Christmas Light Takedown Checklist and Install Checklist

The work order header#

Fill this from the estimate before the truck leaves. On paper it is six lines; in GlowBid it is generated from the drawing.

WORK ORDER: [Install / Takedown / Re-install / Service], season [n]
Customer: [name]            Property: [street address]
Scheduled: [date, window]   Crew lead: [name]   Crew: [names]
Estimate: [title], [product line]
Runs: roofline [x] ft, ridge line [x] ft, peaks [x] ft ([n] peaks), jumps [x] ft ([n] jumps), ground [x] ft, tree [x] ft
Materials: [cords or track lengths, clips, controller or timer, extension cord rated for outdoors]
Power: [outlet location, GFCI yes or no]   Storage bin: [number, if takedown]
Access notes: [gates, dogs, vehicles, work hours, sprinklers]

The crew copy carries the drawing and the runs. It does not carry the price or the homeowner's phone number; the office has those.

The install checklist#

Copy the block. [PHOTO] lines are photo slots; every one must be filled before the section closes.

INSTALL CHECKLIST

1. ARRIVAL AND EXISTING CONDITIONS (before a ladder comes off the truck)
[ ] Crew lead introduced to the homeowner, or card left if nobody is home
[ ] Layout confirmed against the mockup with the homeowner
[ ] Power source and controller or timer location confirmed
[ ] Access confirmed: gates, pets, vehicles, sprinklers, work hours
[ ] Existing damage to roof, soffit, fascia, siding and gutters noted
[PHOTO] Front of house before work
[PHOTO] Existing damage or condition close-up

2. LADDER AND ROOF SAFETY (every ladder set, every time)
[ ] Ladder inspected before use: rails, rungs, feet, locks
[ ] Base set 1 out for every 4 up; firm, level footing; footed or tied if the ground is soft or icy
[ ] Ladder extends at least 1 metre (3 rungs) above the eave or contact point
[ ] Three points of contact climbing; nobody works from the top three rungs
[ ] Ladder standoff on the gutter; no ladder against the roofline lights
[ ] Roof walk only if the pitch, the weather and your fall-protection rules allow it; anchor and harness on, training current
[ ] Overhead service wires located; ladder and track kept clear of them
[ ] Snow, ice or frost on the roof: stop, and reschedule the peaks if the surface is not safe

3. LAYOUT, MOUNTING AND WIRING
[ ] Runs mounted as drawn: roofline, ridge line, peaks, jumps in the places the homeowner approved
[ ] Track straight and level; clips and track secure; jumps hidden and tucked; no loose ends
[ ] Every connection sealed and weatherproof; plugs off the ground and out of gutters
[ ] Only outdoor-rated cords and lights, with a certification mark; no more than the manufacturer's count of strings end to end
[ ] Controller and transformer mounted, wired and paired (permanent) or timer mounted at the outlet (seasonal)
[PHOTO] Controller and transformer mounted, or timer at the outlet
[PHOTO] Wiring and connections detail

4. POWER, GFCI AND TIMER
[ ] Display plugged into a GFCI-protected outdoor outlet
[ ] GFCI tested: press TEST, the run goes dark; press RESET, it comes back
[ ] If TEST does not cut power or RESET does not hold: outlet not used, noted on the work order, homeowner told
[ ] Tested at full brightness; every run, jump and colour checked
[ ] Timer set (dusk on, off at the homeowner's chosen time) or app schedule set with the homeowner
[PHOTO] Timer or controller settings as left

5. CLEANUP, WALKTHROUGH AND SIGN-OFF
[ ] Ladder points, gutters and siding checked for marks or damage
[ ] Packaging, clippings and debris cleared; nothing left on the roof or in the beds
[ ] Furniture, planters and vehicles back where they were
[ ] Homeowner walked through the finished work
[ ] App or timer demonstrated; care sheet left
[ ] Homeowner questions answered
[ ] Takedown window confirmed and written on the work order
[ ] Review card handed over; asked for a Google review
[ ] Sign-off link sent to the homeowner
[PHOTO] Finished work from the street, at dusk if the schedule allows
[PHOTO] Clean site overview

The takedown checklist#

Same shape, different job. The takedown list is shorter on the roof and longer at the bin, because next season's install starts in that bin.

TAKEDOWN CHECKLIST

1. ARRIVAL AND EXISTING CONDITIONS (before anything comes down)
[ ] Takedown window on the agreement checked against today's date
[ ] Crew lead introduced to the homeowner, or card left if nobody is home
[ ] Access confirmed: gates, pets, vehicles, ice on walks and driveway
[ ] Existing damage to roof, soffit, fascia and gutters noted
[PHOTO] Installed lights before takedown
[PHOTO] Existing damage or condition close-up

2. LADDER AND ROOF SAFETY (January rules)
[ ] Ladder inspected; feet clear of ice; base set 1 out for every 4 up on a cleared, level spot
[ ] Ladder extends at least 1 metre above the eave; three points of contact; not the top three rungs
[ ] Ice dams, frozen gutters and frost on shingles checked; peaks left for a warmer day if the surface is not safe
[ ] Gloves that grip; no pulling cords from the ground

