding money after our ladder fell through their window.

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Worse yet, somebody claiming your lights caused their home to catch fire, or that your employee damaged their home or stole property.