Install before the snow settles, because the window closes fast: at Montréal-Trudeau, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1991–2020 climate normals put average snowfall at 1.1 cm in October, 16.3 cm in November and 48.2 cm in December. If you are still thinking of permanent lighting as a Christmas-lights replacement, the practical point is simpler than the seasonal one: it goes up once, and you never carry the ladder out again.
Quick reference
- Montréal snowfall normals: 1.1 cm in October, 16.3 cm in November, 48.2 cm in December.
- November mean temperature: 2.3 °C — snow falls, melts and refreezes through the month.
- The rail mounts under the soffit, following the roofline, with no exposed wire.
- After the install, everything changes in the app: colours, schedules, zones.
- Install timing is planned job by job — ask us where the calendar stands when you call.
How much snow falls before December?
Almost none in October, then it turns. ECCC’s normals put November at 16.3 cm against October’s 1.1 cm — roughly fifteen times more snow in one month. November’s mean temperature is 2.3 °C, so it falls, melts and refreezes, and a driveway is not the same surface in the morning as it is at three in the afternoon.
December adds 48.2 cm on top. That is also the month most people finally get around to decorating.
What snow changes on a facade
A second-storey soffit is straightforward from a stable ladder on dry ground. The same footing on a glazed driveway is a different job entirely.
Peaks make the point clearest. They are the highest, least reachable parts of the house, and they are exactly what draws the building’s shape after dark — so they are the last thing anyone wants to skip. When the site visit happens before the snow, we walk the full perimeter: roofline, peaks, columns, porch, first storey. Every soffit level gets lit, not just the top one.
The visit photos also feed the 3D mockup of your own house. They read better before snow covers the trim lines and the soffit colour, because that is what the finish choice comes out of — there are more than 120 of them.
What you stop doing in December
Once the rail is up, the decorating part happens sitting down. You pick a scene, schedule it, and it comes on by itself at sunset. Holiday lighting becomes a setting rather than a Saturday.
The rest of the year the same rail runs warm white for everyday, a security setting overnight, and colour when there is a reason for it. One permanent system covers what spotlights, seasonal lights and part of your security lighting used to do separately — all four services are built on the same idea.
What it does not solve
Permanent lighting draws the architecture. It does not decorate your yard. If your December depends on an outdoor tree, inflatables and garlands in the hedges, you will still be outside in the cold — the rail lights the building, not the lot.
The product side has a real limit too. Depending on the facade, the line is made of light bars or of an addressable pixel rail, and the warranty is not the same: three years on light bars and landscape lighting, twelve years on controllers and pixels. Labour is a separate warranty at three years. After those three years the covered parts stay covered, but the service visit is billed hourly.
For the ground itself, that is a different system — landscape lighting lives in the beds and the trees rather than under the soffit.
Common questions
Is it too late once the snow has arrived? That is a job-by-job answer. Timing depends on the site and the season — call us at (450) 999-7258 and we will tell you where the calendar stands.
How long does the installation take? Most homes are done in one to three days. Larger projects with several zones and awkward access take longer.
Does the system handle a Quebec winter? Yes. The components are IP68 rated and tested to −40 °C, and the aluminum rail sits under the soffit rather than exposed to direct snow load.
Can I still put up my own Christmas decorations? Yes. Plenty of clients keep the wreath and the tree and leave the roofline to the permanent system. There are more answers of this kind on the FAQ page.
Is my town covered? We cover a wide part of Greater Montréal and several regions around it. The full list is on the service area page.
If you would rather plan this before the first real snowfall, a free on-site estimate gets you a 3D mockup of your own house before you commit to anything.