Outdoor Lighting Tips

Today, landscape lighting does more than simply help you see in the dark, you can literally design an entire theme by choosing the right lights. If you entertain outdoors, illuminating the space will generate an inviting atmosphere for you and your guests.

There are several outdoor lighting tips to help you design the perfect oasis for entertainment, or to relax with your family.

Outdoor Lighting Tips: How To Get Started

When planning your outdoor lighting, you’ll want to consider the basic elements that you wish to illuminate and highlight.

Examples of areas you can add lighting to include:

Driveways: Low-lighting along your driveway helps you and guests clearly see the width of the driveway.

Trees: Highlighting one or more trees with sparse lighting adds an inviting element to your landscape.

Entryways: Adding lights on either side of an entryway gives your home a warm and welcoming appearance. Moreover, if you have steps, illuminating this area helps guests navigate safely in the dark.

Water fountains: Illuminating a water fountain spotlights its beauty at night, as well as adding a very calming space for you and your guests to enjoy.

Patios or porches: It’s a good idea to add outdoor lighting to these areas since many are used for entertaining or dining. You can choose to add layers of lighting, depending on the size of the patio. Adding Layers of light will maximize the functionality of the space.

The Right Type of Lights

To get the longest life from the bulbs you use outdoors, choose LED lighting designed specifically for landscapes. LED lights can last up to 100,000 hours, which means you won’t have to change them as often.

Halogen lighting used to be the main source of outdoor lighting because they are inexpensive. Unfortunately, they also do not last as long as LED bulbs, so in the end, the cost is comparable.

If you have a garden bed, a dim string of rope lighting is an inexpensive way to give the space a warm and inspiring effect.

Avoid Outdoor Light Pollution

Most people add their outdoor lights during the day because it is easier to see during installation. However, it’s hard to get a good feel for the brightness during the day. Light pollution happens when too much light is used or the position and aim of the lighting is incorrect.

Try the following to avoid pollution:

Use lower wattage bulbs. At night, low wattage is more than adequate to illuminate your landscape. Bright lighting outdoors gives a landscape a harsher look.

Install timers or motion sensors. This is a great way to have the lights on only when needed, which in turn will increase the longevity of the bulbs.

Use glare or light shields. The shields will keep the light focused in one area. Glare guards also help to soften the lighting.

Check the light aiming. After installing the lights during the day, you’ll want to check the aiming once it is dark and adjust accordingly.

When planning your landscape, lighting helps you to spotlight different aspects of interests. You can truly create a very unique nighttime space with the use of lighting. For more information about landscaping design services in Perth, contact Perth Landscape Guys today for quality workmanship like no other.

Mike Tuhaka

Mike Tuhaka runs Perth Landscape Guys. He and his team design and build outdoor spaces right across Perth, from Currambine down to Mandurah, including paving, decking, retaining walls, artificial grass, lawn and reticulation. They are preferred installers for Freo Stone, Eco Stone and Remastone, and have worked on commercial projects for Murdoch University and Parsons Group. What customers mention most is Mike’s honest advice and the regular updates from the first plan to the final clean up.