If you are like most people who own their own home, you want it to amaze everyone who walks or drives by. There are a number of ways you can accomplish this goal. You can plant the best trees, bushes, and flowers. You can install a waterfall, fountain, or statue. You can also use a design for our outdoor and path lighting that makes everyone’s heads turn as they pass by your house.
- Do not scrimp when it comes to putting in solar lights. When people first start putting in their path lighting or any outdoor lighting they often get fewer lights than they really will need. You will need more solar powered lights for pond lighting, path lighting, or anything else than you think you will want. You can use solar powered lights to transform your yard into a wondrous place at night. Remember when it comes to solar powered lights, the more, the merrier!
- Think about how you use the outdoor spaces around your home before you work on your landscape lighting design. Some people really only want to have lighting around the paths through their yard. Others want them to go around seated areas, fountains, statues, and other items to which they want to draw some attention. Other people like to entertain neighbors, friends, and family in their outdoor spaces. What you want to do with your outdoor space can dictate the best lighting design for the outside of your home.
- Wait until it gets dark to position your path lighting and other outdoor lighting. It can be hard to see what look you are going for or where you are going to need lights when it is daytime. If you wait until the nighttime or evening, you will have a better idea of where the lights you have bought need to be placed.
- Start by lighting the basic areas that need it. Before you set up lighting to illuminate your new fountain or statue, make sure you have it in the places you need. Path lighting, for example, should be done first. You also need to place your lights around any steps, your driveway, the patio, and to the walkway to the front and/or back door of your home.
- LED lights should always be an option. LED lights are really game changers for a lot of reasons. Traditional light fixtures out both heat and light. At least 90% of the energy used in LED lights goes to light and not heat. There are a few good things about this important fact. Because most if the energy goes towards light, not heat, less energy is used. That means the risk of a fire goes way down. At the same time, they will last a lot longer. Some LED lights can last for up to 100,000 hours. LED lights are also great for holidays lighting if you choose to decorate your home with lights during any holiday season.
- Use different kinds of outdoor lighting. There are several kinds of lighting you can use. There is overall lighting (for your entire space), accent lighting (to showcase your new fountain or statue), and task lighting (this is used for things such as your path lighting). Mixing things up with your lighting design can create a more interesting look for your home. Using the different kinds of lights can give you a more three-dimensional look for your home.
- Be careful where you place your lights. You want to have a great looking lighting design for your home. What you do not want is to have your lights shining into your neighbors’ homes. This can be especially problematic if they shine into their bedrooms. You also do not want to go overboard with your lighting design to the point where you create light pollution. You want to have a well-lit space but people should not be able to see your home from planes flying over your town.
There are few things that can add a more dramatic and exciting look for your home than putting in the right outdoor and path lighting design. These tips can help you get the right look.