Landscape lighting used to be simple. A few
recessed can fixtures lining the front path,
a couple downlights tucked in the trees, sand
you were done. Not anymore. When it comes
to the great outdoors, homeowners have seen
the light.
"Today, the biggest excitement in outdoor
lighting is the whole artistic aspect,"
says Dan Blitzer, education consultant for
the American Lighting Association. "Think
of it as painting a picture of the landscape
at night, using lights to achieve the look
a homeowner wants."
Night-lighting your landscape offers a creative
way to showcase your home and property after
dark. Properly placed, lights can dramatize
trees, highlight favorite shrubs and accent
statuary, fountains and flowerbeds. Like any
creative work, the options abound.
"The challenge with landscape lighting
is that most people don't immediately see
all the possibilities," says Joe Rey-Barreau,
American Lighting Association Consulting Director
of Education and director of the Lighting
and Design Center at the University of Kentucky.
"Outdoor lighting can be both functional
and aesthetic. It's an art to understand how
much light to place on a house or determine
where the focal points are."
To light correctly, key in on architectural
features. Consider uplighting an arbor, archway
or facade for a dramatic effect. Wash the
side of the house with a splash of light.
Graze a textured fence or wall with a focused
beam. Illuminate the water in a pool or pond
with submersible lights. Silhouette a tree
or bush by placing lights below and behind
the object. While some lights take a fashionable
approach, others focus on function. Low voltage
lights installed under handrails, stairs and
bench seating on decks help lighten things
up for outdoor entertaining. Stronger beams
designed to shine over an outdoor activity
area like a basketball court add extra hours
of post-dusk fun.
"If you cook out at night, position
a spotlight in the eaves of the house to send
a beam directly over the BBQ,''
A well lit home is also safer and more secure.
Illuminated steps, paths and driveways prevent
after-dark accidents. Motion detectors light
up obscure spots when someone passes by. Photocells
automatically turn on fixtures at dusk and
off at dawn, providing protection even when
you’re away from home.
“If your home is not properly lighted,
there is a greater chance of someone breaking
in,’’
The key to attractive outdoor lighting follows
a less-is-more philosophy. Soft, natural light
should mimic moonlight on the property.
"It's important not to over-light,"
says Blitzer. "What you should see is
the landscape, not the lights so that the
outdoor lighting tells a visual story at night."
When installing outdoor lights, conceal the
light source behind shrubs, tree branches
or other foliage -- unless the fixture is
a decorative element.
"You should see the light effect, not
the source," "The bulb and fixture
should disappear when the lights are turned
on. All that should be visible is the glow
of light on the flowers, the wall or the path."
With more people staying at home it has
helped foster the current fascination in landscape
lighting. "The trends have been very
home oriented," says Blitzer. "People
are interested in dressing up their homes
even more."
Lighting showrooms and manufacturers have
expanded their stock as well, resulting in
more outdoor options for consumers. "For
a long time, landscape lighting revolved around
do-it-yourself, low-voltage lights picked
up at home centers and installed by the consumer
in a line about two feet apart," says
Rey-Barreau. "These were not really made
to withstand the weather conditions and were
not long-term solutions."
Styles range from large overhead cylindrical
floodlights to minute spot or accent lights
used for highlighting specific features. Spread
and diffused units set low to the ground,
line paths, flowerbeds and driveways and cast
a broader glow. The latest looks in such path
lights depend on fixtures that can be placed
further apart to create a more attractive
glow.
Some lights are patterned like three-leaf
clusters or single leaf containers. Others
boast more traditional lantern styles. Still
others beam from within floral fixtures installed
in flowerbeds.
"There have been new product developments,''
says Rey-Barreau. "Weather-resistant
products and new plastic technology are both
attractive and functional."
Bulbs have also improved. Newer 65-and 120-watt
incandescent bulbs provide up to 25% more
light. Compact fluorescent bulbs produce soft
lighting, the highest energy savings, and
last up to 10,000 hours. Mercury vapor bulbs
supply a strong, cost-conscious light with
a cool color that can last as long as 24,000
hours -- or six years burning dusk to dawn.
While most homeowners opt for pure white
light, others like the hint of hue. Warm tones
like yellow or red introduced properly can
make the landscape come alive at night. Green
lights can make foliage look even greener.
"Be careful with colored lights,'' says
Rey-Barreau. "Unless they are done carefully,
they can look garish."
The cost for installing outdoor lighting
is as varied as the landscape designs. According
to experts, highlighting a couple of trees
in a typical suburban front lawn could run
from $800 to $1,200. A one-acre property with
an elaborate lighting scheme can cost as much
as $10,000.
The American Lighting Association, a not-for-profit
association of leading manufacturers, retail
lighting showrooms and sales representatives
in the U.S. and Canada, is dedicated to expanding
public knowledge about lighting.
SIDE BAR
THE LIGHT STUFF-
TIPS FOR BUILDING BETTER OUTDOOR LIGHTING:
Outdoor lighting increases your property
value and gives your landscape nightlife.
To help you create a lighting scheme destined
to garner glowing reviews, the lighting experts
at the American Lighting Association offer
the following tips.
- Opt for professional guidance. American
Lighting Association Certified Lighting Consultants
offer creative expertise, share ideas and
provide examples of special effects. To find
a lighting consultant, contact local ALA lighting
showrooms in your area.
- Determine what you want your lighting to
accomplish and determine focal points in your
yard you want highlighted.
- When meeting with a lighting professional,
bring a plat of the property, a copy of your
landscape design and/or Polaroid pictures
of your home and its surroundings. Even a
rough sketch can help if it includes your
home's entrance, placement of the pool, the
BBQ area, the traveled spots in the yard and
where the electricity is currently placed.
- If you are in the process of building a
house, include the outdoor lighting in the
landscape plan. Pre-planning can help with
placement of the transformer, pipes and wires.
- Get two or three bids. This allows you
to check out creativity of consultants as
well as their cost.
- Buy a large enough transformer to handle
all your outdoor lighting needs--both now
and in the future.
- If you decide to add your landscape lighting
in stages, run all the power in initial phase
so that you only disrupt the landscape once.
A new home improvement trend has emerged that accentuates architectural features, textures,
landscaping, groundcover, brick, stone, and pebbles at night.
Homeowners can enjoy more time outside and create an elegant atmosphere for outdoor entertaining.
Professional landscape lighting uses an array of lighting techniques that not only enhance the
beauty of gardens at night but foster outdoor safety and security. outdoor lighting gently adorns
your house, yard and garden areas with soft accent lighting to create warmth, atmosphere, ambience
and safety that you, your family and friends will enjoy all evening long.
Outdoor lighting increases the value and resale of your home and compliments your landscaping investment.