Start with what you want to see
Where roofline lighting works on the building, landscape lighting takes care of the yard: the walk, the beds, the trees, the steps. Done well, it looks like the yard is lit and not like a row of lamps. Done badly, you get a line of glowing dots along the path and not much else.
What usually gets lit
Most plans start with the walk, because that is the part you use whether or not anybody is looking. A light aimed up into a tree keeps the yard from going flat and black at nine at night. Then there are garden beds, stairs and walls where the light is about footing, and the driveway.
The other outdoor lighting people ask about
Homeowners usually want more than one thing. Patio lighting is what turns a patio into somewhere you sit in the evening. Security lighting handles the parts of the property nobody can see from the street. Accent lighting picks out the details worth picking out.
What to avoid
The most common mistake is volume. Even light
https://raymondbkct461.hexaforgey.com/posts/outdoor-security-lighting-why-brighter-is-not-safer-does-security-lighting-work-here-is-what-matters-security-lighting-that-actually-helps-coverage-beats-brightness across the whole yard removes the shadow that gives a yard shape. Badly aimed fixtures put light in your guests' eyes instead of on the ground. The third is forgetting that plants grow, since the bed in front of a fixture fills in.
Commercial landscape lighting
On commercial property the goals shift. A restaurant patio needs light people want to sit under. A parking area is a safety question first. A neighborhood entrance sets the tone for everything behind it, which is why entrances get lit carefully.
Landscape lighting and roofline lighting together
Roofline lighting handles the building. The yard is a separate job. Together they finish the picture. Roofline light gives the house a shape after dark, and landscape light gives the ground in front of it depth.A single design keeps the brightness and the color consistent, which is the usual problem when a second company adds to a first company's work. If the budget has to be split, ask which half does more for your property, and it is not always the roofline.Landscape lighting needs a look now and then. Fixtures shift over time, beds fill in around them, and the aim wanders. Once a year it is worth walking the yard and correcting the aim, which takes very little time and makes an obvious difference.
How to start
The plan should be made standing in the yard, not chosen off a menu. EverCrest Lighting installs landscape lighting as well as patio, accent, security and permanent LED roofline lighting for homes and businesses. Working out of Greenville, South Carolina, they cover 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].