Adding landscape lighting to your property is about more than just the appearance; it largely contributes to the safety and value of your home. Whether it is the perfect serenely glowing paths or the fascinatingly stark highlighting of your home’s architectural details, these lighting fixtures change, not only the yard area but also the security and safety it offers users after sunset.
As a legacy landscaper who has been in the field for a long time, we have put together this complete guide to assist you in the correct landscape lighting installation. These pro tips are guaranteed for a successful project from the beginning to the end, implementing the proper skill towards installation.
Keep reading this blog to not only no the tips but also understand how to plan your landscape lighting.
How to install Landscape Lighting?
Installing landscape lighting consists of a variety of stages – such as developing a plan, selecting fixtures, and wiring, and doing the final testing to make sure that it works as planned. Although it may look like an impossible task, the whole phase can provide you with a satisfaction that is immeasurable as well as give you a whole new way to see and enjoy your outdoors.
At a fundamental level, the main reasons for a well-designed landscape lighting system are:–
- Increased Curb Appeal: Highlight the best parts of your house and make it the most noticeable one in the neighborhood.
- Safety and Security are Increased: The well-lit paths and the entryways also help reduce the possibility of intruders as well as slipping accidents.
- An extension of Outdoor Living Space: Stay later in your yard and have fun whether for entertainment or relaxation.
Landscape lighting is indeed an additional but at the same time, it is a highly functional unit that makes your space more beautiful and more usable both day and night. By correctly planning the tools and the specific requirements of the landscape, you can easily achieve a captivating outdoor space within no time.
How to Plan your Landscape?
For a project that wants to go on a slope with lights, the most important element to be sure of success is the careful planning and rational drafting of the project. This section will help you define, place, and establish the layout for your landscape lighting so that you can get the most both functionally and visually out of it.
Design: Visualizing Your Space
Imagine your backyard at night when you sit in the garden to relax. The feature you are most concerned with needs to be taken into consideration before the rest such as trellis, porch, fountain, etc. Develop a peaceful vibe by the use of subtle lighting for a peaceful and relaxed environment or put some glowy lights up if you prefer the security and can see everything outside.
Positioning the Right Fixtures
Plot out the space each light is meant to occupy. This includes establishing distances between lights, specifically in the case of pathway lights, where regular brightness is of the highest importance. Incorrect positioning such as the distant location of the light fixture from one another can result in shadow areas.
Plan the Electrical Setup
Choose whether you are going to use low-voltage (12V) or line-voltage (120V) lighting systems. Low-voltage systems are generally a much safer and simpler task to complete the installation and they are perfect for DIY projects. Line-voltage systems in some cases need professional handling because of the high risk.
Calculate Power Requirements
Firstly, supply to the store, all the power requirements for each respective lighting system for the standard they are providing, then select a transferring station. Transferring a transformer changes the standard 120V domestic current to the 12V required for low-voltage systems. Be sure that the combined wattage of all your lights does not surpass 80% of the transformer’s capacity to prevent burnouts from happening.
How to Choose the Right Landscape Lights?
It is quite important to pick the right landscape lighting to make sure that it looks good and also, it works properly. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of lights and their best uses:
Types of Lights
- Solar Lights: They work in sunlight and no wiring is necessary to install them, which makes them the simplest to install. They’re perfect for areas that get plenty of direct sunlight. But, their output may not be as strong as the other choices.
- Low-Voltage Lights: These lights are the best choice for saving energy and safety while installing. They might just be a little lower in power than the others. They need a transformer to convert home power to a lower voltage, but this setup allows for more illumination.
- Spotlights: Appropriate lighting is the easiest way to bring out the beauty of trees in your yard. They move in the same direction as the beam and the decision on the focal points is upon you.
- Floodlights: Designed for applications like carports or lawns which require solid exposure to light across big areas, are some of the types of these lights. Their broader light beam helps them successfully illuminate large areas and therefore are very useful for driveways and backyards that need white light coverage.
- Path Lighting: They are a set of small, usually round, but occasionally columnar posts or fixtures. These lights are placed along a path or on the sides of steps to brighten the way for pedestrians and add an emotional touch to the space.
What are the Tips for Perfect Landscape Lighting?
Here we have discussed some of the most trendy and essential tips that are required by beginners.
Focus on Key Features
If viewers pay attention to the specimen trees, water features, or architectural details in your landscape, they will most likely think of those as the most impressive ones at the beginning. Make use of spotlights or well lights to put these features in the spotlight and create a visual interest in them.
Use Layers of Light
Add several types of lighting in different areas of the landscape so that the space gets a real sense of depth and dimension. With the help of the path lights, spotlights, and ambient lighting, place different layers of light in a uniform pattern to provide you with a mixed, multi-layered illuminating effect
Avoid Light Pollution
Take care of the direction and the intensity of your light to make sure you are lighting up just the area you are standing at which will in return result in very little light pollution. A filter can be one of the accessories that control light rays and even prevent them from scattering among neighboring buildings.
Prefer LED Lights
LED lights are good for electrical power conservation, they last long and can be found in different color pixel temperatures. It can produce less heat than the traditional type and thus, will not damage the plants and fixtures as much.
Look ahead to the Seasons
You should contemplate your landscape lighting designs with the changes that come with the seasons. One important consideration is that you have to make sure that the fixtures can easily be adjusted or that they can be moved to accommodate the growth of plants and the changes in landscapes.
Regularly Maintenance Your System
Examine your lighting system for breakage or signs of aging regularly. Wipe dust and dirt off them, examine the connectors, and replace the dead bulbs if necessary. Standard upkeep will keep the system operational and visually attractive.
How to Enhance Landscape Safety and Aesthetics?
Safety First
Check your lighting setup to see if it meets the safety codes and rules of the city you live in. Put outdoor lighting and wires that are weather and waterproof to bear mother nature forces. In case your installation does not feel comfortable, you should seek the advice of an electrician.
Blend with the Landscape
Get the luminaires, which invisibly interplay with the landscape design. Picking ornamental plants, hardscape elements, as well as other materials that match the building’s color and the rest of the scene with the lush greenery and garden are some of the things apart from settings you should try. Aim at the improvement of the open-air area while the natural look is not been weakened.
Experiment with Light Angles
Fiddle with different perspectives and places to get the wanted result. The light that shines from the bottom to the top can be used to create interesting effects like making a tree or an object taller and/or more majestic than it is in reality, while the moon-like quality of the light shining from the top to bottom can provide a gentle and sophisticated look.
Incorporate Water Features
Water features like ponds, fountains, and waterfalls can be enhanced by the use of underwater or spotlights. The reflection of light on water has become a dynamic and captivating element in your landscape.
Create Focal Points
The lighting was used to create focal points that would attract the eye and also improve the general appearance of your landscape. The light fixtures placed in strategic areas can turn – boring old – elements into stunning pieces of art.
Conclusion
Installing landscape lighting is a DIY project that can enhance the appearance of your outdoor space, and also at the same time make it a green, safe environment. These are the bits of advice from the experts that you have to be careful to follow while designing the project. You can have almost professionals if you do it right, and that will be great for the landscape every year. Remember, though that you need to concentrate on the key inclinations, use the light sources, and keep them in good working order to perform efficiently.