Holiday Lights Calculator
How many strands do you need for the house this year?
How this is calculated
- Roofline: measured length along the eaves
- Window/door outlines: 2 × width each (up-and-over, allowing slack)
- Bushes: wrap allowance per bush (25 ft typical for small shrubs)
- Strands = ⌈total feet ÷ strand length⌉
Common questions
How many feet of Christmas lights do I need?
A typical single-story home with a 100 ft roofline, four outlined windows, two doors, and three wrapped bushes needs roughly 240 ft — 10 strands of 25 ft. Buy one or two extra strands; a dead section mid-season is a guarantee.
How many lights do I need per foot of roofline?
For C9-style bulbs along a roofline, 12-in spacing is the classic look — one bulb per foot. For dense mini-lights, plan 2-3 lights per foot. The mini-light strands (100 count ≈ 25 ft, 200 count ≈ 33 ft) map roughly one strand per 8 ft of roofline.
How many lights does it take to wrap a bush?
Small shrub: 25-50 ft. Medium bush: 75-100 ft. You are wrapping a cylinder, not draping a line — wrap in a spiral with 4-6 in row spacing. Net lights (usually 4 × 6 ft) are the fast alternative for boxwoods.
How do I measure my roofline for lights?
Walk the base of the house along the wall under the eaves and measure with a tape or a measuring wheel — the horizontal run is close enough, and slack in the strand absorbs the difference. Add 10% for gables or peaks you plan to trace.
LED or incandescent lights?
LED strands use about 80-90% less power, run cool (safe on foliage and indoors), and last many more seasons. Incandescents are cheaper up front and have the classic warm glow, but a full-house LED display can run on one circuit where incandescents would trip it. Either way: buy the same color wire (white/green/black) as your gutters and shrubs.