Outdoor Lighting Guide

Lighting options: Landscape; water features, decks and hardscapes; front of houses; trees; and more.

Make a Big Change with Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor Lighting Guide

Are you scared of the dark? My brother told me a story of a raccoon growing up. He said it had a big bushy tail, eyes as big as saucers, you’ve got to look out or it’ll chase you. As you can imagine, I took the trash to the road very, very quickly so I wouldn’t get eaten!

Yes, I am still friends with my brother. I am not, after all, scared of the dark. But I sure do enjoy seeing vistas created by low-voltage lighting! I like the way lights in a water feature create a candle light flicker on the tree canopy above. Or how path lights along a walkway or trail create shadows with pockets of light and pops of color. Uplights do an amazing job showing off the façade of a home. A color-changing light here or there can bring some holiday fun.

During the summer months, lighting doesn’t do too much because it is bright until 9pm. January, when it is dark at 5 pm and kind of gloomy, lights bring a little more joy to the outside and landscape. I also have a timer on my lights to have them come on at 6am so I can enjoy the view as I leave for work.

If you can’t tell, I like low-voltage lighting. I have 38 lights in just my front yard alone, so I am probably the wrong person to talk if you’re on the fence 🙂

There’s really not much that couldn’t be lit up, and there’s definitely less that shouldn’t be lit up.

Ponds and waterfalls
Star lighting in a patio
The front of houses and trees
Outdoor kitchens
Seating walls around a patio
Decks and hardscape steps
Shade panels in the landscape

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What else should you consider about outdoor lighting?

Individual Zones

It doesn’t have to be all on or all off. Zones can allow all the trees lights to be off while the back patio is on. Also, they can be programmed to come on at different times. I have my front walkway lights scheduled to come on at 5:45 am and turn off at 6:15 am every weekday. Now as I walk to my car I can easily see during the winter.

Color Changing Lights

This option might not be for everyone, but man does it make decorating for the holidays easy! Just open the app, change the colors to red, white, and blue, and you’re ready for 4th of July! This is a fun way to express creativity and keep things interesting around the home with very little effort.

WiFi Controlled

The ‘Internet of Things!’ It was supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread, but I don’t think it quite made it. While I don’t let my dishwasher or fridge online (I don’t know what that says about me), I do love having my lights on an app. I can turn them off/on manually or set a schedule and forget about them.

Wire Routing

We frequently run into walkways while installing lights. Usually they are easy to go under, but if not we will remove an expansion joint from the concrete. If the route is too complicated we may consider creating a secondary zone, adding another transformer.

Types of Lighting

Honestly, there are way too many choices. The goal is to use the right type to create the desired ambiance. The main types are as follows: strip lighting, path lights, up lights, ground well lights, in paver lighting, cap lights, and string lights. We most frequently use uplighting and path lights.

Task Lighting

It is worth specifically calling out task lighting. Low voltage lighting can be installed in a way that creates concentrated light on a designated area. This creates a gentle glow, not a harsh bright light. Using a surface mount for an uplight is a perfect way to put a spot light on a specific area.