The template#
Copy the block below into your own document and replace the bracketed parts. Section 2 is generated from the drawing if you quote in GlowBid; on paper, fill it from your measuring notes.
1. Parties and property
This agreement is between [Company legal name], [address], [phone], [email] ("we", "us") and [Homeowner name(s)] ("you") for the property at [service address]. Your contact for scheduling on the day is [name and mobile]. You confirm you own the property or have the owner's authority to have lighting permanently attached to it.
Why it exists. Permanent lighting is attached to the house. A tenant cannot authorize that, and a spouse who did not see the drawing will have opinions about the channel colour. Get the owner's name on the agreement and the mobile of whoever will be home.
2. Scope of work: runs, colour and node spacing
We will supply and install a permanent LED lighting system at the property, as shown on the attached drawing and mockup:
| Run |
Footage |
Product line |
Channel colour |
LED type and spacing |
| Roofline (eaves) |
[x] ft |
[track / no-track] |
[white / brown / black, matched to fascia] |
[RGB or RGBW nodes at 9 in] |
| Peaks (gables) |
[x] ft, [n] peaks |
[same] |
[same] |
[same] |
| Ridge line |
[x] ft or none |
|
|
|
| Jumps |
[x] ft, [n] jumps |
unlit cable, [colour] |
|
|
| Controller |
[n] |
[make and model] |
|
mounted at [location] |
Add-ons: [transformer(s) / extra controller / downlights]. The scope is the runs listed above. Rooflines, peaks and ridge lines not listed are not included. Changes to colour, spacing or runs after the channel has been cut for your home are priced as a change order before the work proceeds.
Why it exists. Three things go wrong on permanent scope: "the roofline" meant the whole silhouette to the homeowner and the front eave to you; the channel colour was never written down and the fascia is tan; and the node spacing was 12 inches on the mockup and 9 inches in the homeowner's head. Write all three. In GlowBid the run table is generated from the drawn geometry, so the footage, the bill of materials and the price cannot disagree with each other, and the permanent per-foot method explains how each run type is priced.
3. Price, deposit and balance
Total price: $[amount] plus applicable tax. A deposit of [30]% ($[amount]) is due on signing to book your installation date and order the channel cut for your home. The balance is due on the day the installation is completed and the system has been shown working. [Optional: a late balance accrues [x]% per month.]
Why it exists. Permanent channel is cut per house and does not go back on the shelf. The deposit has to cover it. Balance on completion, "shown working" included, because the handover in section 8 is when the homeowner sees the lights on and is happiest to pay.
4. Measurement honesty
Footage and materials are estimated from photos and confirmed on site before installation. If the on-site measurement changes the price by more than [5]%, we will confirm the adjusted price with you before proceeding.
Why it exists. That is GlowBid's default clause, word for word, and it prints on every quote. Photo measurement is close enough to quote and not exact; a run angled away from the camera reads short. A threshold turns a 4 ft difference into a non-event and a 40 ft difference into a phone call before the crew starts. Every measurement in GlowBid carries a source tag and a confidence level so you know which runs to check with a tape.
5. Electrical and permits
You will provide a working, weather-protected exterior outlet with GFCI protection within [x] ft of the controller location. Our installation plugs the transformer(s) into that outlet. We do not open, modify or extend your home's 120-volt wiring. Any new outlet, circuit or hard-wired connection is separate work by a licensed electrical contractor at [your cost / the price quoted on a separate line]. Where the local electrical authority requires a permit, notification or inspection for this installation, [we will obtain it and the fee is included / you will obtain it / it is quoted on a separate line].
Why it exists. Rules differ by province and state, and the clause has to say who is doing what rather than hope. In Ontario, Landscape Ontario reports the ESA position that low-voltage lighting beyond plugging into a receptacle needs a permit and that only a licensed master electrical contractor can pull one; the ESA's own outdoor page wants a Class A GFCI on the exterior outlet and a Licensed Electrical Contractor for the wiring. Our default is the plug-in design: the homeowner's outlet, our transformer, nothing behind the siding. When a house has no outlet where the controller needs to go, we quote an electrician's visit as its own line rather than pretending it is included. Check your own authority before you pick a bracket.
6. Roof penetrations and sealing
We mount the channel to the fascia, under the soffit, or to trim with screws suited to the material, and seal every fastener penetration. We do not fasten into the shingle field or the roof membrane. We are not responsible for pre-existing damage, rot, brittle or deteriorated fascia, soffit, trim or siding, or damage caused by conditions beyond our control. Our liability for damage arising from installation is limited to $[500] per incident.
Why it exists. Homeowners ask "are you drilling into my roof?" and the honest answer is "into the fascia, and every hole is sealed." Say it in writing. The exclusions matter because the one fascia board that splits is always the one that was already soft, and the cap sets expectations. GlowBid's lease wording uses the same $500 cap as a default a lawyer can tune; whether a cap holds against a consumer depends on your jurisdiction, so have it reviewed, and carry liability insurance either way.
7. Scheduling and weather
Installation is scheduled for the week of [date]. Installation dates depend on weather and roof conditions. If we need to reschedule for safety (snow, ice, high wind, extreme cold), we will offer you the next available date. Neither party owes a penalty for a weather delay.
Why it exists. Permanent installs happen in every month we can stand on a ladder, and in Ottawa that stops for freezing rain more than once a season. "Next available date" is a promise you can keep.
8. Controller, app and Wi-Fi handover
On the day of installation we will mount and connect the controller, connect it to your home Wi-Fi, install the manufacturer's app on your phone with you, create or transfer the account in your name, and show you the lights working. From that point the account, its login and your home network are yours. We include [one] return visit within [30] days for setup questions; after that, a service call is $[amount]. Wi-Fi coverage, router changes, internet outages and app updates are outside our control and are not covered by our workmanship warranty.
