Whether you are installing lights for evenings out on the porch, to illuminate pathways for safety, or highlighting a gorgeous night scene, getting the basics right will give you a good chance at achieving what you envision. Over 20 years we have mastered the art of landscape lighting, staying up to date on the latest technologies and designs. Here are our five essential guidelines that will apply to any landscape lighting project:

1) Rule of thumb

The goal behind beautiful landscape lighting is to produce a full moonlit look—you are not aiming to create reading light, but enhancing the landscape like the moon would. Landscape lighting and security lighting are two different things. Landscape lighting will help with security, but it is meant to make your landscape attractive at night. Properly done, a landscape can look even better at night that it does in the day, as you can highlight and accentuate specific areas.

2) Do not shine lights into windows

Do this and you create shadows and glare. Landscape lighting should be as pretty to the person inside the house as it is for someone outside. Shining a light into the window blinds people looking out. It could also be dangerous if you were not able to see someone outside your home.

3) Determine what you want out of your landscape lighting

Do you want safe pathways and specific areas highlighted (waterfalls, statues, certain plants), or do you want lighting for evening use on an open patio? Work with your designer to figure out the functionality you need. Low voltage or line voltage will be determined by needs. Make sure uplights are not shining in people’s faces so they are not blinded as they move around your landscape.

4) Use correct wattage and styles for what you want

Choose from uplights, down lighting, path lighting, and decorative lighting. Path lights can be basic or ornamental. We design path lights to disappear in daylight, but you may want a pretty fixture for high visibility during the day.

5) Run wires where they will not be dug up or cut

This means you may not be able to take the shortest path! Make sure to leave extra wire near each fixture; as the landscape adjusts and grows, you will have enough line to move the light if needed. The quality lighting systems we use should last 20 years or more; your landscape is sure to mature or change over that timeframe.

Landscape lighting can be a graceful addition to your yard and allow you to enjoy the outdoors at night. For any questions about landscape lighting, or projects we have designed or installed, contact us or call (317) 997-4803.