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. The goal is light you see the effect of, not fixtures you count. Done badly, you get a line of glowing dots along the path and not much else.
What goes in a typical plan
Most plans start with the walk, because that is the part you use whether or not anybody is looking. Uplighting on the trees worth showing does more for a yard at night than almost anything else. Then there are beds and low plantings, steps and retaining walls where the light is really about not tripping, and the parking area.
Where the categories blur
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 handles the detail.
Common mistakes
More light is not better. Even light across the whole yard kills the contrast that makes it look good. 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.
Businesses and communities
Businesses use the same tools for different reasons. A restaurant patio needs light people want to sit under. Parking and walkways come down to safety. A neighborhood entrance sets the tone for everything behind it, which is why entry lighting gets attention in planned developments.
Combining the two
Roofline lighting works on the house. The yard is a separate job. Together they finish the picture. Roofline light gives the house a shape after dark, and the yard lighting gives the front of the property
https://jaidenmpzu397.trexgame.net/professional-landscape-lighting-installation-where-the-light-should-go-planning-a-landscape-lighting-installation-start-with-the-yard-you-have depth.Doing them at the same time is easier than doing them a year apart. If the budget only covers one this year, ask which half does more for your property, and it is not always the roofline.Unlike a roofline system, yard lighting moves. Mowers, growing shrubs and time nudge fixtures out of position. An annual look and re aim keeps the plan looking like the plan.
How to start
A landscape lighting installation is worth planning on site, preferably with somebody who 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. Consultations are free, and the design gets built around your yard. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].