For holiday lighting installers
A Christmas light installation estimate app
The season is six weeks long. Quote at the curb, take the deposit, and book the install before someone cheaper does.
Settle fits holiday lighting because nearly every job is quoted standing in front of the house. Say the roofline footage, the trees and shrubs, and takedown and storage out loud, and Settle writes a priced estimate from your own rates. Text it from your own phone and the homeowner approves from a link; to hold the date, send a deposit invoice with a pay link, and the money goes to your own Stripe account. Sending unlimited estimates and invoices is free. It's iPhone only and doesn't do scheduling.
What a Christmas light installation estimate looks like
At the curb you say: "180 feet of roofline in warm white C9s, wrap six shrubs and two trees in the front, and takedown and storage in January." Settle writes:
| Line | Qty | Price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofline, warm white C9, lights included | 180 ft | $4.50 | $810.00 |
| Shrub wrap, mini lights | 6 ea | $35.00 | $210.00 |
| Tree trunk and branch wrap, front yard | 2 ea | $75.00 | $150.00 |
| Takedown and storage (January) | 1 | $195.00 | $195.00 |
| Total before tax | $1,365.00 |
Example prices only. Settle uses your own rates, and marks any price it had to guess with an orange dot.
What matters in Christmas light quotes
- Price the roofline per foot and show it. Homeowners compare quotes. "180 ft at $4.50" is easy to compare; a lump sum looks expensive next to a cheaper quote that leaves things out.
- Takedown and storage on their own line. Some low quotes skip takedown. Showing it makes the comparison fair.
- Say whose lights they are. Included for the season, sold to the homeowner, or the homeowner's own lights. It changes the price and who stores them.
- Timers and power. Note how many outlets you'll use and whether a timer is included.
- Take the deposit when they approve. The install calendar fills fast. A deposit holds the date.
What Settle does for holiday lighting installers, and what it doesn't
It's built for quoting at the curb. Describe the house, fix any price with an orange dot, and tap Send: Messages opens with the text written, the estimate link and the PDF attached, from your own number. You see when the homeowner opens it and when they tap Approve. You can show a deposit on the estimate and collect it with an invoice and pay link, and after takedown send the balance the same way. The money lands in a Stripe account in your name; Settle takes no cut and never holds it.
Settle doesn't book install dates, plan routes, or track a crew. There's no Android or web version. If you run several install crews, a field-service tool like Jobber is built for that; compare them on the comparison page.
Christmas light installation questions
How should I price Christmas light installation?
Most installers price the roofline per linear foot and add trees, shrubs and other features as separate lines, plus a line for takedown and storage. Showing the footage on the quote makes it easy for homeowners to compare.
Should I take a deposit for Christmas light installation?
Commonly, yes, to hold the install date. You can add a deposit percentage to any estimate in Settle; check your state's rules in how much deposit to ask for.
Can Settle draft an estimate from photos?
Yes. Take up to 3 photos and Settle uses them, along with what you say, to draft the estimate. The photos stay with the job in the app; they aren't added to the PDF or the estimate page your customer sees.
Quote your next house by talking.
Free on iPhone. Unlimited estimates and invoices. 7 days of Pro to try the voice drafts, and you cancel in two taps.
Download on the App StoreiPhone, iOS 17 or later. Questions? Text Nina: (818) 945-9686