Outdoor Lighting Adds Curb Appeal

When asked about the type of outdoor lighting around their home, most people reply that the standard front and rear porch lights are all they have. These are usually the lights required by local building codes and all that most builders install. While these lights are utilized based solely on security and are definitely a great idea, there are so many other uses for outdoor lighting. Homeowners, justly so, spend thousands of dollars each year for landscaping around their property. However, when darkness falls, that beautiful and costly landscaping sits unseen in the darkness of early evening.

In order to see the change that can be made in your property through the use of outside lights, plan a trip around some of the nicer neighborhoods in your area early one evening. While on this leisurely drive you are sure to notice the difference in the overall appearance of properties with professionally lighted landscapes when compared to residences without outdoor lighting. After your sightseeing trip about town, I feel confident that you will be inspired to develop your own plan for enhancing the nighttime appearance of your residence.

As you noticed, there are countless ways to light your property and countless styles of outside lights you can use in which to do it. Due to these facts, I recommend you hire a professional landscape lighting designer to help you develop a plan specifically for your needs. The designer will be aware of any new outdoor lighting for curb appeal techniques that you may not have noticed while on your excursion and will know the type of lighting that will work best for your property.

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While you may find it easy to decide what you would like to light, the type outside lights you will use to do it is another matter all together. The choice you make will depend on site considerations specific to your property as well as the effect you are attempting to achieve. The landscape lighting designer will visit your home, take pictures and sketch the layout of your property and its features. The designer will then develop a plan utilizing some or all of the fixture types mentioned below.

Up lighting usually consists of the floodlight or spotlight type and the fixtures are placed at ground level and point upward to highlight either a specimen tree or a special architectural detail.

Down lighting again will utilize floodlights or spotlights to highlight a special area and normally attempts to simulate natural light.

Path lights do just what it sounds like they would do. They are installed slightly above ground and spread light across paths and walkways. These outside lights will assist your guests and other visitors in safely negotiating areas that could be trip hazards if not properly lighted. These lights will help you prevent that lawsuit that is waiting to happen if someone were to be injured by tripping and falling on a dark sidewalk.

Back lights are placed behind objects and cast a shadow that provides a silhouette for a dramatic effect. Again these fixtures are generally floodlights or spotlights.

Special lighting consists of torch lights, string lights, post lights and other various type outside lights that usually provide low level ambient lighting to an area.

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Once the plan and design phase is complete it is time to consider installation. While there are DIY kits available for simple installations, a comprehensive outside lighting plan for your property will likely exceed your skill set unless you are an extremely advanced do-it-yourselfer. Here again, I recommend utilizing a professional for the installation. They will not only have the knowledge needed for such a project but will also have access to the necessary equipment and personnel.

Now that you have all the preliminary legwork done, it is time to sit back and watch the magical transformation of your property take place. Once the final light bulb is screwed in and the outside lights are burning on the first night following project completion, you will realize that you have made one of the best investments you could make in the curb appeal of your property. Not to mention the fact that you will be the envy of all your neighbors whose homes lack that additional outdoor lighting are lost in the darkness of a long winter night.