Landscape Lighting: Putting you on the Right Path

It’s Saturday night and you’re arriving home after dinner and a movie. You forgot to turn on the outside light and you suddenly notice how dark everything looks. It’s clear that nobody is home. How safe are your house and possessions when you’re not there?

Lighting the exterior of your house and/or garden is a great way to enhance both the safety and beauty of your home environment. If you’re intimidated by the idea of outdoor or landscape lighting, don’t be. Just grab a piece of paper, go outside to take a look around and jot down a few notes.

1. Design

Decide what areas or features could – or should – be illuminated. Your front doorstep or porch probably already has an exterior fixture, but what about the path to the door? How about the driveway? Are there multiple entrances? Lighting the most frequently-used entry path is a good place to start.

If you have a garden, step back and assess some basic features. Is there a stand of trees that would benefit from uplighting? Do you have a dramatic feature such as a fountain or pond languishing in the dark? Uplighting a tree or water feature adjoining the entry path is a great way to add functional ambient light and spotlight a beautiful garden feature at the same time. A trellis or archway looks spectacular at night with some simple uplights.

   

2. Purchase

Choose the lights. The variety of landscape lighting is staggering, but there are some guidelines you can follow depending on what needs light. Consider 25-watt incandescent lighting for soft, even illumination of the façade of your house or as an accent beneath a bush. Add deck lights to the face of your deck posts to illuminate stairs and give your next deck party a welcoming feel.

During the day, nobody should notice that you have landscape lighting. How is this achieved?  There are path lights with hoods that provide even lighting for entryways – and then “disappear” into the background during the daytime. Accent lights can be buried in the ground – only to become noticeable at night, when they’re uplighting a shrub or tree. Lights should never “glare” in your face as you approach your home either on foot or by car.

Decorative outdoor lighting – such as a lamp post or sidelight – is an exception to the “disappearing” rule. In those cases, you want to make a personal statement, so you will be selecting lighting that fits your personal style and/or home design.

Take some basic measurements: the length of the pathway(s) you want to illuminate; the distance from the end of your driveway to the front porch or deck, or count the number of features you wish to light.

3. Install

Install your selected lighting. Here’s where you can benefit from the experts’ knowledge. Once you know where and what you’re illuminating, talk to the experts. They can advise you on the number of lights and other supplies you will need, including a transformer and cabling.

Installing low-voltage lighting is straight-forward, but the store’s lighting experts will be able to walk you through it step-by-step. Since you will be installing a shock-free 12-volt system, there is no danger of electrocution. However, always use caution when working with electricity. Turn off the power when you’re doing the work, and use the proper tools. Check for a lighting seminar or call on the store’s lighting professionals if you have questions.

Good work! The next time you’re arriving at your elegantly-lit home after that movie, you’ll feel welcomed and safe – exactly the effect you wanted to achieve.

Sidebar 
Dark Sky: Avoiding Light Pollution

The International Dark-Sky Association encourages home owners to use outdoor lighting responsibly to avoid “light pollution” and to conserve energy and resources.

• Be environmentally savvy. Use the lowest possible wattage to achieve the light levels you need.

• When possible, use motion sensors for functional lighting.

• Try to aim uplights no higher than your house eaves.

• Minimize glare towards neighbors’ houses or passing pedestrians and vehicles.

• Ask about CFL bulbs. Not only will they save energy, they usually last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescents.

Ask about CFL bulbs. Not only will they save energy, they usually last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescents.