If you have ever walked through a yard with a professionally installed Landscape Lighting system, then you know exactly how enchanting it can make even the most ordinary yard feel. With the help of your electrician, you can come up with a plan to create an original, and inviting atmosphere in your yard, with just a few simple Low Voltage lights. Furthermore, appropriate Lighting can actually make your property safer, as it reduces places for people to hide. Whenever you arrive back at home in the middle of the night, having appropriate Lighting can make you feel much more safe and secure. You can use Lighting to light a path, highlight certain features or just provide light in areas that are prone to shadows. These lights can help make sure that you always get to where you're going safely. By using Low Voltage Lighting, you can avoid being the annoying neighbor who has bright lights pointed in every which direction. In addition to these benefits, Low Voltage Landscape Lighting is very appealing due to its affordability. This makes them ideal for a variety of areas around your home, including front Landscape beds, decks and backyard pool areas. Although there are a variety of options that you can install yourself, there are some definite benefits to working with a professional when it comes to installing your Landscape Lighting. While store-bought Lighting kits may be appealing due to their Low price and seemingly simple installation, working with a professional is the best option for the long run. Although this typically comes at a higher price, the resulting product is much more polished, long lasting and properly installed. As a rule, your electrician installs high quality Lighting that is built to withstand years of use under a variety of weather conditions. Furthermore, professionally installed outdoor Lighting systems do not rely on unsightly converter boxes and unburied cables. Instead, your electrician will bury any required wiring and place any necessary boxes out of sight. If you do decide to install your own outdoor Landscape Lighting, one of the most popular options is solar powered lights. In contrast to older Lighting systems, solar powered garden lights do not need any of the cords and transformers that can clutter up your garden. Instead, solar lights are equipped with very small solar panels that charge a rechargeable battery throughout the day. Whenever it is dark, a photovoltaic sensor turns the lights on, utilizing the power that was collected throughout the day. Regardless of the route that you take for your new Landscape Lighting project, you will be amazed by how much of an effect it can have on your garden, outdoor living space or other parts of your home. With the addition of just a few lights, you can effectively turn a dark and uninviting outdoor space into a comfortable, safe and inviting atmosphere.

With the introduction of the LED Lighting Landscape and specialty Outdoor Lighting options, even more doors have been opened for crafting unique Lighting setups based on the spec ific needs of the contractor. Outdoor Lighting design used to be an expensive endeavor done professionally only when commissioned by commercial clients or those willing to pay a pretty penny. Anyone just looking to liven up their own homes had to figure it out for themselves and experiment with setups until they found one that suited their needs and budget. Thanks to innovations in LED Lighting Landscape, homemade designs are starting to look more and more like commissioned specialty Outdoor Lighting configurations. LED bulbs are versatile, sturdy, and long-lasting, making them the perfect medium with which to experiment if you're new to the field. Outdoor Lighting design blogs exist for the sole purpose of helping greenhorns learn more about the craft through exchange of ideas and tips for how to improve past projects. Learning from each other's mistakes is only possible in community, and an online presence of those interested in the LED Lighting Landscape conveniently makes that possible. Expert designers and even commercial companies occasionally jump in as well to give advice free of charge, so be on the lookout! Some basic scouting can yield extensive information on the following topics. The first thing to consider when beginning your design is the purpose. What do you want the light to show, and to whom? More often than not, specialty Outdoor Lighting will serve multiple needs at once, including aesthetic enhancement of your home's exterior, specific showcasing of features such as gardens or fountains, and increased security through illumination of surrounding areas. You don't have to choose just one function when drafting a design, but it is important to make sure that you take them all into consideration from the get go. Another important topic is how weatherproof you need your Lighting to be. If it is going to be fully exposed to the elements, then a hardier variety of bulb is what you're looking for. Depending on the climate, you best choice for glass will vary, so make sure to ask at your local hardware store what they recommend. Additionally, it is always a good idea to check with neighborhood associations about policies regarding Lighting design. Most residential communities welcome decorative light for both its beautification and safety benefits, but it never hurts to run your ideas by the neighbors first to avoid having to undo any of your hard work. The most important part is that you're satisfied with the finished product, so take your time along the way and never be afraid to ask questions as you go!

