Permanent outdoor lighting has become a common upgrade on Central Florida homes. We mount color-changing LEDs once under your eaves, you control them from your phone, and you use them for every holiday and for ordinary evenings all year. Homeowners most often ask us, “Is permanent outdoor lighting worth it?” This guide gives you our straight answer.
What It Costs
Our permanent outdoor lighting installations start at $2,500, and most homes land between $3,000 and $6,000. The price is based mainly on how much roofline we light, along with the height, the peaks and angles, and the coverage you choose. You get your exact number in a free written quote, based on your roofline and the coverage you want.
Seasonal Christmas lighting, by comparison, starts at $799 a season, and more than half of our Christmas jobs land between $799 and $1,500. Seasonal lighting is a cost you pay every year you decorate, while permanent lighting is a one-time install. We do not promise a payback date, because that depends on how long you stay and how often you use the lights. Our Christmas light cost guide has the seasonal numbers in detail.
What You Get the Other Eleven Months
Seasonal lights cover the holiday season. Permanent lighting also gives you the following:
- Everyday architectural lighting. A soft warm-white roofline on a dusk-to-late-evening schedule is one of the simplest ways to improve how your home looks at night.
- Every holiday. You can set orange and purple for Halloween, red, white and blue for the Fourth, pastels for Easter, pink for a birthday and green for St. Patrick’s Day, all from your couch.
- Game day. You can light the house in your team’s colors for the Gators, Knights, Bulls, Bucs, Magic or Lightning.
- Brighter nights at home. You can brighten the whole roofline on a schedule, or with a tap in the app when you hear something outside.
How It Holds Up in Florida
Heat, UV, humidity and afternoon storms wear out consumer light strings within a season or two. The Minleon system we install is built differently, with sealed lights rated for outdoor use, UV-stable housings and commercial-grade LEDs designed for a long service life. The track protects the wiring from sun and rain.
How It Looks in Daylight
The most common hesitation we hear is “I do not want to see lights on my house in July.” You will not see them. The track is color matched to your fascia, soffit or trim, and the lights sit inside it. From the street it reads as a clean trim line, and most neighbors do not notice the lights until the first time they come on.
App Control: What Using It Is Like
You open the app, pick a color or a preset, and the house changes. You can set schedules, such as warm white every night and red and green from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, create zones so the front roofline runs separately from the garage, and save your favorites. The app is designed for the least technical person in your household, and we walk you through it at install.
HOA Approval
Because permanent lighting is a fixture, nearly every HOA will want an architectural review application. We supply the spec sheet and daytime photos to attach to your application, and the decision is up to your board. Read more in our HOA lighting guide.
Is Permanent Outdoor Lighting Worth It for You?
Permanent outdoor lighting makes clear sense if two or more of these are true for you:
- You plan to stay in your home at least three years.
- You already pay for seasonal Christmas lighting or spend weekends putting up your own.
- You would use lighting for more than Christmas, such as Halloween, game days and ordinary evenings.
- You would like to stop thinking about ladders, storage bins and scheduling every year.
If only one of these is true, seasonal Christmas lights may be the simpler choice for now, and you can always move to permanent later.
When It Is Not a Fit
If you may move within two years, if your HOA prohibits exterior fixtures, or if you have your heart set on the traditional visible-bulb Christmas look with wrapped trees and palms, seasonal lighting is the better fit. Some homeowners do both, with permanent lighting on the roofline and seasonal wraps on the trees for December. Our side-by-side comparison goes deeper.
Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Before you commit to any system, get clear answers to these five questions. Our own answers are included.
- What is warranted, and for how long? Ask about the product and the workmanship separately, and get both in writing. We give you a 5-year product warranty and a 1-year workmanship warranty, and we cover both ourselves.
- Who installs it? Ask whether the company’s own licensed, insured crew does the work. Ours does.
- What will the track look like on my trim? Ask to see the color match before you sign. We can show it to you in person at a free in-home demo.
- How is it controlled? Make sure the app is simple enough for everyone in your house.
- What happens if a section stops working? Know who you call and how the repair is handled. With us, you call us directly.
Get an Exact Price for Your House
The best way to decide is to start with a real number for your house. Get a free quote and we will lay out the runs and send your exact price in writing. If you want to see the lights and the app on your own house first, we offer a free in-home demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does permanent outdoor lighting last?
The system is designed for many years of outdoor service. The individual LEDs are rated for tens of thousands of hours, and the lights are sealed against Florida weather.
Does it raise my electric bill?
Very little. LEDs draw a fraction of the power of old incandescent strings, and you decide how many hours each night the lights run.
Can it be installed on tile roofs and stucco homes?
Yes. The track mounts to the fascia or soffit rather than the roofing material, so it works on tile, shingle and metal roofs alike.
Can I add it to a home that already has seasonal lights from you?
Yes. You can keep seasonal Christmas lights on your trees and palms and add permanent lighting on the roofline, or switch over entirely.
