One way of making your home more attractive and your landscaping even more eye-catching is by installing landscape lighting. You’ve put a lot of time and money into improving your outdoor surroundings with trees shrubs and maybe some statues and rocks. Don’t let it go to waste at night. Take a look around at web sites that talk about landscape lighting, and one adjective you’ll see frequently repeated is “dramatic.” Indeed, the right lighting can give your yard a new, dramatic character you may have never envisioned.
Please note, we did say the “right” lighting. The same sites will also refer to bad lighting jobs as resembling air strips or penitentiaries. The goal is not to recreate daylight on your property, but to highlight some special features in your yard. (Safety is another goal, which is why landscape lighting includes lights that show your paths and driveways in the dark.) Danny Lipford from The Weather Channel has offered some tips on his home improvement web site that can help you plan your lighting:
- Use a flashlight to test how lighting may work in different areas.
- Start by planning safety lighting for your driveways, paths, and stairs. Be conservative.
- Continue with accent lighting by picking out striking trees and rocks in your yard. Be very conservative. There’s a fine line between a dramatic and an annoying effect.
- Use low voltage cable and low wattage bulbs. With low voltage cable you’ll have the freedom to move fixtures around as needed. Low wattage bulbs can help keep your energy costs down and prevent you from going overboard with lights.
Finally, don’t be afraid to call in a professional. There are many different light options for a multitude of situations, and striking the right lighting balance is so important that an experienced hand can be tremendously helpful. At TLC Incorporated, we have many such experts on staff. Visit our site to see examples of our work or contact us to let us show how we transform your home at night.