House exterior
Christmas Lights on a House: Ideas, Fixings & Costs
How to put Christmas lights on a house exterior — roofline, windows, trees, fixings, colour temperature, power and what a professional install costs.
The best house display lights the roofline first, then the windows, then one or two trees or features. Use warm white 2200K LEDs, fix them with surface-specific clips, and power them from an outdoor socket or a sealed indoor socket run.
The best Christmas lights on a house do not look like decorations — they look like the house was drawn that way. The difference is hierarchy: one line first, then one colour, then one timer.
The order that works
Most houses are over-lit because the owner bought a bit of everything. Start here instead:
- Roofline — eaves, verges and the gable triangle. This is the silhouette.
- Windows — frames or bay heads only. They add depth behind the roofline.
- Door or porch — a single lit wreath or a short canopy run.
- Trees and planting — one well-lit specimen beats four half-lit shrubs.
A house with only a roofline can look beautiful. A house with every surface lit rarely does.
Picking the right lights
For a house exterior you want:
- LED, not filament. LEDs use a fraction of the power and last years longer.
- Warm white 2200K. It flatters brick, stone, render and timber at dusk. Cool white makes a period house look clinical.
- Rubber cable with sealed connectors. Cheap PVC cable goes stiff and cracks in frost; the join is where water gets in.
- Around 100 LEDs per metre. Below 60 the line looks dotted, not drawn.
- One transformer and one timer. Multiple timers mean half the house is on while the other half is off.
Fixings for each surface
| Surface | Clip | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Gutter | Gutter clip over the lip | Staples, nails, anything piercing |
| Tile / slate | Ridge or shingle clip | Drilling tiles |
| Brick | Mortar-joint clip | Hitting the brick face |
| Render | Tension line or adhesive hook on smooth, dry areas | Drilling stucco |
| Timber | Clip first, small cup hook only if reversible | Screwing through cable |
Power
An outdoor socket is ideal. If you do not have one, the safest route is a weatherproof cable run from an indoor socket through a window or door frame, sealed with a brush strip. Extension leads left on the lawn are the single most common reason we get called out to a failed display.
What a professional install costs
A fitted scheme in London and the surrounding counties typically runs £1,500–£3,000 for a standard home, including design, commercial-grade LEDs, clips, timers, fitting, season-long repairs and take-down in January. You own the lights and can store them with us or keep them yourself.
If you are doing it yourself, budget £150–£400 for good-quality lights, clips and a timer for a semi-detached roofline.
Next step
Would you rather it was just done?
Send a photo of your house and we will design, fit, maintain and take the lights down in January.
Go deeper
Related guides
- Outdoor Christmas Lights: The Complete Exterior GuideHow to light a house exterior properly — roofline, windows, trees and planting, by property type. Palettes, fixings and what a fitted scheme costs.
- How to Install Christmas Lights OutsideA step-by-step method for installing outdoor Christmas lights safely — planning, power, fixings, ladder work, and when to call somebody instead.
- Christmas Colour Schemes That Actually WorkFive Christmas colour palettes photographed on real installs — warm white, red gold and white, silver and ice blue, green and copper, all white.
Straight answers