Professional crew decks the halls, and more
Bill Hazen, from Grandview Landscaping, pulls wreathes and other decorations off of his truck before decorating a home for the holidays. (Photo: Alex Lewis)
By AARON MORRISON
MORRISTOWN THIS WEEK
Some towns in Morris County are known for being home to property owners who are unusually enthusiastic about lighting up their yards for the holidays.
There are others who equally enjoy the spirit of the holiday season, but prefer to leave the decorating to professionals.
That's where Morristown resident and landscaping expert Bill Hazen comes in.
"In some cases, people want it all done the week before Thanksgiving, so they can just turn a switch on," said Hazen, who launched Grandview Landscape & Masonry in 1993.
With a staff of 12 to 15 and more than two dozen job requests leading up to the holiday season, Hazen says the projects end up being a collaboration between his ideas and materials the home owner may already have lying in the attic.
Hazen and his team will hang holiday lights from house gutters, drape them around shrubs, and wrap them around trees. They also hang wreaths and garland in entry ways, on light posts and around mailboxes.
All greenery is fresh, nothing is artificial, Hazen said.
"The easiest requests are anything on the ground," Hazen said. "Once you start going up the ladder, it becomes very time consuming."
Hazen and an assistant, Pablo Vasquez of Morristown, completed a modest display for lifelong Morristown resident Richard Wade.
Wade's Spring Brook Road home was outfitted with lights on the gutters, lights on a 12-foot tall tree and lights on several shrubs. Red bows, garland and wreaths were also hung around at the front door.
"The benefit for me is that I don't have to climb up a ladder," said Wade, a real estate attorney who lives alone. "These guys are more professional than anything I'd do myself."
Hazen's company had installed stone walkways and driveways during a recent remodeling project at Wade's home. He rehired Grandview for the holiday decorating, and left design ideas up to Hazen's team.
"They've been doing this for several years so there's nothing I can lend to the design conversation," Wade said. "It was the same thing with the landscaping; I left that all up to (Bill)."
Hazen said he gets the occasional call from customers who don't realize their requests pose a significant design or execution challenge.
"I get a couple of calls every now and then where people want to light 45-foot tall trees," Hazen said. "They don't understand it'll take a good day and a half to light the thing, and another day and half to take it down."
That sort of a job isn't impossible, Hazen said. "We'd have to get a bucket truck."
Vasquez, who has worked with Hazen for a few years, said all roof jobs require an extra man for safety.
As for trends in decorating, Hazen says standard lights have remained more popular than LED lights, which use less energy and last longer.
"People still aren't used to the brightness of the LEDs," Hazen said.
Grandview will install displays as late as the day before Christmas and remove decorations in January and February.
Hazen said weather and animals can pose a challenge for holiday displays. Heavy ice can rip down hanging lights. Squirrels, Hazen says, have been known to chew through lighting wires.
"There's something about the copper in the wires than attracts animals," he said.
For more on Hazen's work, visit http://www.grandviewoutdoor.com.
Aaron Morrison: 973-428-6633; amorrison@gannett.com.