3. TAKEDOWN AND PACKING
[ ] Power off at the timer or controller before the first clip comes off
[ ] Each clip released, not pulled; cords come off in one piece
[ ] Strands labelled by run as they come down: front roofline, garage eave, left peak, right peak, jump 1
[ ] Damaged bulbs, sockets, clips or cord jackets noted by run
[ ] Cords coiled, not folded; clips bagged with the run they came off
[ ] Timer or plug-in controller unplugged and packed with the display (or left, if the homeowner owns it)
[ ] Packed into the storage bin recorded on the estimate; label on the bin and a card inside
[PHOTO] Packed and labelled bins

4. CLEANUP, WRAP-UP AND SIGN-OFF
[ ] Roofline and clips inspected; anything the homeowner should know noted
[ ] Ladder points, gutters and siding checked for marks or damage
[ ] Site cleared; nothing left on the roof or in the beds
[ ] Next season's install window confirmed with the homeowner
[ ] Asked for a Google review
[ ] Sign-off link sent to the homeowner
[PHOTO] Cleared roofline and site

The bin label. One line, written twice, on the bin and on a card inside:

[Customer last name], [street] | Bin [1] of [1] | [162] ft, [8] cords, [1] timer
Runs: front roofline (5), peaks (2), jump (1) | Tested [date], [3] bulbs replaced | Shelf [B4]

The storage guide covers what happens to that record once you are storing thirty bins, and the liability cap that goes with it in a lease.

Why each section exists#

Arrival. The before photo is the one that settles the January call. A homeowner who finds a cracked shingle in February will, in good faith, remember it as new. The close-up with a timestamp is not an argument; it is the answer.

Ladder and roof safety. Every rule on the list is the CCOHS portable ladder page written for a lighting crew: base 1 out for every 4 up, extend at least 1 m above the landing, three points of contact, never the top three rungs, inspect before and after each use, firm and level footing. The roof line is the one crews skip. In Ontario, workers on construction projects who use fall protection must complete approved working at heights training, valid for 3 years, and the construction regulation requires fall protection where a worker may fall more than 3 metres. Whether your lighting work falls under that regulation is a question for your province's ministry, not this page; the training is worth having either way, because a two-storey eave is over 3 metres.

Mounting and wiring. "As drawn" is the point. The homeowner approved a mockup with the peaks lit and the jumps hidden; a crew that improvises the layout has changed the contract. The cord rules are the Electrical Safety Authority's: lights rated for outdoor use, a Canadian certification mark, no more than three light strings together, damaged cords replaced.

Power, GFCI and timer. The ESA and CCOHS both say outdoor power goes through a GFCI. The test is thirty seconds and it is the difference between a display that runs and a display that trips at 6 pm on the first wet night. The timer photo ends the "it is not coming on" call, because you can see what it was set to when you left.

Takedown and packing. Labelling by run as the cords come down, not in the shop, is what makes next season's install a re-install instead of a puzzle. The bin record is also the asset record on a lease: what is in storage, what condition it is in, what was replaced.

Cleanup and walkthrough. The finished shot from the street is the rebook photo in August. The walkthrough is where the review and the takedown window get agreed, while the lights are on and the homeowner is happy. Our rebook guide starts from that moment.

A worked example: one takedown afternoon#

A 120 ft roofline, two 18 ft peaks and one 6 ft jump, installed in November as C9 seasonal with a timer and signed at $1,401.60 on GlowBid's default rate card (installers set their own; that total is worked in the rebook guide). Takedown was bundled in that price, so the January visit invoices $0 and the checklist is the deliverable.

Four photos: the lit display before takedown, a close-up of the gutter seam that was already lifting in November, the packed bin with its label, the bare roofline and clear beds. Two clips found brittle went on the note for the homeowner. The August quote for the re-install came off the same drawing at $513.90 on the seasonal service line before the truck left the street, with the next install window written on the sign-off. If last year's drawing was on paper, measure the house in the free roofline tool and the runs table fills itself; the footage is a photo estimate, confirmed on site.

Mistakes we have made or watched others make#

• Taking the before photo after the ladder is up. The ladder is now in the picture, and so is the mark it left.
• Labelling cords in the shop from memory. "Front" and "garage" look the same on a workbench.
• Testing the GFCI with the display unplugged. Plug it in first; you are testing the display on that circuit, not the button.
• Pulling a run from the ground because the ladder was on the truck. Clips break, cords stretch, and the January damage call is yours.
• No takedown window on the install sign-off. Now it is a March phone call.
• Setting the timer to "on" and leaving. The homeowner's first bill arrives before the first dusk.
• Sending the crew out with the price on the work order. The homeowner asks the helper about the number; the helper guesses.

How the Ultimate crew app runs this checklist#

On GlowBid Ultimate the checklist above is the crew's screen. A work order opens with the drawing, the runs and the notes, and the sections unlock in order; every item is ticked or marked not applicable, every named photo slot is filled before the next section opens, and the homeowner signs off from a link on their own phone. Crew members never see prices or customer contact details. The production board (Signed, Booked, In Progress, Finished) shows the office which house is in which section, and a signed lease creates each season's install job and takedown job so the January work order exists before anyone remembers it.

Ultimate is $699 a year at the founding price ($1,299 regular, $169 a month), 100 founding places, 7-day trial with no card, 30-day money-back, the full product opening November 1, 2026, on the pricing page. On Core and Pro, print the lists above for a clipboard; the gated sections, photo slots and homeowner sign-off are the Ultimate difference.