Christmas Light Installation in Olivette, Missouri

Trees first, roofline second

Olivette occupies a genuinely pleasant piece of mid-county between Ladue, Creve Coeur and University City, on streets like Old Bonhomme and Price where the lots are generous and the trees are old. The housing runs the full mid-county range: long low mid-century ranches with wide horizontal eaves, traditional two-stories, and an increasing number of large new builds on lots that used to hold something smaller.

That mix is why Olivette quotes vary so much street to street. A long single-story ranch and a new four-gable build a few doors down are different amounts of work, and pricing them the same would just mean one of you is subsidizing the other.

What each house type needs

Those long horizontal eaves are the signature Olivette challenge. There is nothing to break the line, so the run has to be dead level over a long distance and clipped at exactly the same depth the whole way. The newer rebuilds have the opposite geometry — tall, busy fronts with several gable planes and a two-story entry — and need planning instead of patience. On both, the tree canopy means a good portion of the display is better placed low.

• Long eave runs set level and checked from the far end of the drive before we call it done
• Wrapped specimen trees, which on a wooded Olivette lot do more than any amount of roofline
• Entry, urns and carriage lights handled as a single composition
• Warm white throughout, timers set on the day, repairs and January takedown included

We work Olivette alongside Ladue, Creve Coeur and University City, so the crews are on these streets weekly through the season. Happy to walk the property and sketch the look before you commit — (636) 244-6125.