Its beginning to look alot like christmas...

[okietreedude1]

Today the bossman mentioned advertising Christmas light installation and wondered how those that do it charge for it.

Anyone here do this? and how do you figure your rates? Does your price include removal?


I told him "have fun" like I wanted no part of it (which i really dont) as Ive gotten to not like putting them on my own house.

 

[TreeJunkie]

No thanks, Even if i was broke i'd be reluctant getting involved w/ that crap.

 

[NeTree]

Originally posted by TreeJunkie
No thanks, Even if i was broke i'd be reluctant getting involved w/ that crap.

ditto

 

[Nickrosis]

Sure, we do that. Order the lights in bulk in advance and go to town. It's mostly a landscape thing, but the bucket truck comes in handy.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

If the lights are going on a tree I took care of, I'd want to be responsible for putting the lights on. So what exactly makes it "crap", TJ, NE?

If I had a bucket truck/lift, and lived in the north, I'd be glad to seek light installation work. I've seen trees messed up by non-tree people hanging lights; it seems to fall into an arborist's job description to do it right.

Sure I'd rather do tree care work that was more about the tree than the holidays, but trees have been used this way for centuries, so why not now, and who better to do it than an arborist?

 

[Nathan Wreyford]

I am with Guy on this one. Plus there is real $$$ in Christmas decor. You can charge more for lighting than pruning.

Find it funny that TJ poo poo-ed this idea that involves climbing trees yet is eager to push snow around parking lots

 

[MasterBlaster]

I hate christmas!

Thanksgiving's ok, though.

 

[matthias]

How do you charge full rate ($100/hr) when they want you to pull last years 8 strands out, find the burnt out bulbs and replace em and then restring the sonofagun without breaking any. I can see me getting rammy and breaking bulbs on the last strand because I've been at it for 8 hrs. This is only speculation because I've never done it.

I did hear about Christmas lights that use an LED. Apparently you can run 40 strands on one outlet. The guy who told me could have been embellishing numbers to make it a better story or it could have been outright B.S.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've installed em in trees before, using a bucket.

Taking em out is a lot harder than putting em in.

 

[murphy4trees]

davey does a lot of instalations around here... charge their hourly rate... I think it is all bucket work.. I get too busy before Christmas to mess with it... If you don't like the work... charge extra and hire a sub!

 

[TreeJunkie]

Only reason i poo on the idea is b/c i've had to do it in the past. It's frustrating as all get out. I definitely won't be advertising this in my services. Not unless i find an employee who just begs to do this sort of thing. Otherwise i won't do it. I know it wouldn't excite me if the boss man sent me out to string lights; more of a landscapers job.
Most jobs around can be done via ladder thus its not my cup of tea. Brandon and Ladders do not mix well.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
I hate christmas!

Thanksgiving's ok, though.

U Freaking Turkey!


If your work slowed down, needed extra money, why not? Especially with bucket. Better than bucket sitting!

i think if ya got the right wholesale deal on good lights to begin with, searching and diagnosing lights would be like computer boards; don't find what is wrong, replace. Especially cheap ones; diagnosis time would have to be hourly otherwise.

:alien:

 

[Matt Follett]

I tend to agree with the stay away camp... and find it a very frustrating process.... however; just finished doing some on some INDOOR trees! these ones where fake though!!! don't know how I get myself into these messes.... Did some last year, and a ton the year before... the problem is always trying not break lights, move about in an effiecent manner, and retain your sanity, all with the client watching, and saying "it's too dark there, you've got to many here...." At least with pruning we have the knowledge ede, and can sensibly direct the client... here it is their taste that rules, and you have to live with it.

The first couple jobs you do, I would try to sell hourly, till you figure out average times it will take you, It is VERY easy to get burned if you just give a fixed rate...

Fixed rates have to be for X number of strands... in Y part of the tree...

 

[Nathan Wreyford]

Originally posted by TreeJunkie
Brandon and Ladders do not mix well.

Add Nathan to that list.

There is cash in the light gig. I have only done it as a sub for landscrapers who have sold it. I would have a hard time selling it and doing it, but if someone is paying me an hourly rate, so I won't lose my a$$, I am all over it.

:angel: