Do you ever look out your windows at night and you see…yourself? When the inside of your house is lit and the outside is dark, your windows become like mirrors. Many people will spend much time, effort, and money to construct their yards and their landscaping, but then lose the views and the functionality of the space as soon as the sun goes down. This scenario is all too often the case for most homeowners, but it doesn’t have to be. By bringing lighting into the garden, you can not only make it functional at night, you can maintain your view from the house year round.
Lanterns, porch lights and exterior floodlights can create glare and do not provide well designed landscape lighting. These lights serve a distinct purpose and should not be the only light source in the garden. They should be kept at a very dim level so as to not create overwhelming glare. Proper landscape lighting, used in conjunction with other light sources can transform your garden into a nighttime extension of your home and enhance your outdoor investment.
One popular way to add a soft blanket of light to a property is through a technique called “Moonlighting.” Like a full moon, lights mounted high in the trees and aimed back through the branches will create a dappled display of light and shadows across your property. This effective landscape lighting technique is perfect for soft, even illumination of the property from the aesthetic view and well as providing a security function. One of the main benefits of mercury vapor tree lighting (the type of lamp used most often in moonlighting) is that the fixtures are out of your normal field of view and the color of the light is very close to natural moon light. This type of equipment has a tremendous lamp life and requires very little maintenance.
Moonlighting should be done by lighting professionals who are trained in fixture selection, fixture placement, wattage requirements and tree preservation, since controlling glare, light level, aiming, and understanding the needs of the tree are very important to a successful installation.
To compliment the tree lights, professional lighting designers typically illuminate small ornamental trees, sculptures, fountains, pathways or structures with a contrasting color of light. Lighting architectural elements of the home, such as columns or entry ways, or even washing the facade, can also add huge amounts of beauty, function, and security to your valuable investment. This layering effect of different light sources, intensities, and textures produces a very dramatic effect.
Finding a company you trust to do the installation should not be taken lightly. Besides the inherent design pitfalls of glare and intensity that can be challenges for outdoor lighting, there are the issues of safety and respect for your existing landscape. Installing electrical fixtures and wiring outside where it will be exposed to the elements for years to come is serious business and should only be handled by experienced professionals. It may be tempting to try to save money by hiring a landscaper to put in some low voltage lights, but the lack of appropriate fixture and/or the lack of true electrical and lighting design expertise will most likely leave you sorely disappointed and spending more money in the long run.
The Takeaway
Whether it’s your lawn, reflecting pool, statuary, or the beautiful architecture of your home, it can be lit better, more economically, more attractively, and more durably than it is now. Don’t let your home vanish into the darkness every time the sun sets.
You may light the house and property for the benefit of guests and visitors, but it’s important for your own use too, because you don’t want to be stumbling around in the dark.
We are experienced, licensed electricians and designers who will do the job you expect without emptying your bank account! Since there are so many ways do a job incorrectly, we urge you to call us, because…
We’ll do it right!
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