Determining an ideal Luminaire Lighting Design can prove to be extremely valuable when choosing a Luminaire for your home, garden, or place of business. Design has a huge part in influencing not only aesthetics, but durability, servicing, convenience of operation, and the lifetime of the Luminaire. When determining the appropriate Luminaire Lighting Design, thoroughly take into consideration the variety of requirements the Luminaire will need to fulfill. Purchasing a Luminaire Lighting Design unsuitable for the application it is being employed for could lead to a lot of needless trouble in addition to potentially squandered income. Do you need Luminaire Lighting to provide surrounding illumination for studying and analyzing important documents? If so, you will need to closely examine the direction in which the Luminaire disperses light emanating from the bulb. Is there a sufficient amount of light to illuminate a good sized location or will it merely handle smaller areas? Is the power switch effortless to reach and thus control from a laying down or seated position? Can the particular location of the lamp shade be fine-tuned without needing to shift the entire position of the Luminaire base? These are the types of questions in need of asking when selecting a Luminaire suitable for your personal office needs. If you're searching for a Luminaire Lighting Design that can be used out of doors, some critical factors in need of consideration include the endurance level of the Luminaire and its ability to withstand harsh environmental conditions. The Luminaire must be able to safely guard the internal electrical components from hard rainfall, extensive snowfall, and hail. The cord used in hooking up the Luminaire to the electrical power supply must also be ideal for resisting weather without resulting in a dangerous power supply emergency. In order to minimize frequent replacing of the light bulb, the light bulb must be long-lasting, cost-effective and consume power in an energy-efficient manner. The procedure used for installing the Luminaire must also be taken into account. Can it be placed directly into dirt and debris, or does it require specialized fasteners so it can be be affixed to brickwork? If a Luminaire Lighting Design that can cater to your place of work or an industrial area is desired, you may want to consider a Luminaire that can be recessed in a ceiling or wall and will therefore be placed out harm's way. Luminaires capable of fitting inside wall spaces, ceilings, and cavities formed inside floorboards are readily available. Any time you are making use of recessed Lighting for your place of work, you will ultimately want to take into consideration the level of brightness being directed. Currently, scientific studies have confirmed that assorted levels of light have a remarkable influence on laborer efficiency. However, the quality of Lighting needed for optimal productivity can change extensively for each individual. Be sure to take into account the well being of the employees when buying a Luminaire Lighting Design proper for the workplace. Why would one want a Luminaire Lighting Design ideal for mounting among floorboards or inside wall structures? Luminaires of this variety are mainly used for cosmetic purposes. They are typically found where illumination is used to create a specific atmosphere or needs to emphasize creative and captivating attributes of the surrounding architecture. Common venues where cosmetic Lighting is used include dance clubs and art galleries.

