Landscape lighting transforms your outdoor spaces into captivating wonderlands after dark. It can highlight desired features, add functionality to common areas and even boost your home’s curb appeal.
Wired lights require a transformer and can be linked to timers, switches and photocells to control when the lights turn on/off. This allows for a consistent glow even on cloudy days! Click Here to learn more.
You’ll want to make sure your guests and friends feel safe on your property at night. Illuminated walkways and entrances help deter trespassing and theft. You can also use landscape lighting to illuminate any potential hazards, from loose pavers to uneven steps and stairs. That way, you can avoid injuries and lawsuits caused by people tripping and falling over things they couldn’t see in the dark.
Landscape lighting can also be used to highlight a focal point, such as your home or a particular plant or statue. The light’s distance and angle can be adjusted until you achieve the desired effect. This is referred to as “highlighting” and it’s a great way to add drama to your home or other outdoor features.
If you’re not comfortable with DIY landscape lighting installation, professional installers will be able to handle the job for you. Installers will start by carefully laying out and marking the route of your low-voltage cable and connectors. They’ll then cut through the sod, removing any existing grass or flowers. After laying the cable, they’ll gently tuck it and its connector underneath and into the soil. This will prevent the lights from catching on fire or being damaged by lawn mowers and other garden equipment.
After your installation is complete, it’s important to walk around your yard and check each fixture for proper operation. If you notice that a light isn’t working, it could be because of a power outage or a bulb that needs to be replaced. A faulty switch or transformer may also be the culprit. Before troubleshooting, be sure to turn off your system’s power to avoid electrical shock.
With the right combination of fixtures and design techniques, landscape lighting can bring your property into a whole new light. It can enhance beauty, functionality, security and even increase your property value. The next time you’re hosting a dinner party or relaxing on your patio, consider adding landscape lighting to take your space to the next level. Then, you’ll be able to enjoy it all year round.
Lighting for Beauty
Landscape lighting creates a captivating ambiance that transforms your yard into an unforgettable wonderland. With carefully planned and installed lights, you can highlight beautiful features in your yard while reducing safety hazards, making your home more secure and increasing the livability of your outdoor space.
With the right light placement, you can illuminate trees, shrubs and flowers in your garden or showcase a water feature like a fountain or pond. Lighting can also add a romantic touch to your patio, deck or pool area and create a warm atmosphere for barbecues, parties and relaxing after dark. By choosing the proper wattage and beam spread, you can ensure that your landscape is beautifully lit with minimal power usage.
Use low-voltage landscape lighting to highlight unique architecture or accentuate a tree’s shape or form, or draw attention to a statue or garden ornament. Highlighting landscape elements also makes them more visible at night, preventing accidents from happening in the darkness.
A well-lit pathway or driveway can prevent trips and falls, especially for children and elderly family members. Illuminating stairs, steps and handrails can also help to make them safer for everyone to navigate.
Seasonal lighting celebrates the beauty of each season. It can enhance the lush greens of spring, the rich hues of fall and even the serenity of snow-covered landscapes during winter. It’s also a great way to highlight your outdoor features, bringing them into a new light and transforming the landscape into a living canvas of time’s passing.
With the right lighting, you can add a personal touch and create an enchanting evening ambiance for entertaining and relaxing. You can choose between warm and cool-toned lighting, set timer switches or automate your system with smart controls to turn the lights on and off as you please. With a variety of colors, you can create a romantic mood for dinner with a special someone, or a vibrant party zone for a get-together with friends. The possibilities are endless when it comes to lighting your Utah home’s landscape!
Lighting for Entertainment
Whether you’re hosting a party or just enjoying some time outdoors, your landscape can set the mood and encourage people to relax, dine, socialize and play. By illuminating key areas like patios, outdoor kitchens and water features, you can create a welcoming and fun atmosphere that’s perfect for entertaining.
Achieving this effect is easy with the right lighting design. With the help of a professional, you can make your yard look more cohesive and polished by drawing attention to key design elements. For example, a decorative stone facade or intricate trimwork can be highlighted with the help of a strategically placed light, bringing out its texture and color.
Other techniques can also be used to add visual interest and depth to your landscape. For instance, uplighting can show off the unique shape and form of trees at night. Another option is moonlighting, which involves placing fixtures high in a tree to illuminate its branches and foliage structure with a soft glow. This is also great for highlighting a favorite oak tree, making it the focal point of your garden design.
You can also use lighting to highlight other landscape elements like ponds, fountains and statues. These types of features can be a beautiful addition to any home’s exterior and boost curb appeal and value. Additionally, your professional can help you set the proper ambiance by choosing a light fixture with the ideal color temperature and brightness for the area. Lower temperatures enhance warmth while brighter ones showcase architecture and plants’ true colors, making them more vibrant.
By combining these lighting techniques with smart home automation, you can create a holistic experience that sets the scene and cultivates a comfortable mood for entertaining or relaxing. For example, you can sync your landscape lights with other outdoor technologies, like weatherproof speakers and outdoor TVs. These systems can activate in unison at a single command, playing music and turning on the lights for the perfect ambiance. You can even adjust their settings for different seasons. This will allow you to enjoy a different ambiance for every occasion.
Lighting for Security
Besides creating an elegant, welcoming atmosphere, landscape lighting can be a security feature as well. It’s much harder for intruders to hide in the dark, and motion-activated lights can surprise and deter them. Having your home properly lit also makes it easier for first responders to find your house in the event of an emergency.
The right landscape lighting will highlight your trees, shrubs and plants. It will also highlight the details of your home, like its architectural style and features. Lighting can also illuminate walkways and steps, making them safer for you and your guests to navigate after dusk.
In addition to safety, landscape lighting can create a warm, inviting feeling in your yard and garden at night. By adding pathway lights, up-lighting or down-lighting, and string lights you can transform your backyard into a relaxing oasis.
You’ll want to choose a light color that isn’t too harsh and will complement your landscaping design. A soft yellow or a blue-white hue works well for landscape lighting. You’ll also need to consider the wattage rating of your fixtures and select a transformer that can handle the load. We recommend calculating your total wattage, then multiplying it by 20% to ensure you are not exceeding the maximum wattage of your transformer.
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned landscaper, it’s important to use the proper tools and techniques when installing your lighting. A cable stripping tool is essential for preparing wires before making connections, and electrical tape can be used to wrap up the ends of your cables. We also recommend using cable ties to neatly bundle wires before you bury them. These simple yet effective tools will help you avoid common mistakes that can be costly and time consuming to fix.
