What is permanent holiday lighting?

A row of individually addressable color LEDs in an aluminum track, fixed under the eaves or fascia and left up all year. You pick scenes from an app: holiday colors in December, team colors on game day, warm white every other night.

Can you see the track during the day?

From the street, rarely. The track is color-matched to the trim or soffit and sits under the eave line, so it reads as part of the fascia. Up close, on a ladder, you can see it.

Does it survive Tacoma weather?

Yes. The lights and track are rated for outdoor use, and the controller sits inside the garage or a sealed enclosure. Rain, wind and freezing nights are the conditions it is designed for.

Permanent Holiday Lighting in Tacoma

Q: What drives the cost?

Feet of roofline, how many corners and peaks the track has to follow, how many separate runs the house needs, and access. A two-story Craftsman with steep gables takes longer than a rambler. We quote from a measured walk-around.

Permanent holiday lighting in Tacoma: is JellyFish worth it?

JellyFish is a track of color-changing LEDs mounted under the roofline that runs holiday scenes in December and warm white the rest of the year. Here is how it works on Tacoma homes, what the install involves and what drives the cost.

Yes, if the November ladder trip is the part you want gone. JellyFish is a slim aluminum track under the roofline. It runs holiday colors in December, team colors on game day and warm white the rest of the year, all from an app. Rivas Technology Group installs it on Tacoma homes from Kent.

By Ivan Rivas, Owner and Sales Engineer · 2025-11-20 · Updated 2026-09-17

Permanent holiday lighting in Tacoma: is JellyFish worth it?

Why are Tacoma homeowners putting up lights they never take down?

Because the ladder trip twice a year is the part nobody enjoys, and a permanent track removes it. JellyFish lighting is a slim aluminum channel that mounts under the roofline once, holds color-changing LED pucks, and takes its instructions from a controller and an app. In December it runs red and green. On a Seahawks Sunday it runs blue and green. The rest of the year it runs a soft warm white that outlines the house after dark. Nothing goes up in November and nothing comes down in January.

We install these across Tacoma, from the North End to hillside homes with rooflines you would not want to climb. The two questions we hear first are whether the hardware is visible in daylight and whether it lasts in our weather. The answers are below, along with what the install involves.

Will the track show in daylight?

From the sidewalk, no; the track is matched to the trim color and mounted where the fascia meets the soffit. JellyFish supplies the channel in several finishes, and we pick the one closest to the paint. The LED pucks sit inside the channel facing down and out, so what you see by day is a thin line that reads as part of the trim. By night the house outline lights evenly, without the visible bulbs and wires of clip-on strings.

What can the lights do besides Christmas?

Any color, any pattern, on a schedule you set from your phone. The pucks are individually addressable, so a run can chase, fade, alternate or hold a single tone.

Homeowners use them for Halloween orange, Fourth of July, birthdays and a wedding in the backyard. More than anything else, they use everyday warm white for curb appeal and a lit path to the front door. Scenes can be scheduled by time or sunset. If the house runs Control4, the same scene can join the "Evening" or "Away" routine with the rest of the lighting, which is covered on the smart lighting page.

Why do Tacoma rooflines suit it?

Because Tacoma housing is varied and much of it is tall, and permanent track handles both. Craftsman homes in Proctor and the Stadium District have deep eaves and strong trim lines that the light follows well. Newer builds in the South End have long clean fascias. Hillside homes above Ruston Way and near Point Defiance gain a lit outline that is visible from the water and the road below. Multi-level rooflines that make string lights a chore are the ones that benefit most. The track goes up once, by a crew with the right ladders and anchors, and stays.

What does the installation involve?

Five steps, and the price is fixed before we start.

Measure. We walk the house, measure every run of roofline, note peaks, corners and soffit depth, and confirm where the controller and power will live.
Color match. Track finish is chosen against the trim so the channel disappears by day.
Mount and wire. Track goes up under the eave, runs are joined at corners, and the low-voltage feed is routed hidden to the controller. No exposed cable on the siding.
Program. We set up the app, build your first scenes and schedules, and show you how to change them.
Warranty. Our installation workmanship carries a 90-day warranty (pricing and policies), and we are 25 minutes away in Kent if something needs attention.

Because we hold WA electrical contractor license RIVASGL799DR, the power connection is done by our team, not left for someone else.

What drives the cost?

Roofline length is the main driver; corners, peaks and access set the rest. A single-story rambler with a simple rectangle is the smallest job. A two-story home with gables, dormers and a detached garage has more track, more corner joints and more ladder time. A second controller is needed when runs are long or on separate structures. We do not publish a per-foot price because the corners and the height matter more than the footage. The instant quote gives you a number in minutes and the measured walk-around turns it into a fixed proposal.

Need it installed?

We design and install JellyFish permanent lighting as part of outdoor living and smart lighting projects across Tacoma and the South Sound. See what else we do for Tacoma homes, or book a walk-around and Rivas Technology Group will measure the roofline and send a fixed price.