With properly installed Landscape Lighting, you can greatly change the look and atmosphere of your outdoor spaces. This is a great way to increase the safety, function and look of your entire yard. Many people choose to start with just one flowerbed, tree or outdoor living area. Regardless of the size of your Lighting project, there are many options and Lighting packages available. While it may be tempting to do it all yourself with a DIY Lighting kit, you should also consider having your Landscape Lighting professionally installed by a licensed electrician. Professionally installed Landscape Lighting often looks better and lasts longer than its DIY counterparts. Using DIY Lighting Kits You can find DIY Landscape Lighting kits at nearly every store in town. They are available in a range of styles, sizes and levels of quality. In general, this route is much cheaper than having your Lighting installed by an electrician. The tradeoffs, however, can be greater than you think. Unless you go with a very high-end Lighting kit, most DIY kits will be nowhere near the quality of the lights that an electrician will use. As a result, your lights will wear quicker, leading to a shorter lifespan and diminished aesthetic value. Furthermore, many DIY kits leave you with unsightly wires, converter boxes and other items that will not exist in a professional installation. Professionally Installed Landscape Lighting Landscape Lighting is not typically the first thing that you think of when you think about the services that are provided by the typical electrician. Many electricians, however, specialize in the installation of great-looking, long-lasting Landscape Lighting. Utilizing the services of an electrician means that you will have the utmost ability to customize exactly how you want your Landscape Lighting to look and function. This means that you can reach all of the hard-to-reach places, light all of your trees and ensure that your Lighting will not disturb any cars that are passing by. Most electricians use very high quality, metal fixtures that can use higher-output bulbs than their plastic counterparts. This means that your Lighting will function more efficiently than if you had gone with a plastic DIY kit. Furthermore, metal fixtures are sealed from the elements, giving them a much longer lifespan. In addition to accenting trees and showing off flowerbeds, Landscape Lighting also has a very functional purpose. If you have outdoor walkways, decks or other living spaces, well-placed Lighting can turn them into great places to be both day and night. Rather than stumbling around in your backyard at night, you can safely walk any paths, and enjoy company on your deck at all hours of the day. Because every home is different, a custom application can be very important to the overall look and function of your finished exterior Lighting project. Consider working with your electrician to make sure that everything works just the way you want it to.

Thinking up a few good Landscape Lighting Ideas may be a bit challenging for some people. However, it need not be that hard, and it can actually be a pleasant if not fun experience. These 7 easy tips will show you how to use your creative imagination to easily come up with your own great Lighting Ideas for your landscaping. Think About Any Unique Features That Would Benefit From Lights During the daylight hours when the sun is shining bright, some Landscape features may look rather unremarkable, if not mundane. But at nighttime, tastefully placed Lighting can bring out a spectacular variety of colors, hues, and effects. Places that can benefit from Lighting include driveways, walkways, walls, steps, statuary, water fountains, trees, shrubs, patios, decks, and borders. Use a Flashlight to Simulate Nighttime Landscape Lighting Effects When nighttime falls, get a flashlight, put in some fresh batteries, then take a walk through the Landscape areas such as lawn, garden, and pathways that you would like to light. The reason for bringing the flashlight along is to simulate different Lighting effects. Point the flashlight at objects you would like to light, and shine a beam of light on it. See how the beam of light creates various Lighting effects, contrasts, and shadows on the wall of your house, on trees, shrubs, and other elements of the Landscape. If your flashlight has variable settings, change the width of the beam between floodlight and spotlight, and make note of positioning and angles that you think look best. Visualize Effects Mentally Next, try to visualize in your mind a few different ways you can re-create the flashlight simulated effects with common Lighting methods. Some of the popular Lighting methods include path Lighting, wall-wash Lighting, shadow Lighting, floodLighting, spotLighting, backLighting, downLighting, and upLighting. See your Landscape come to life at night after you install some low voltage light fixtures in a few strategic locations onsite. Write Your Ideas in a Notebook When you have some good Lighting Ideas, write them down in a notebook or personal organizer as soon as possible. You shouldn't assume you will remember all of those Ideas you have in your head, because you may forget something important. Draw a simple map of your Landscape layout, and plot each point where you want to place a light fixture. When you are ready to purchase your light fixtures at the store, take your notes with you so you can refer back to them if necessary. This holds true if you buy online as well. Use Online Search to Find More Ideas For even more Ideas, go online to conduct a search. You will find a virtual goldmine of information online about many different topics, including that of Landscape Lighting. Performing a few quick searches online is a good way to find more Ideas. Search Online With Specific Keywords A generic phrase like "Landscape Lighting" may return some results that are not completely relevant to your search, such as product sale pages. Do a search with targeted keywords, like "Landscape Lighting methods" or "outdoor Lighting Ideas." Home improvement sites, DIY sites, forums, and answer sites such as eHow, Yahoo Answers, and Google Groups are good places to search for more Ideas. Books and Magazines - Take a Look! Besides searching online, don't forget about home-and-gardening books and magazines for even more helpful Landscape Lighting articles and advice. So be sure to check out the books and magazines in the self-help section of your local home improvement store or Landscape nursery. The things you can do with Lighting are virtually limitless, given the endless number of Landscape Lighting Ideas available today. Let your creative juices flow, use your imagination, and go for it with gusto! By Lighting your Landscape at night, you will increase the beauty of your outdoor areas and improve the level of security and safety.

