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Outdoor Lighting

Our homes are our sanctuaries, offering us a peaceful escape from our fast-paced lives. To enhance this private paradise, many homeowners are investing in outdoor landscaping and complementary lighting. Featuring everything from practical path lights and security lighting to garden and deck lighting, the right combination of outdoor lights can beautify any home’s landscaping.

Outdoor Lighting Types
When considering what types of lighting your outdoor sanctuary should feature, first consider your wants and needs. Do you need the safety and security of additional exterior lighting to light up walkways, porches, decks and stairs? Do you want to focus on a particular garden, fountain, or pool? Is there an outstanding landscaping feature you’d like to accentuate? Here are just a few of the outdoor lighting options that can meet your needs:

• area lights
• flag pole lights
• fountain and pool lights
• garden lights 
• lampposts and post lights
• landscaping flood lights
• path lights for walkways
• security lighting
• step, deck and porch lighting
• well lights.

Lighting Techniques
Once you’ve decided what types of outdoor lighting you want, you will need to decide how to best use that lighting. Popular outdoor lighting techniques include:

• Backlighting: Using this technique, outdoor lights like garden lights are placed behind an area to draw attention to it. This can be used to subtly light a favorite landscape feature or waterscape or to silhouette plants in the foreground of a garden.
  
  
• Downlighting: By mounting lights in trees or on a roof, outdoor lighting shines light down onto plants, landscaping, decks and patios or other outdoor areas. Sparse lighting can provide a splash of light to accentuate a lovely garden, while brighter lights may be mounted for safety and security purposes.
  
  
• Highlighting: Highlighting is a popular technique used to put the focus on outdoor sculptures, fountains, plants, gardens, arbors and patios.
  
  
• Path Lighting and Area Lighting: For safety as well as aesthetics, many homeowners add path lights or area lights to brighten paths, walkways and stairs. Some use soft lighting along the ground, while others prefer lights on top of posts, ranging from ankle to knee height.
  
  
• Uplighting: One of the most common techniques is uplighting, where floodlights are placed at the bottom of a tree or flagpole and pointed upward. For a simple design, use one light. To light a tree or flag from multiple angles, try crosslighting with several lights. This technique is ideal for illuminating trees, walls and other large structures.

Voltage Options
When security is a consideration, standard 120-volt lighting is often used. This option provides the most light and, as a result, uses the most electricity. Because the higher voltage is subject to electrical codes, it is best to hire a licensed electrician for such jobs. In addition, the available styles may be limited or unattractive.

Low voltage 12-volt lighting, on the other hand, works well for most purposes and uses less electricity than higher voltage lighting. These lights are available in do-it-yourself kits that can often be installed in a weekend. Low voltage outdoor lighting works well to highlight landscaping features or to illuminate small outdoor spaces. Transformers will allow you to run multiple lights without using a lot of voltage. However, some of the less expensive low voltage fixtures may not be well made.

In recent years, solar lighting has grown in popularity. While these lights are dimmer than low voltage lighting, they provide a nice, soft glow and are ideal for highlighting gardens and other small spaces. This option is particularly affordable, as well as eco-friendly, since it doesn’t use electricity. However, solar lights must be placed properly to ensure the solar sensors are not blocked by plants, trees or other tall structures.

Affordability
Many lighting options, in many price ranges, are available to homeowners interested in outdoor lighting. How much you spend on lighting depends on your needs and budget. For the thrifty homeowner, visit your local home improvement store for do-it-yourself lighting kits.

Low voltage light kits, for example, come in groups of six to twelve lights and can be found in the $120 price range. Other lighting systems, including solar lights, can be purchased for less than $90. For those on a budget, it isn’t necessary to install all of your outdoor lighting at once. Instead, consider adding different groups of lights every year.

For high end or higher voltage lights, in addition to the cost of lighting, homeowners will need to factor in the cost of design and electrical experts. Such lighting projects can cost thousands of dollars.

Benefits of Outdoor Lighting
Not only can outdoor lighting provide additional safety and security to your landscaping, but it can add immeasurable beauty to your surroundings. Outdoor lights are a true investment in your home, adding value to the artfully landscaped property. After all, doesn’t your sanctuary deserve the very best?