Tips to Hang Holiday Lights on Your Porch or Outdoor Tree

Most homeowners love the idea of stringing up outdoor holiday lights, but not everyone has the get-up-and-go to actually do something about it. Perhaps they’re afraid it’ll take a lot of work, or they lack confidence in their ability to actually pull it off. Well, never fear! You can decorate your home with the holiday lights of your dreams by following a few simple tips.

Come Up with a Design

Creating your own winter wonderland isn’t going to happen unless you have a detailed design first. You don’t have to be a great artist to come up with a design that works. Before you get started, take a good look at the front of your house and see where you’d like the focal point to be. Most homeowners choose to draw attention to the front door, but you might want to feature a tree or a particular decoration instead. Either way, by having a plan thought out, you can avoid an end result that’s messy and disorganized.

Measure the Hanging Spots

If you plan on hanging holiday lights from the gutter, measure the area to find out how many lights you’ll need. Do the same with window and door frames, and any railings you plan on using as well. While straight lines are pretty easy to measure, the same can’t be said for bushes and trees. A good rule of thumb is a 6-foot tree requires about 400 bulbs to appear well lit. If you adjust these numbers for whichever trees and bushes you plan on decorating, you should be able to come up with a useful estimate.

Don’t Forget to Test the Lights in Advance

You’re probably aware of the importance of testing all your lights before you hang them, but everyone has forgotten to do this at least once in their lives, so it bears repeating. All lights should be tested, but it’s especially important to test lights that have been in storage for a year.

Attaching Holiday Lights

You might be tempted to staple or nail strands of lights to your roof or gutters, but this is a bad idea. Plastic light clips are very inexpensive, and they won’t damage your roof the way staples or nails will. For railings, wind the strands around them, and secure them with the use of either deck clips or plastic zip-ties.

Planning your outdoor holiday light decorations in advance gives you more time to explore your creative side. You’ll create a better design, and you’ll even have more fun in the process!

Contact Handyman Connection of Lexington-Nicholasville for any electrical home repair or maintenance need. Our craftsmen have you covered. Call today or request a free estimate.