Permanent lights are an LED track that goes up once along your roofline and stays there. You control them from your phone, so they can be warm white for Christmas and a different color the rest of the year. They are a good fit for some houses and not for others. Here is the straight version, so you can decide.
A permanent system is a thin track mounted along the edge of your roof, usually under the eave or on the fascia board. Inside the track are small LED lights. A controller plugs into power, and an app on your phone tells the lights what to do: which color, how bright, when to turn on, and when to turn off.
Because each light in the track can usually be set on its own, you are not stuck with one look. You can run warm white all of December, switch to red and green for a party, or leave them off most of the year. The photo up top is a permanent track running pink and blue.
Here is the honest difference from seasonal lights. Seasonal lights are held on with clips, so nothing goes into your house, and they come down in January. A permanent track is fastened to the house so it can stay up through every season. That means small mounting holes along the fascia. It is a real installation, not a decoration, and it is worth thinking about like one.
Many people who ask about permanent lights end up happy with seasonal roofline lights or a whole-house package. Others really do want the track. We install both, so we will tell you which one fits your house. We have this conversation most often in the North Atlanta suburbs, with owners of tall two-stories in Johns Creek, Alpharetta, and subdivisions like Polo Fields in Cumming who are done climbing to a third-story gable every November. We talk it through all over the metro too, from Marietta to Lawrenceville.
No install day each fall and no takedown in January. The track stays on the house.
Colors, brightness, and schedules live on your phone. Set it once or change it every week.
A track lights the roof edge. Trees, shrubs, and wreaths still need seasonal lights.
We hang seasonal lights and install permanent track, so we can tell you plainly which one fits your plans.
A permanent track tends to fit if most of these sound like you:
If that is you, a permanent system can be a good long-term setup.
Seasonal lights are usually the better fit if you:
Seasonal lights go up with clips and come down in January. Our takedown and storage service means you still have nothing to store.
From then on, the lights are yours to program.
Whoever you talk to, it is worth asking a few plain questions. Where exactly will the track be mounted, and how will it be fastened? Where will the controller and power supply go? What color is the track, and does it match your trim? What happens if a section stops working, and who do you call?
Get the answers in writing. A good plan should be easy to picture before anything goes on your house. If you want a second set of eyes on your roofline, text us a photo.
Permanent tracks use LEDs, the same basic technology as the seasonal strands we hang, so the power they draw is small compared with old incandescent bulbs. How much you actually spend depends on how many hours a night you run them, how bright you set them, and how many months of the year they are on. A roofline that only runs in December costs less to run than one lit every night.
That flexibility is the real selling point. You can keep the lights off most of the year and turn them on for a birthday or a game day in a few taps. For a plain look at LED running costs, see our tip on how much electricity Christmas lights use. The same basics apply here.
Straight answers before you decide.
It is designed to be low-profile and is usually mounted under the roof edge where it is hard to spot from the street. Tracks come in different colors so they can be matched close to your trim. From up close you can see it. From the sidewalk, most people do not notice it.
Yes, small ones. The track is fastened along the fascia or eave so it can stay up year-round. That is the main tradeoff compared with seasonal lights, which use clips and leave nothing behind. We will show you where the track and the controller would go before you decide.
It depends on how long you stay in the house, how much of the roofline you want lit, and if you also want trees and shrubs lit each year. We do not publish prices. If you want to compare, ask for a quote on both and read them side by side.
Some HOAs want to review anything mounted permanently to the outside of a house, even something small. Check your covenants or ask your architectural committee before you commit. We can describe where the track and controller would go so you have something to submit.
No. A permanent track is built for a straight run along the roof edge. Trees, shrubs, columns, and wreaths still need seasonal lights. Some people run a permanent roofline and add tree and shrub wrapping each December.
Text a photo of your roofline and your address to (470) 470-4485 and tell us what you are hoping for. We will tell you honestly whether a permanent track or seasonal lights fit better, and we can quote both so you can compare.
Point your phone here
Your camera opens a text to (470) 470-4485. Snap the front of your house and hit send.
