Start at the top edge
From the street, a house is mostly a silhouette, and the roof draws it. It is the longest continuous line on the building, and it sits against the sky, so it has contrast working for it. Put light on it and the outline comes back, which is the effect people are actually after.That is the reason permanent systems live at the roof edge, and why one line up there outperforms a dozen fixtures at ground level. It is the most efficient piece of exterior lighting a house can have, for what it costs to install.
What roofline lighting actually consists of
Roofline lighting is an aluminum channel matched to your trim holding individual LEDs, mounted along the edge and left in place year round. The channel does two jobs at once: it aims the light and it conceals the hardware. Matched to the trim, it looks like trim from the sidewalk.
Where the run stops
Every plan starts with the primary roof edge, and works outward. Gables, dormers, porch roofs, posts and second story lines all get considered, but not all of them get used. Lighting every edge on a house flattens it.The run itself is worth
https://evercrestlighting.com/about/ looking at closely on a finished job, because a straight line held over a long span is harder than it looks.
What it looks like with the lights off
A roofline system is on the house every day, lit or unlit. That is why the color match matters more than it sounds. Tight to the line, color matched, wire tucked: that is the whole standard.
One line, a lot of uses
After install the system runs from your phone. Warm white on a normal night. Red and green in December. A single color for Halloween. School colors on a Friday. Most owners settle on a single warm white, using color for the handful of days that call for it.
Why quotes vary
Two houses on the same street can quote well apart. Length matters less than complexity. Complexity does more: straight runs are quick, and every corner, peak and level change adds work. Height is the other one, since upper runs need different access.
Does it go on the gutter?
The gutter is the first thing people point at. A permanent channel does not work that way. That distinction matters because gutters move, sag and get replaced, and anything fastened to one inherits its problems.
Getting a plan for your own roofline
Because houses are not interchangeable, the design has to be drawn for your building. EverCrest Lighting designs and installs roofline lighting for residential and commercial properties across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, based in Greenville. The consultation is free. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected] to book the free consultation.