Christmas lights for a farmhouse

Light the porch, then the gable

Farmhouses grew by addition, so the roofline is rarely one clean line: a main gable, an ell with its own gable, and a porch roof that often wraps a corner. Start with the covered porch, because it is low, it is where people stand, and its edge is within reach of a ladder. Then run the main gable rakes in the same color. A rake is the sloped edge of a gable; for a 30 ft wide gable at a 10 in 12 pitch each rake is about 19.5 ft, so the pair is about 39 ft.

Board and batten walls take small clips at the batten tops or the porch beam, not at the boards. Leave the siding unclipped and light the posts with garland rather than staples.

Power across the yard

A barn 75 ft from the nearest outlet needs 3 cords of 25 ft. Each joint is a place for water to get in, so use cords marked for outdoor use, raise the connections off the ground with a stake or block and wrap them. Eversource's guidance is to plug outdoor lights into a GFCI outlet, check that lights are labeled for outdoor use, use cords rated for the load, and avoid overloading a circuit. Put the barn on its own timer so it is off overnight.

Lights are light on power: ENERGY STAR says certified LED strings use about 92% less energy than incandescent, and a 100 ft LED C9 string draws roughly 25 W. The cord run matters more than the load. Keep it where the mower, truck and animals will not catch it, and walk it each week to check the joints.

Metal roofs and overhead lines

• Do not screw or nail through a metal roof. Use manufacturer-approved clips or magnets, and check the roof warranty first.
• Farm service drops often come close to the house and barn. OSHA requires nonconductive side rails where a ladder could contact live equipment, and Eversource says never to raise a ladder into or near power lines. Look up before you set the ladder.
• Choose a ladder with nonconductive (fiberglass) rails whenever there is any chance of reaching a wire.
• Wet and cold make metal roofs slick. Light the gable edge from the ladder only.

Looks that suit a farmhouse

• Farmhouse rustic: warm white, garland on the porch, wreath on the door.
• Hallmark cozy: the porch is the main stage.
• Candy cane: path stakes along the walk to the door.

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