What landscape lighting is for
Landscape lighting puts light on the ground level of a property: paths, plantings, trees, steps and the walk up to
https://hectorfqqc690.zenbloomer.com/posts/party-lighting-weddings-parties-and-everything-in-between-how-does-event-lighting-work-here-is-the-process-outdoor-party-lighting-that-works the front door. Done well, it looks like the yard is lit and not like a row of lamps. Done badly, you get a line of glowing dots along the path and not much else.
What a yard normally needs
Path lighting is usually the starting point, because it is the part that does a job every night. A well placed uplight keeps the yard from going flat and black at nine at night. Beds, stairs, walls and the driveway round it out, and some of that is safety more than style.
The other outdoor lighting people ask about
Homeowners rarely want one category. Patio lighting makes the back of the house usable after dinner. Security lighting handles the parts of the property nobody can see from the street. Accent lighting handles the detail.
What to avoid
The most common mistake is too much of it. Even light everywhere removes the shadow that gives a yard shape. Badly aimed fixtures put light in your guests' eyes instead of on the ground. The third is ignoring how the yard will look in five years, since the bed in front of a fixture fills in.
Commercial grounds lighting
On commercial property the goals shift. A restaurant patio needs light people want to sit under. A parking area is about people getting to their cars. A neighborhood entrance is about the first impression of the whole community, which is why entry lighting gets attention in planned developments.
How they work as one design
Roofline lighting handles the building. Landscape lighting handles everything else. Most properties want both. Roofline light outlines the building, and the yard lighting gives the front of the property depth.A single design avoids a mismatched result, which is the usual problem when a second company adds to a first company's work. If the budget only covers one this year, a good designer will tell you which half to do first, and it is not always the roofline.Landscape lighting is not entirely hands off. Fixtures get bumped by mowers, plantings grow up in front of them, and aiming drifts. Once a year it is worth walking the yard and correcting the aim, which takes very little time and makes an obvious difference.
How to start
The plan should be made standing in the yard, not picked from a page. EverCrest Lighting does landscape lighting installation as well as patio, accent, security and permanent LED roofline lighting for residential and commercial properties. Working out of Greenville, South Carolina, they cover Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. The consultation is free and the design is drawn for your property. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].