Thanksgiving is about three weeks away. If you want holiday lights on your home by then, the schedule is filling now, and one job is worth doing before the first strand goes up: the gutters. Both jobs happen along the same edge of your roof, and the order you do them in makes the whole season easier.
Here’s the plan, from this week through January.
This Week: Get the Gutters Clear
In the Roanoke Valley, the leaf drop from oaks, maples, and tulip poplars typically runs from late October through mid-November, so it’s happening right now. Brian Mehalso, owner of Hot Shot Pressure Washing, recommends cleaning gutters after the fall leaf drop rather than in the middle of it. Homes under heavy tree cover sometimes need two cleanings in the fall, and homes in the woods may need three a year.
Doing this before the lights go up is a matter of sequencing. A gutter cleaning means ladders, leaf blowers, and water flushing through the downspouts along your eaves. You’d rather have all of that finished before there’s a display on the roofline to work around. Clear gutters also matter after the lights are on. Standing water and packed debris freeze in winter, and the weight and expansion can pull gutters away from the fascia.
We covered the full fall timing in our post on why one fall gutter cleaning usually isn’t enough, and what the job costs and includes in our gutter cleaning cost guide. Pricing depends on the size of the home, how accessible the roof is, and how much is in the gutters. You can request a gutter cleaning quote here.
Next: Get Your Home on the Lights Schedule
Holiday lights are new for Hot Shot this season, and the team installing them is the same crew that has been working on homes across the Roanoke Valley since 1996. Every installation is custom quoted because no two homes are alike, and installs start at $600. The lights are custom cut and designed for your home, then installed by Hot Shot’s trained crew, so the display follows the lines of the house instead of looking like a box of strands hung up on a Saturday.
Holiday light installation books fast in the Roanoke Valley, so getting on the schedule early is the practical move. For the full picture of what the service involves, read our holiday light installation guide, or go straight to the Hot Shot Holiday Lights page to request a quote.
What to Have Ready for Your Quote
Your address, how many stories the home has, and which areas you want lit will get you to an accurate number faster. If your gutters haven’t been cleaned this fall, mention that in the same request so the work can be planned in the right order.
Thanksgiving Through Christmas: Lights On, Hands Off
The part most people underestimate about holiday lighting is what happens after installation day. A strand goes dark. A section sags after a windy night. A bulb fails the week your family arrives.
Hot Shot’s holiday lights service covers that. Maintenance is included all season, so broken bulbs, fallen strands, and other problems get fixed at no extra charge, and issues are resolved within two business days, guaranteed. It’s one payment, and the display keeps working through the holidays without you on a ladder in December.
January: Takedown and Storage
When the season ends, the crew removes the lights and stores them for next season. There are no boxes to drag out of the attic, no tangled cords, and no second round of ladder work on a cold January day.
While You’re Thinking About the Roofline
If you’re already planning your fall list, gutters and lights fit alongside the rest of it. House washing, driveway cleaning, and windows all work best before winter sets in, and we put them in order in our fall exterior checklist for Roanoke Valley homes. Do the cleaning first, then let the lights be the finishing touch.
How to Get on the Schedule
Hot Shot Pressure Washing serves homes across the Roanoke Valley, New River Valley, and surrounding communities, including Christiansburg and Blacksburg. Start with the Hot Shot Holiday Lights page, or call 540-772-8887 Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. When you request your lights quote, ask about gutter cleaning at the same time so the crew can plan the roofline in the right order.
