Say Goodbye To DIY: Some Hiring Professionals To Hang Their Christmas Lights
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- We all have that glowing vision, that ideal aesthetic we aspire to when it's time to decorate for the holidays.
Sure, Clark Griswold may have taken those aspirations a bit too far, but we've all felt that spark of inspiration when we open the storage bin. Okay, maybe a little dread and anxiety along with it.
Not Dave Perlmutter. He has his routine down to a science, and he enjoys it.
Dave and his crew are professional installers from Outdoor Lighting Perspectives. It's a growing trend in Pittsburgh and most couples cite the same reason for seeking them out.
"So many people bring up that they're sick of fighting with their spouse about it," said Dave. "It becomes a conflict around the holidays in the house, and most people don't want to have to worry about it anymore."
Let's face it, navigating precarious slopes 40 feet in the air is a skill better left to experienced climbers.
So while Dave and his crew are hard at work outside, the family is cozy and safe inside.
Mike and Candace Bobrowski remember the do-it-yourself days.
"And then I'd have to wait till he came back and then I'd be frustrated because everything seemed to go completely off," says Candace.
And they vow to never look back.
"The struggling with the lights that's always very hard… to have someone else worry about that is a big relief," says Mike.
Dave has several clients in the McDonald neighborhood alone.
His warehouse is growing, too. Hundreds of bins for nearly 200 customers, decor labeled and numbered with spreadsheet efficiency.
"We keep all the bins with the lights on shelves," said Dave. "Up on top is all of our garland."
They are heavy-duty commercial grade products, warrantied for at least two seasons.
"The customers purchase the product from us, then pay for the installation removal and storage," said Dave. "And the second year, they already bought the product, so the investment goes down."
They do jaw-dropping designs on lavish estates, too. But Dave says most of his customers live in middle class neighborhoods. And most of them aren't going for that Griswold-family Christmas look.
"Ninety percent of the people I meet with say they don't want to be the Griswolds. And that's good because I'm not a Griswold-type decorator. When I look at a house I go simple," said Dave.
"It's definitely above and beyond what we'd be comfortable doing ourselves," says Mike.
Mike and Candace have pledged their repeat business. And they don't even have to take down or store the lights. That's all part of the methodically planned process.
So we're not showing up, pulling a bin out of their garage, having it not working," said Dave. "The more efficient and prepared and organized we can be, the easier it makes everybody's Christmas season."
And what can be easier than just flipping a switch?
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