Outdoor Lighting
Winter has finally come…to an end. Now, it’s Spring and the pleasant weather that comes with it means more time to spend outside. It’s great that you now get to enjoy your landscape during the day, but many people don’t get to appreciate their landscape at night.
A low-voltage landscape lighting system not only highlights the best features of your landscape, but also allows you to entertain outside at night and take advantage of the perfect weather. Apart from turning your yard into a more beautiful outdoor space, outdoor lighting elevates it into a functional space as well.
Lighting Up Your Night
Fortunately for you, there are various ways you can place landscape lights in your backyard based on your needs. Below we’ll teach you how you can light up your property for safety, security, and added beauty so you can enjoy outdoor Spring nights without worry.
Getting Started: What You Need to Know
Before you start planning your light placement and purchasing equipment, you must decide on a few things. This includes knowing which exterior areas you want to be lit up, what lighting techniques to use, the appropriate accessories, or even if your yard can support outdoor lighting.
First, you need to check if your house has outdoor outlets. If there are, you’re good to go. But if you do not have one, an electrician can easily install some around your property, or your landscape service may be able to provide another solution. Outdoor outlets are vital in a landscape lighting system because these are where you’ll plug in your outdoor lights.
Next, you have to determine the purpose of installing your outdoor lights. Are you doing it for security against burglars, safety along your walking path or pool area, for style and aesthetics, or a combination of these reasons? Depending on your answer, the design of your landscape lighting may vary.
Landscape Lighting for Safety
If your outdoor living space is dark, walking outside your property at night can be hazardous. In the dark areas around your house, you may bump into hardscapes and plants or slip on your outdoor pavers. Eliminate this risk by installing landscape lighting around the house.
Light up Pathways
With pathway lights, you can see where you’re stepping on or driving. This keeps you on these designated pathways instead of on your lawn, where you may trample grass and other flora that are blooming beautifully this Spring.
Lights in pathways are often low to the ground and in the shape of short street lamps, called garden lights. Most of these lamps have bulbs placed in a higher position so the heat emanating from them cannot hurt the plants they’re illuminating.
Light up Driveways
If the driveway leading to your garage doesn’t get enough illumination, you or visitors may have a hard time following the pavement. Plus, lighting your driveway up should be a no-brainer decision.
When consulting with a landscape design company about installing driveway lights, consider that your best option might be motion sensor lighting. This way, you don’t waste energy by lighting your driveway when no one’s using it, but the light is there the moment someone comes in.
Landscape Lighting for Security
While enjoying Spring nights in your yard, you still have to factor in your and your property’s security. When your landscape is dark, burglars might see it as an opportunity to attack, though they’ve been known to mostly do so during the daytime. On the other hand, a well-lit landscape can deter people with bad intentions.
Light up Entrances
Lit entryways can discourage intruders. We recommend lighting up all your entryways, not just the main one. Thieves can find a way into your home even through backdoors and windows. If you install motion sensor lights in these areas, burglars are likely to scramble away.
Light up Property Boundaries and Open Areas
You might think the areas farther from your home doesn’t need to be lit, but it is good practice to do so. Boundary lights keep people out of areas they should not be in and can help keep burglars out. Also, intruders who trigger motion sensor lights when breaking and entering into your home are likely to escape to or hide in the darker areas of your property. This may include your pool, garden, or the open expanse of your yard.
Uplights are perfect for landscape boundary lighting because it helps you see the walls or shrubbery surrounding your property, as well as other kinds of edges. If there are people who shouldn’t have set foot in your property, boundary lights help you see them immediately.
Landscape Lighting for Aesthetic
Of course, one of the main reasons you might be considering landscape lighting is for its aesthetic value. Outdoor lighting acts like jewelry for your property. It enhances and puts the focus on the beautiful features of your property that are already there. With that in mind, you need to know where to strategically put landscape lighting around your property.
Navigate the Stairs
Steps that are warmly glowing leading up to your home make for a striking picture. This is what strips of LED lights do when placed along the base of your stairs. Apart from having a well-lit path, the glow from the lights adds elegance to your property.
Brighten Dark Areas
Even if you have wide windows that let light out, there may be corners around your home that the light doesn’t reach. Try to identify these areas at night so you’ll know exactly where to place lights in. Downlights are a great choice for these dark corners. These are lights coming from somewhere high up and cast broad illumination over the area they cover.
Illuminate Focal Points
If you want to play up beautiful features around your property, there’s no better way to do it than by highlighting them at night. If you’re particularly fond of your house’s façade, then place uplights or downlights that illuminate your home in a theatrical fashion. If there are landscape improvements, such as a rock fountain or a particularly stunning flowerbed, you may opt to focus accent lights or spotlights on those.
Light up the Deck and Patio
Who says your deck or patio can only be functional in the daylight? By adding lanterns or strings of lightbulbs, you can successfully host a dinner party celebrating the Spring in these areas.
Lanterns and strings of light are efficient and inexpensive tools that add light to your backyard or deck. And because they come in a wide range of styles, they can easily set the mood you’re going for.
Transform Your Outdoors
A landscape lighting system is a feature you should consider adding to your property. From your front yard and your entryway to your pool and back patio, landscape lighting from Landscapes Unlimited enhances the look and feel of your outdoor living spaces.
If you want to transform your property from so-so to spectacular, call us today at (651) 216-2883.
