Landscape Lighting provides Beauty and Security
If you are like most people, your home is the single biggest investment you will ever make. Your home is your castle and your yard is your domain. But for a good part of the year, by the time you get home from work, your yard is dark. You can not see the landscape at all, and the house fades into the night. More and more people are finding that architectural and landscape lighting allows them to extend the enjoyment of their landscape investment into the evening hours.
Adding landscape lighting improves curb appeal, expands living space and increases the safety and security of your home. The right lighting creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the exterior of your home and your yard. You will even enjoy the lighting from inside.
Lighting experts recommend low voltage systems for outdoor use. Transformers reduce line voltage at the outlet to 12 volts. “A low voltage system is not only safer and more efficient, but it looks and works better too,” said James Mink President and designer of Shining Nights.
You should focus more on the desired effect of the lighting, rather than the specific fixtures you use. “Unless fixtures are being used to directly light a specific area in the design, such as around the pool or along a walkway, you should go with a discreet, unobtrusive lighting fixture and placement,” advises Mink.
Poor design or installation can make for disappointing lighting, but components are important too. Component failure (Transformers, fixtures and wiring) can be a real problem. While you don’t want cheap fixtures that will fail within two years, you do not necessarily need to buy the most expensive either. The most expensive fixtures you will find are ones where you are paying for artistic, creative or exotic design, but not necessarily quality.
The key consideration when assessing quality is durability. How long will a component last given the harsh conditions that exist outside a home throughout the course of the year? Wind, rain, sleet, snow, blistering heat or freezing cold is just some of the hazards your components will need to withstand.
The lighting system should easily adapt to changes. New landscaping is typically dotted with young plants, bushes and trees. Does your lighting plan allow for adequate flexibility in the system for easy repositioning of lighting as your landscape mature grows or changes? Being able to move a fixture to the correct position as bushes grown or plants get repositioned without needing to reinstall part of the system, is an important consideration.
Considering maintenance issues. Professional landscape lighting companies offer maintenance contracts. You don’t need to worry about replacing bulbs, cleaning lenses, trimming vegetation, adjusting fixture positioning or fixing minor electrical problems.
Your best option for installation is a professional landscape lighting company that can work with you to create the exact look you desire. If you do not know what you want, Shining Nights can offer advice based on our experience in design, installation and maintenance. “Our experts will use special lighting techniques o enhance, secure and accent your property” Mink says, “We will even provide a free home trial that will show you how your home will look with professional lighting.”
Shining Nights offers the highest quality low voltage landscape
and architectural lighting design services and products.
They can be reached at 877-548-3711.