Once an afterthought, today's exterior spaces are becoming an extension of the interior of the home. Not only does a well-conceived Outdoor space increase the comfort of the home, but it can also increase the home's value. One of the keys to creating a superior Outdoor escape is Lighting. While any deck or patio can serve admirably in the daytime or even twilight, only those with Outdoor Lighting can truly own the night. If you are thinking about adding Lighting Outdoors, you'll probably want to do some planning. Lighting is not a haphazard activity - you want to make sure that the Lighting is appropriate, covers the spaces you want, and doesn't leave any dark spots, especially near stairs or transitions between different levels of a deck. Installing lights not only increases the usefulness of your property, but also the safety of your home. And, with the low wattage Fixtures coming out on the market and the growing number of solar powered lights, installing Lighting is also cost effective. If you have a deck or patio, you may want to consider recessed lights. These are installed right into the floor and are flush, giving you dramatic Lighting that adds resale value to the home. These can be costly to install, however, largely because you'll need to hire an electrician. But the visual impact and curb appeal is worth it. Another good option for Outdoor Lighting is to put lights on the post caps around the deck. These can be extremely decorative in the daytime and will cast a lovely light on the deck without it being too bright or obtrusive. Alternately, you can go with lights mounted on the posts themselves, either down at the deck level to provide Lighting along the surface or a little higher up to illuminate the entire deck. If you have tall posts, you can go with lanterns for Outdoor Lighting. These work really well around the edge of a deck or patio or around the pool or hot tub. If the wiring of the deck is a roadblock to Outdoor Lighting for your home, consider the growing number of solar lights coming onto the market. The great thing about solar Lighting is that you don't need to dig trenches or hire an electrician. Each light has its on photovoltaic cells that take in the sunlight during the day and stores it as energy in a battery. These are easy to install your elf and usually they can be set to turn on automatically as the sun sets, so you don't even have to remember to turn them on at night. While these were originally created for landscaping, they are increasingly finding their way onto decks and patios, particularly smaller ones where the lower wattage of these lights is sufficient. Solar light technology is in a state of flux right now, with newer, more efficient and even brighter lights coming to market weekly. Outdoor Lighting is something of an art. You want to create different levels of Lighting, not only to create focal points, but also to enhance the natural beauty of your home and deemphasize those areas that are more utilitarian. For instance, you can choose to use solar lights along walkways to add a soft light for safety and to draw visitors to the front door of the home or to a pool, spa or garden area behind the home. Floodlights are great for security, especially when connected to motion detectors. You can put dimmers on deck lights, allowing you to adjust the mood, going from soft Lighting for a romantic evening to brighter levels for a party. If you don't know where to start, you may want to call in a Lighting specialist or landscaper to help you plan your Lighting strategies so that you won't be disappointed or left in the dark because you didn't consider all your options.

Lighting the surrounding areas of your home is as important as it is to light the inside. Outdoor Lighting Fixtures serve to illuminate the outside areas of the houses. Most people fix the lights for security reasons while others install them to beautify the home during the night.

Before purchasing and fitting the Outdoor Lighting Fixtures, there are various factors that you need to look at. Some of these factors are directly related to safety and as such cannot be brushed aside. Determine the power source for the lights. This can be gas, battery, or electricity. Also, calculate how much the additional Lighting will cost you to determine if you will be able to foot the bill. As a tip, florescent and energy saving bulbs consume less power than tungsten bulbs and would provide a way to reduce your power bill.

Secondly, you would have to consider the application. Different Outdoor lights are designed for specific areas: pool Lighting, perimeter Lighting. Below are some of the popular examples of Outdoor lights:

Outdoor landscape Lighting: The most common example of these is the directional Lighting used to draw attention to the beauty of the homes landscape. They are intended to catch and appeal to the eye, thus drawing attention to their surrounding area, more so if there is a feature you want people to take note of. Since these lights are designed to play a specific role, how and where they are placed counts for a lot. For this reason, setting them up would require the landscaper to have a good Lighting system plan in place.

