As the days get shorter and the evenings get darker, there is no better time to think about adding some landscape lighting. However, before you DIY-ers think you can handle the job, there’s a few things you might want to consider. While there is nothing wrong with swinging by your local hardware or department store and snagging a few solar lights to plant in your garden, once the darkness of the night comes, your lighting job will prove to less effective than you believed. This is exactly why and why you should turn to the pros.
Eye for Design
Much like any landscaping, not all types and styles of lighting look good on every home or property. For example, bright floodlights may illuminate a home with a larger, tree covered property, but would overpower a smaller, more suburban lot – And annoy the neighbours, presumably. A professional landscaper not only has an eye for design, but can help to create the proper light set-up specific to your home and it’s purpose, without taking away from your other property details.
What Goes Where?
There is a big difference between ambient lighting, security lighting and lighting used to illuminate a large area. For a front garden or walkway, you’ll want something soft and inviting – Not blinding your visitors when they stop by for dinner. Front lighting should be more subdued, offering visibility, while enhancing your home’s appearance.
If you’re looking for more of a security-style lighting, you will want to look for possible options such as motion sensors, and have the lighting ready to illuminate dark corners where unwanted people may be hiding. In other words, less inviting! This style of lighting, while rarely used to amp up your curb appeal, can however be a major deterrent for home burglaries, but again, should be left to be installed by the professionals.
Larger areas such as pools, patios and backyards require completely different lighting and set-up. While you don’t want your patio party guests tripping over each other, you also want to keep your evening as atmospheric as possible. A landscape lighting professional can help you to add unique feature such as built in stair lights, outward facing spot lights and even some ambient overhead lighting to keep your starry night aesthetic.
A DIY Don’t
The idea of swapping a light fixture in a kitchen or bathroom seems like a relatively standard task for most homeowners, especially with some basic instructions and a YouTube tutorial or two. Truth be told, landscape lighting is not the same. On top of having the correct style of lighting, a landscape professional will also be able to gage the proper wattage and wiring in order to keep you home safe, your electricity bills down and you home’s curb appeal making the neighbours envious. This is definitely one project we strongly warn against attempting to do yourself, sorry Pinterest fans.
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