Landscape outdoor lights installation

A landscape lighting plan may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be a difficult undertaking. Whether you are considering brightening up your yard to spend extra time outdoors with friends and family, to increase the market value of your house, or even for the added security, there are some important things to consider:

1. What do you want to highlight?
What you love about your home and landscape will be accentuated with outdoor lighting. What are your favourite parts of the house or garden that you want to bring to life? Unique elements in the architecture of your property can be illuminated, but you сan also use the lighting in a functional way—guiding lights along your paths, deck, stairs, walkways, and driveway will make it safer to travel those areas after daylight hours.
Consider what you want to leave in the dark, because when it comes to elegant landscape lighting—less is more. Don’t listen to the instinct that tells you to light up each and every dark corner because, unless it is for security, it could wash-out your yard and run up the electricity bill.

Tasteful lighting will be a play with the light and the darkness, and it will shade and highlight the aspects of the landscape that are asking to be featured or subdued, creating a distinguished atmosphere and making the space feel special while bringing about a dynamic contrast from the daytime look and feel of the area. A well-lit space will create an inviting contrast at night to enjoy your beautiful yard for extended hours, and a well-lit entryway will safely navigate members of your family and friends to your home.
 

2. What type of lights you will need.
The main types of lights used in landscapes are spotlights (or up-lights), and path lights. Path lights are, of course, primarily used for lighting paths and walkways, or defining the edges of your garden, whereas spotlights direct their beam upwards to illuminate a standing focal point such as a tree or architectural feature. For best results you would want to use a combination of both types of lights in your landscape.
In general, the goal of outdoor lighting is to illuminate without being seen. The light source itself (with the exception of path lights) is not the feature on display, although they are designed to be decorative with lots of varieties available in different finishes.

In-ground lights, called spotlights or up-lights (sometimes referred to as a well light), are usually in the shape of a circle that is installed directly into the ground, with a beam directed upwards to illuminate artifacts above them, displaying the sophistication of a tree or statue after dusk settles in the yard. They can also be used to light up paths, walkways, and driveways to heighten the visibility and bring about safe passage after dark.

Up-lights can capture characteristics not visible during the day. Focus on lighting up features that hold a strong presence in your landscape, and avoid the small and short things that will be lost in the brilliance that is cast upwards. They are also used to wash light up stone walls.

Path lights create light markers that form a line, effortlessly improving curb appeal as they illuminate a walkway, path, or driveway to safely navigate in the dark. They are a basic landscape feature that every yard would benefit having. Consider the height of the path lights when choosing to install them—for an even luminescense, 12-15 inches is the optimal height, and for the borders the light should be approximately within one foot of the sides of the walkway/path being illuminated. To steer clear of overcrowding, notice the diameter of the light cast around the fixture itself and install the neighbouring fixture outside of it.

Since path lights remain exposed outside, make sure to choose the ones made of materials that will resist corrosion. Be sure to consider a design that will withstand the weather outdoors as well as enhance the visible appeal of your property.

3. Determine the colour temperature that you would like to have illuminating your landscape.
What sort of atmosphere would you like to incorporate into the aesthetic outside your home? The colour sets the tone, and it is important to keep it consistent for an even, coordinated look—a vast range of colour temperatures are available with many options to choose from. The advancement of LED technology has afforded us the opportunity to select from a wide array of options to personify your space with your preferred style and  temperature of illumination, with many different shades of lights available. Lighting is measured in Degrees Kelvin (K), and the higher the number, the bluer (and cooler) the hue of the light. For example, from about 3500K to 4100K, you will find a bright white light. Going below 3500K will give the space a warmer look and feel. Brightness, which is measured in “lumens” (previously known as “wattage”), will not be affected by which colour temperature you choose, it simply tells us how much light is being radiated by the light source—you can find fixtures with adjustable lumen output to control the brightness yourself. The colour temperature of the lighting will play a role in determining how many lights you will need to use to create the brightness you want in your yard at night.

4. Check if the necessary outlets are available to install lighting fixtures.
In general, most of the newly constructed homes come already equipped with outlet sources outside (usually on the right and left corners of the house), but you’d want to check to make sure they are available. It is necessary to contact a licensed electrician if you are unable to locate them. Make sure you are working with the right voltage for your transformer.