Getting Christmas lights along a garage roof gable usually means dragging out ladders and spending a whole afternoon on it. This build attacks that problem head on: a rig that installs string lights along high rooflines from the ground, and that the maker says can be taken down and put up again in 60 seconds. That kind of turnaround for a yearly chore sounds very appealing to me.
The construction is refreshingly simple. Two long poles made from half-inch PVC electrical conduit are joined at a central apex to form a hinged assembly, and light strands are attached along the two rigid conduits. The conduit came in grey and was painted white, which I think is a smart finish for something sitting against roof trim. I like that the whole thing is basically two poles and a hinge, yet it handles a job most people dread.
The install process looks tidy as well. Both poles were raised at once, with the apex of the assembly seated in the gable peak. One side was secured from the hood of a black minivan, sliding the conduit along the roof trim, and the last section was pushed into place beneath the fascia from a yellow stepladder. A thumbs-up right after pressing it into position says everything about how it went.
There is a trade-off worth knowing about. The maker says there was lots of upfront time prepping everything before installation, and that the setup looks meh in daylight, though at night you cannot tell the difference. Apparently the idea came from a post seen a long time ago and only got tried now, which makes me wonder what else is sitting in people's saved ideas.
Project by AlexStratis. Watch it on their YouTube channel: