Installing landscape lighting is among the best improvements you can make to your home. It allows you to get the most out of your landscaping. Outdoor lighting can increase the functionality, safety and curb appeal of your home. It allows you and your guests to safely navigate into your walkways without tripping on steps and stones. Outdoor landscape lighting can allow you to use your landscape structures, patios, or decks into the evening hours. Here is how to illuminate your yard with landscape lighting.
How to Set up The Best Landscape Lighting for Your Home
– Consider the Reasons to Use Landscape Lighting
Before making that investment on your outdoor lighting, first, consider the reasons to use landscape lighting. Perhaps you want to provide safety in your home by illuminating the walkways, driveways, stairs, and entryways. Maybe you don’t want to limit your outdoor entertainment to daylight hours alone. Knowing the purpose of your outdoor lighting will allow you to choose the appropriate type to install.
– Make a Sketch of Your Landscape
After defining the reasons why you want to install outdoor lighting, now you can sketch your yard. Include all the existing structures such as trees and shrubs, buildings, benches, existing lights, decorations, and vegetation. Each of these elements you have highlighted will either absorb or reflect light. Estimate the height of each of these objects.
– Choose The Light Source
There are three common types of sources for outdoor lighting you can choose from; high-voltage, solar lighting, and low-voltage. Each of the three sources has their benefits and limitations; some yards may be more suitable to use one source compared to the other. If you prefer an environmentally friendly source or you are operating on a budget, solar lighting may be a good source. If you have several features to illumiate, or if you have a large yard, the high-voltage source may be a good option. Low-voltage lighting is the most common since it requires a smaller transformer and consumes less power.
– Decide Where the Lighting Will be Placed
Place the lighting in certain locations depending on their purpose. For you to illuminate a bench along the path, place the light on the bench. You can ask also ask a professional for his/her advice on light placement.
– Know the Cost Involved
Factor in the type of lighting you are looking for and calculate the cost. Consider the cost of buying all the equipment including the bulbs and paying a professional landscaper. You should also consider the cost of upkeep. When factoring in your cost, pay close attention to the provided warranty and how long it covers.
– Set Up The Lighting
If you would like to highlight a single item in your yard such as a fountain or statue, you should then consider using fewer outdoor lighting fixtures with lower intensity bulbs. Place them at different distances and angles. A single bright light that is directly shining on the object will create harsh shadows.
Let The Bay Area Landscaping Experts Install Landscape Lighting for You!
If you are looking forward to improving the curb appeal of your home with outdoor lighting and don’t know where to begin, let us at Viking Pavers help you. Viking Pavers is a Bay Area paver installation company that specializes in the installation of stone paver driveways, outdoor kitchens, walkways, fire pits, retaining walls and patios.
