A BRIGHT IDEA WITH BIG RETURNS
Imagine yourself and that special someone sitting together outside during a warm summer evening enjoying your favorite libation, gazing at the leaves softly lit dancing in the breeze, quietly listening to the crickets chirping. When a well designed landscape is coupled with a beautifully lit lighting plan, the results can be immeasurable. Just like a professionally designed landscape, lighting plans should be aesthetic and functional.
Light is a great way to accent the beauty and architecture of your home or building. It is also a great way to feature unique plant materials and garden elements such as artwork, stonework and water features. You can create a unique feeling or mood for yourself and company when entertaining in your outdoor spaces offering an inviting appearance to visitors.
Go ahead, take the party outside! Besides extending your time of enjoyment outdoors, landscape lighting increases usable living space making your outdoor space more functional. There are four main categories of landscape lighting fixtures which include: path lights, up lights, accent lights and submersible lights. One can safely move about the landscape and outdoor spaces with ease when dark spaces are illuminated. When using the proper fixture for the proper application you can truly create outdoor rooms. When your home or business is well lit it is less likely that you will be a target of crime. Criminals choose poorly lit spaces to commit crime for a reason and lighting can be a great deterrent adding to ones security.
There are numerous brands of landscape lighting available to consumers. LED lighting is the new efficient ‘green’ way of lighting for the future. Upfront cost can be more expensive when implementing LED lighting but it pays off long term. When it comes to placement and saturation of light, less is more. It is important to use the correct fixture for specific applications and be sure that the fixture is properly placed. Just like any other time when dealing with electricity, precaution must be used. Installers must avoid poor connections, overloading of circuits, improper voltage loads, and must always be aware of fixture wattage ratings. Be sure that your installers have experience and are knowledgeable. Ask to see examples of their work, and drive by at night to get a feel for the work they are offering to you as a client.
Alyssa Eyman
