Outdoor Landscape Lighting Installation: What Gets Lit and Why|Planning a Landscape Lighting Installation

Start with what you want to see

Where roofline lighting handles the house, landscape lighting takes care of the yard: paths, garden beds, trees and stairs. Done well, you notice the yard and not the fixtures. Done badly, you get a line of glowing dots along the path and not much else.

What usually gets lit

Path lighting is usually the starting point, since walking to the door in the dark is the daily problem. A light aimed up into a tree gives the yard depth after sunset. Then there are garden beds, stairs and walls where the light is about footing, and the parking area.

Landscape, patio and security lighting are related jobs

The request is rarely just one type of lighting. Out back, patio lighting is the difference between a patio you use and one you look at. Security lighting covers the dark corners, the side yard, the area behind the garage. Accent lighting highlights the parts of the house or yard worth a second look.

What to avoid

The most common mistake is volume. Even light across the whole yard removes the shadow that gives a yard shape. Badly aimed fixtures throw glare down the walk instead of on the ground. The third is forgetting that plants grow, when the shrub in front of the uplight has doubled.

The commercial side

On commercial property the goals shift. A restaurant patio has to be comfortable to sit in after dark. A parking area is about people getting to their cars. A neighborhood entrance sets the tone for everything behind it, which is why entrances get lit carefully.

Combining the two

The two solve different problems, and most properties want both. Roofline light gives the house a shape after dark, and landscape light gives the ground in front of it depth.Doing them in one plan beats adding one to the other later. If the budget only covers one this year, a good designer will tell you which half to do first, and it is not always the roofline.Unlike a roofline system, ground level fixtures shift. Mowers, mulch and seasons nudge fixtures out of position. Once a year it is worth walking the yard and correcting the aim, which is a short job with a visible result.

How to start

A landscape lighting installation should be designed at the property, preferably with somebody who https://evercrestlighting.com/contact/ has seen it after dark. EverCrest Lighting installs landscape lighting as well as patio, accent, security and permanent LED roofline lighting for residential and commercial properties. They are based in Greenville, South Carolina and serve Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. The consultation is free and the design is drawn for your property. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or [email protected].

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