With a professional full-service holiday lighting program, the installer supplies the lights - you do not buy or store them yourself. The crew provides commercial-grade bulbs, installs them, takes them down in January, and stores them indoors until next season. You are paying for a managed service, not a box of lights.
The two models: full-service vs install-only
Most professional installers run a full-service model. The company owns and supplies the commercial-grade product, custom-cuts it to your roofline, installs it, removes it, and stores it. A smaller number offer install-only, where you buy the lights once and the crew installs product you own. Full-service is the industry standard because it produces the best long-term result and removes every piece of homeowner labor.
Who owns the lights in a full-service program
In a standard full-service program the installer retains ownership of the light system between seasons and stores it at their warehouse. You are paying for the design, the install, the takedown, the storage, and the off-season maintenance as a single annual program. This is why the product is commercial-grade: the company reuses it across multiple seasons, so it is engineered to last, not to hit a retail price point.
Why you do not want to supply your own lights
Homeowner-supplied lights create three problems. Consumer big-box product wears out quickly, so you replace it constantly. You have to find climate-safe storage for boxes of strands. And a mid-season failure becomes your problem on a cold December roof. Full-service removes all three because the installer owns the reliability of the system.
What is included besides the lights
A full-service program typically includes the design consultation, all bulbs and clips, custom strand fitting, the install, mid-season service if a bulb fails, the January takedown, indoor storage, and off-season repair. The homeowner supplies nothing and stores nothing.
When install-only makes sense
Install-only can make sense for a homeowner who already owns a high-quality system they are happy with, or who wants a specific product the installer does not stock. Even then, the storage and takedown burden often makes full-service the better long-term value.