| Professional decorators can light
up holidays at a price |
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Buy vs. lease
Companies take different approaches regarding the decorations themselves.
Finkle's and Minotti's customers buy lights and other
decorations from the respective companies.
"Some accounts will have their own decorations
and we'll add to it," says Finkle. "Others will buy everything
new."
Christmas Decor offers its clients a leasing program.
"If they own the lights, they have to buy them
again when they wear out," says Stephens. "Some people
might tend to stretch them, and it could become a safety issue.
As part of the new program we launched this year, when the product
wears out, we replace it automatically."
Taking care of the rest
Once your display is designed and installed, there's the maintenance.
Most holiday decorating companies offer at least a limited repair
guarantee. This is a big appeal for those who've spent hours trying
to figure out which light blew out the entire string or had to climb
back up on the roof to right a wind-toppled sleigh.
"We have such a short time frame, a lot of these
lights are only on for 30 to 60 days, so we want to make sure they're
working every day," says Finkle.
The maintenance might also include some troubleshooting.
"The worse situation I ever saw was this woman who had an
outlet tied into her microwave," says Minotti. "Every
time she turned it on, the lights went out." A little detective
work and examination of her dinner schedule helped them correct
the connection and keep the lights on for the rest of the season.
In January, the companies return to dismantle the
displays and, in most cases, stow them. If storage is important
to you, be sure to check with the decorator. Not all offer off-site
warehousing.
Costs of keeping up with the holiday Joneses
So what's all this attention to your home's exterior decorating
going to cost you?
Your utility bill obviously will be a bit higher. Minotti estimates
that the typical Austin-area customer sees an average electric bill
increase of around $30 a month.
As for the decorating itself, expect a minimum-order
requirement, generally around $200 to $500. Because of the popularity
of the services and the limited time to install holiday lights,
companies don't want their lighting technicians spending a lot of
time on relatively small projects.
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