What Does Permanent Lighting Cost?

The rate

$32 per foot installed is the regular rate for qualifying roofline coverage: the gable edges, eaves, entrance canopy and garage edge you choose to light. The first 10 homes to book this season pay $28 per foot, a $4-per-foot (12.5%) saving on the regular installed rate; eligibility is confirmed when you book, and a quote request is not a booking. Second-story, steep-pitch, dormer or hard-to-reach runs are +$3 per foot on the qualifying footage only, charged once per foot even where more than one condition applies, and every installation has a $1,500 minimum. The written quote confirms the measured footage, which footage qualifies and the final scope; electrical work is assessed and quoted separately where needed.

Worked examples by measured footage

Permanent lighting is priced by the linear footage of track actually installed along the trim, not by the size of the house or its floor area. These base-rate illustrations show how the regular and first-10 rates compare at three common measured lengths.

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Base footage examples only, subject to the $1,500 installation minimum. Qualifying second-story, steep-pitch, dormer or hard-to-reach footage adds $3 per foot, applied only to the footage that qualifies, and any separately scoped requirements are additional; the final quoted scope governs. They are not quoted prices for the houses pictured on this page. Covered-porch, pergola, patio and outdoor-living runs and any custom electrical scope are priced separately.

Start with the roofline footage

The largest part of any permanent lighting quote is the length of track installed. A front elevation on a single-story ranch is the smallest job; a full wrap of a two-story home with several peaks is the largest. Decide early whether you want the street-facing side only or the whole house, because that choice changes the footage more than anything else. Smaller jobs are subject to the $1,500 installation minimum.

Count the peaks, dormers and stories

Every gable, dormer and change of direction adds track, connectors and time on the ladder or lift. Height matters for the same reason: second-story runs, steep pitches, dormers and areas that are hard to reach carry the $3-per-foot surcharge on the qualifying footage, once per foot. Two homes with the same footage can price differently if one has a simple hip roof and the other has five peaks and a third story.

Porch, pergola and patio runs

The per-foot roofline rate does not automatically price every fixture. Lighting beneath a covered-porch perimeter, along pergola beams or under rear eaves over a patio, and any custom electrical scope, is reviewed and listed separately in the written quote. Separate zones, dimming and schedules for those areas depend on the selected system and the confirmed written scope.

Power, controller and track color

The controller needs a power connection and a location out of the weather. Where that connection requires a licensed electrician, one is coordinated as part of the work and listed in the written scope. The track is color-matched to your trim or fascia so by day it reads as part of the trim; color options are confirmed on the measurement visit.

Know your coverage before you book

Iron Elk provides a 1-year service warranty on the installation. Iron Elk’s limited lifetime parts warranty is available to the original purchaser and is not transferable. Lifetime means the documented expected service life of each covered component, not the purchaser’s lifetime. Labor is not included in lifetime parts coverage. Written terms for both come with the quote, so you know exactly what is promised before you decide, and Iron Elk is the one contact for questions about either.

Season and scheduling

The regular roofline rate is $32 per foot installed, with $28 per foot for the first 10 homes to book this season; qualifying second-story, steep-pitch, dormer or hard-to-reach runs add $3 per foot and the installation minimum is $1,500. Autumn is the busiest installation period because owners want the system running before the holidays, so booking in spring or summer usually gives more scheduling choice. If you also plan a new patio or a roof replacement, request the lighting in the same quote so the work is sequenced correctly.

What a useful quote includes

The measured footage and the areas covered, the qualifying $3-per-foot footage and where it applies, each zone listed, the controller and power connection, the track color, the coverage terms in writing, and the schedule. Start with a free photo mock-up: one clear daylight photo of the front of the house is enough to begin.