Outdoor Decorative lamps: These are usually mounted just outside the house front door. They come in eye catching designs which usually blend with the façade. These are mostly fitted for security purposes. As their name suggests, they are more of decorative pieces than security Fixtures.

Outdoor wall lights: Outdoor wall scones are examples of these lights offering brilliance and beautiful looks as well as offering security. They are basically fitted on the wall and you have an option of installing exterior flush lights to boost beauty. But other than adding to the beauty of the architectural design, Outdoor lights are also used as signs, and map out paths and walkways at night.

Taking into account that these lights are the instruments you look up to for personal security and beauty, it is crucial to ensure that they are always in good working condition. You should always ensure that:

They are well fitted; poorly fitted lights bulbs could fall off and hurt people. It is advisable to seek professional assistance to fit the bulbs if you are not comfortable doing it yourself.

Switch them off whenever they are not needed; this helps to save power and reduce the power bill. It is also prudent to use the right type of bulbs for Outdoor Lighting because Outdoor lights are specially designed to resist elements like rain and snow.

The idea of Lighting the outside of your house is a concept that can be materialized by getting the right Outdoor Lighting Fixtures, fitting them well and the result exhibits itself through beauty and security you enjoy with a clear surrounding and a clear mind.

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Creating a truly Modern garden lighting design can add so much to your home. All types of properties can benefit from a garden lighting makeover, from small apartments with limited outside space to large palatial country mansions. You can Create Designs that are practical and those that simply impress your neighbors. But how do you achieve this in a contemporary style? This can be done using a few tips and techniques, all that is required is a little forward planning and thought as to how the end result will look.

Use contemporary looking landscape light units for starters. The style and design of the light units themselves can influence the overall appearance of the project. Avoid using the old fashioned lantern style lights or even those common stick in solar lights, they just look dated. Go for sleek Designs in chrome or stainless steel. When using floodlights again pick out something that looks nice and Modern not the standard black housing that is so common today. Don't forget you will see many of these lighting units, in the daytime at least.


The type of lighting you use can have an impact on the Modern look of your design. For example think about LED lights, they simply look Modern. LED string lighting can give any garden a contemporary edge. Using some colored lighting can also Create the desired effect. Color garden lights can be very effective but care must be taken not to mix vivid colors too much, the effect can look quite cheap. It is usually best to stick with one added color other than your standard white light.

Another way to make things look attractive and contemporary is to use the light units in Modern ways. Certain techniques for creating lighting effects have developed over the years moving away from the old light above the front door style. Think about using up lights, down lights and recessed lighting. Back lighting a garden feature is another great trick to keep things looking fresh. Vary the lighting methods and styles but be careful not to over-do it. Sometimes simple and subtle landscape lighting design ideas are the most effective.

Many elements will have an impact on your overall garden lighting design. Something as simple as choosing Modern looking units can do the trick. For the best results aim to mix Modern looking lights with a few contemporary techniques. If Modern is what you want then start thinking in different ways from the start, avoiding the older traditional ways of using outside lights.

A properly Designed Landscape with appropriate outdoor Lighting is a source of enjoyment for the entire family. It also enhances the utility and security of your property and adds to the resale value.

However Landscape Design and the Design of outdoor Lighting to go with it involves much more than just placing trees, shrubs and other plants on the property together with a few solar lights or low voltage outdoor lights. The Design process is part art which deals with conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space and its Lighting for human satisfaction and enjoyment. Some of the major goals of the Landscape Planning process include:

Organizing and developing the site for maximum use and pleasure.
Creating a visual relationship between the house and the site.
Reducing Landscape maintenance to a practical level.
Planning Landscape outdoor Lighting that blends with and enhances the Landscape
Americans spend tremendous amounts of money landscaping and Lighting their businesses, homes, streets, parks, schools, etc. Unfortunately, much of this money is wasted, however, because of little or no Planning. People cannot know how to Landscape and light that Landscape properly until they know why they Landscape. There are several reasons why people Landscape:

Some think it improves the appearance and value of their property;
Other people like to grow plants;
Others just want their place to look aesthetically appealing.