Why it exists. This is the clause every seasonal template lacks and every permanent installer needs. The controller is the product to the homeowner; the roofline is just where it lives. Set it up with them, on their phone, in their name, so you are not the keeper of forty logins in January. Trimlight's warranty excludes connection issues from Wi-Fi or radio interference, and your workmanship warranty should say the same, or you will be driving out to reboot routers.
9. Warranty: product and workmanship
Product. The channel, LEDs, controller and transformer are warranted by the manufacturer on the manufacturer's terms, which we will provide to you: [product line, term, hours, exclusions]. Labour to replace a part the manufacturer accepts as defective is covered by us for [one year / the manufacturer's minimum] from the installation date.
Workmanship. We warrant our workmanship (mounting, sealing, wiring connections, controller mounting) for [one] year from the installation date. We will correct a workmanship defect at no charge. Workmanship warranty does not cover product failure, damage by others, weather events, animals, power surges, or alterations to the system.
Claims. Report a problem to [email or phone]. We will tell you within [2] business days whether it is a product claim, a workmanship claim, or neither, and what happens next.
Why it exists. Trimlight's comparison page is a good illustration of why the two warranties have to be separate: lifetime parts up to 50,000 hours from the manufacturer, a minimum one-year labour warranty from the dealer. JellyFish's blog says five years on parts and one on labour, and its holiday lighting page says three on parts, which is its own argument for writing the term into the agreement. Your agreement has to say which of those the homeowner is getting from whom, and it has to route the claim, because "the lights are out" could be a dead node (product), a loose connection (you), or a tripped GFCI (neither). GlowBid's default rate card ships with "Workmanship is warranted for one year from the installation date. Product warranties are provided by the manufacturer." and lets you write the longer version above per product line.
10. Ownership
The lighting system remains our property until the balance is paid in full, at which point it becomes yours. [If financed or leased, replace with the terms of that agreement.]
Why it exists. Plain title on payment. If you offer the system on a multi-year lease instead, use the lease agreement template, which keeps ownership with you for the term.
11. Cancellation
You may cancel within [3] days of signing for a full refund of your deposit. After that, the deposit covers channel cut for your home and scheduling and is non-refundable. If we cannot perform the work for reasons within our control, we refund the deposit in full.
Why it exists. Three days matches the cooling-off period many consumer-protection regimes expect for agreements signed at home or online; some require longer or specific wording, so check yours. After that you have ordered custom-cut product with their name on it.
12. Quote validity and electronic signature
This quote is valid for 30 days from [quote date]. By signing electronically you agree that your electronic signature is as binding as a handwritten one. Signed: [homeowner name], [date and time], [device or IP record]. For [Company]: [name], [date].
Why it exists. Channel prices move; thirty days keeps a June quote from being cashed at November prices. Homeowners sign on a phone from the quote link, so say that it counts and keep the record. GlowBid stores the signed PDF with a SHA-256 fingerprint and the quote it was signed against, so the scope, the price and the signature are one file.
Sample terms notice (print under the terms). These terms are set by the company named on this document, which is the only party to the agreement with the homeowner. GlowBid provides sample wording as a convenience, is not a party to this agreement, and does not give legal advice. Companies should have their own terms reviewed for their province or state.
A worked example#
A bungalow with two front gables, permanent track in white channel, RGBW nodes at 9 inches, priced from GlowBid's default rate card (every installer replaces these numbers with their own):
| Line |
Footage |
Rate |
Amount |
| Roofline |
120 ft |
$25.00/ft |
$3,000.00 |
| Peaks (two gables) |
48 ft |
$28.00/ft plus 15% peak premium |
$1,545.60 |
| Jumps (two) |
16 ft |
$12.00/ft |
$192.00 |
| Wi-Fi controller |
1 |
$250.00 |
$250.00 |
| Subtotal before tax |
|
|
$4,987.60 |
| Deposit to book (30%) |
|
|
$1,496.28 |
| Balance on completion |
|
|
$3,491.32 |
Section 2 lists the three runs, the white channel and the 9-inch spacing the homeowner approved on the drawing. Section 3 carries the $4,987.60, the $1,496.28 deposit and the balance. Section 5 says the transformer plugs into the GFCI outlet by the garage door, which this house has. Section 8 says we set up the app on the homeowner's phone on install day. If the tape says 126 ft on the roofline, that is a 5 percent move on one line and about 3 percent on the total, so the crew installs and the invoice shows the true footage. You can measure this house in the free tool and see where the 120 ft comes from.
Mistakes we have made or watched others make#
- Writing "lifetime warranty" on the agreement with no party attached. The manufacturer's lifetime is on parts; yours is on workmanship for a year. Say both, or you have promised a lifetime of free ladder trips.
- Leaving the electrical clause at "plug into an existing outlet" and finding out on install day that the only outlet is in the garage, on the wrong side of the house.
- Keeping the controller account in the company's name to "make support easier." It makes support permanent.
- Not writing the channel colour down. Tan fascia, white channel, unhappy homeowner, and the re-install is on you.
- No node-spacing line. A 9-inch mockup priced at 12-inch spacing is 33 percent more nodes than you quoted.
- Cutting the track before the deposit clears. Custom-cut channel with no deposit is inventory with one possible buyer.
- Sending the agreement as a locked PDF to print and sign. Send a link, get an electronic signature, and collect the deposit on the same page.
If you would rather not maintain the document yourself, GlowBid generates this agreement from the drawing and the rate card, prints the measurement clause and the sample terms notice on every quote, collects the e-signature and the Stripe deposit on one page, and lets you replace any clause with your own on the rate card page. The seasonal contract template covers the other two agreement types.
