Why Coquitlam houses need a plan before the lights go up
Coquitlam is not one kind of house. Burke Mountain has new, tall detached homes and townhouses. Westwood Plateau has 1990s hillside houses. Maillardville and Austin Heights have mid-century homes with lower, simpler rooflines.
The tall ones on sloped lots are the hard ones. The ground is uneven, so ladder positions take planning before anyone climbs. That is the part most people are glad to hand off.
Weather matters too. Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau sit well above sea level and get more rain, cooler nights and occasional snow, often before the rest of the city. Lights there are best up before December. Many lots also back onto forest or ravines, and cedars and firs close to the roofline can drop needles and branches in a storm. We think about where a strand will sit, how it is clipped and how it will hold up after the first big wind.
What we hang and how it is attached
We work from the lights you already have, or we supply them. If you have bins of lights in the garage, we check each strand first. If a strand is not worth hanging again, we tell you plainly. You don't have to buy new lights to book us.
Here is what we can hang on a Coquitlam house.
- Rooflines, gutters, peaks and dormers
- Railings and pillars
- Icicle lights
- Pathway lights
- Wreaths and garland
Everything is attached with plastic clips. They hook onto the gutter edge or slip under the shingle edge. No nails or staples go in, and the clips come off with the lights.
We also plan the runs so strands reach the outdoor plug, and we set everything to a timer. If your house has lots of peaks and you are not sure what will look right, we can talk it through before we start.
What the price depends on, and how long it takes
We can't give a fair price without seeing the house, so here is what it depends on.
- How much roofline, gutter and railing is being lit
- How tall the house is, and how steep the roof and lot are
- How many peaks and corners the lights have to follow
- Whether you supply the lights or we do
- Whether you add January removal
Most houses take a few hours in one visit. Large or steep houses can take longer.
Light rain doesn't stop ground-level work. Roof work moves to another day when the roof is slick or the wind is up, because a wet roof is not worth the risk.
Book as early in the fall as you can. Lights can go up in October or November and stay off until you want them on. The calendar gets tight by December, especially before family arrives.
Townhouses, stratas and storefronts in Coquitlam
Towers around Coquitlam Centre and Burquitlam have added a large strata population. Townhouse complexes around Burquitlam and Town Centre often set exterior rules about what can be hung and where.
If you live in a complex, check with your strata council before you book. Then tell us what they allow, and we plan the job around it. We also work with stratas, low-rise condos and storefronts directly.
Install, repair and removal can each be booked alone. That includes lights someone else hung. If a strand went dark halfway through the season, or you want the lights down in January and never want to see the ladder again, you can book just that. There is nothing to join and no yearly plan.