However, these Landscapes and the associated outdoor Lighting unfortunately often dominate rather than serve. Masses of plants or other materials in the Landscape may take up a large portion of the space and leave little room for people. Also, too often the Lighting is overdone, intrusive and/or harsh. So how does the Designer arrange outdoor space and the Landscape Lighting to complement it so that people will find it useful, appealing and functional?

The methods include:

Observing and analyzing the habits of the people who will be using the space, including their activities, needs and how much space and light each of their activities requires.
Studying past landscaping and Landscape Lighting methods.
Surveying available materials to solve Design requirements.
Analyzing the environment of the site including the view in and around the site. The ecology of the site should be carefully analyzed since it is important in determining the Design.
Deciding which areas will be best served by outdoor Lighting and which should be left un-illuminated.

With new outdoor Lighting installations you may want to consider energy efficient lights such as LED outdoor lights, which have several benefits when used for garden and Landscape Lighting, including:

They are low voltage and energy efficient. In other words they throw out a lot of light for not much electricity in.
They are versatile and so can be used for a variety of outdoor Lighting solutions including ambient Lighting, floodLighting, walkways in fact for most applications

The good news is that the purchase costs of LED outdoor lights are now competitive with traditional Landscape lights. Because LEDs are energy efficient this means the overall cost of installing and operating an outdoor Lighting system is falling.

See the next article in this series for more detail on the Landscape and outdoor Lighting Design and installation process.

Every home is different: the yard size, the exterior of the home and of course, the type of light fixtures needed to light the area. However, no matter what the differences are between each home, the benefits of installing Landscape Lighting are generally the same. If you've recently considered adding Landscape Lighting to your home, you'll be pleased to know that there are several benefits indeed.

Security

By far, one of the biggest advantages to having additional outdoor Lighting is the added security. If your home is mostly dark after you go to bed, with no exterior Lighting, it can quickly make you a target for thieves and intruders. However, homes that are well-lit and make use of various landscaping light fixtures and even security Lighting, can quickly deter a good number of intruders.
Resale Value

Improving the exterior of your home in any way will always benefit you in the long run. Installing outside light fixtures adds additional visual curb appeal to your home, which is especially important if you plan to sell within the next few years.

Landscape Lighting highlights different areas of your home's exterior. These light fixtures can be positioned either in front of bushes, around trees, behind bushes to create silhouettes and more.

Safety

Outdoor light fixtures can also make the exterior of your home safer for invited guests. This is especially true if you have pathways, as properly Lighting these can ensure you and your guests can make it inside without tripping over something in the dark.

On a side note, by properly Lighting your outdoor space, you can also aid in preventing liability. A well lit area may hold the person accountable, rather than you, which of course protects you and your best interests.

Also, installing Lighting can also encourage your neighbors to do the same. By doing the same, the entire neighborhood can quickly become safer in the evening hours and deter burglars and intruders from the general area thanks to all the additional light.

Ease of Installation

The truth is, many people assume that installing exterior lights is difficult and requires the help of a professional. Fortunately, this isn't true and the average Joe homeowner can install them on their own with little difficulty.

Most Landscape Lighting is installed underground and simply requires a shovel and an afternoon of digging, laying wire and light fixtures, then filling in and plugging in to light up the yard.

Cost

Last but not least, the cost of installing, running and maintaining many outdoor Lighting fixtures is relatively low. Most outdoor light fixtures feature low voltage Lighting, which often translates to more eco-friendly bulbs such as LEDs, which use very little electricity.

This means that you won't shell out big bucks to keep your home safe at all hours of the night.

In short, Landscape Lighting has many benefits: security, safety, an increase in your property's value and many more. Therefore, it's a no brainer as to why you should install Landscape Lighting, as outdoor light fixtures are extremely beneficial.