What landscape lighting is for
Where roofline lighting handles the house, landscape lighting handles everything below it: the walk, the beds, the trees, the steps. The goal is light you see the effect of, not fixtures you count. Done badly, it looks like an airport runway down the driveway.
What usually gets lit
Most
https://evercrestlighting.com/permanent-lighting/ plans start with the path to the door, which is the piece that earns its cost every single evening. Uplighting on the trees worth showing does more for a yard at night than almost anything else. Beds, steps, walls and the drive round it out, and the step lighting is safety more than looks.
The other outdoor lighting people ask about
The request almost never stays in one lane. Patio lighting makes the back of the house usable after dinner. Security lighting covers the dark corners, the side yard, the area behind the garage. Accent lighting is the finish work.
Where landscape lighting goes wrong
The most common mistake is volume. A yard lit evenly at every point has no depth, and flat is the one thing you were trying to avoid. Badly aimed fixtures throw glare down the walk rather than onto the surface. The third is forgetting that plants grow, when the shrub in front of the uplight has doubled.
The commercial side
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 entrances get lit carefully.
Landscape lighting and roofline lighting in one plan
Roofline lighting handles the building. Landscape lighting handles everything else. Most properties want both. Roofline light gives the house a shape after dark, 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, ask which half does more for your property, and the answer is not always the house.Landscape lighting needs a look now and then. Fixtures shift over time, plantings grow up in front of them, and the aim wanders. 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
A landscape lighting installation should be designed at the property, preferably with somebody who has seen it after dark. EverCrest Lighting does landscape lighting installation along with patio, accent, security and permanent roofline lighting for homes and businesses. They are based in Greenville, South Carolina and serve Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. The consultation is free and the design is drawn for your property. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].