Oct 31, 2023 1:08:37 PM
If you’re thinking about installing landscape lighting, you might have questions about the process. While a landscape lighting installation might seem relatively cut-and-dry, in reality, there are a lot of considerations that need to be taken into account if you’re going to get the best results.
Fortunately, the process does not have to be so daunting with an expert on your side. To help answer some of your questions, we’ve put together this outdoor lighting guide.
Armed with the right information, you can make the best possible decisions for your Memphis home.
Benefits of Landscape Lighting
The Different Types of Landscape Lighting for Your Property
Landscape Lighting Design Ideas & Techniques
Keep Your Outdoor Lighting Energy-Efficient
Enjoy a Smart Outdoor Lighting System
DIY Landscape Lighting vs. Hiring a Professional
Understanding the Cost of Landscape Lighting
The Importance of Outdoor Lighting Maintenance
How to Choose a Landscape Lighting Company in Memphis, TN
You’re thinking about installing landscape lighting, but you want to make sure it’s going to be worth your investment. There are some key benefits of outdoor lighting to consider.
Here are some of the benefits that you can expect from a landscape lighting installation.
Installing landscape lighting will definitely help boost curb appeal and in turn, improve property value. With the right outdoor lighting, you can quickly become the envy of the neighborhood with a home that exudes major curb appeal.
When lighting a home with curb appeal in mind, we like to highlight the home’s architectural features. This includes lighting up arches, corbels, cornices, and other unique features of the home. These features take on an even more unique and appealing look with lighting shining on them at night.
We’ll also incorporate landscape lighting to highlight some of your trees and shrubs.
Keep in mind that good landscape lighting is so much more than shining a spotlight on a tree or shrub. You want the design to be artistic and beautiful. One of the best benefits of landscape lighting is the aesthetic value that you’ll enjoy with your home lit so beautifully in the evening hours
Another prime benefit of outdoor lighting is that it will increase the functionality of your property.
With the right lighting, you’ll find that you’re spending more time outside. The sun going down will no longer have to mean everyone moves inside. You’ll be able to see what you’re doing and safely get around your property, allowing you to spend more time outside.
Two final key benefits of landscape lighting are enhanced safety and security.
A well-lit home tends to be a more secure home. A well-lit home not only looks occupied (even when you’re not actually home) but it would also put a trespasser on display if they tried to enter your property.
With the right outdoor lighting design, you can not only make your home more aesthetically pleasing in the evening hours but you can also make it more secure
Along with that, a well-lit home is also safer. When people can see where they’re going in the evening hours, your property will be safer to navigate. That means decreasing the risk of trips and falls and other concerns.
All outdoor lighting is not the same. In fact, there are different types of outdoor lighting that can be used to achieve different purposes. These are what we would call “lighting applications.”
There are four key lighting applications that people tend to be interested in:
Let’s look at each.
As the name implies, landscape lighting is all about highlighting your property’s landscaping features. This includes trees, shrubs, flowers, and more. You can really showcase your property’s unique landscape with some artistic lighting designs.
Architectural lighting is all about showcasing your home’s structural features. There are many aspects of your home that make it unique. The stone facade, the columns, or maybe the trim work are features that can be highlighted to showcase your home in the evening hours.
Another type of outdoor lighting is security lighting. As we’ve mentioned, a well-lit home is a more secure home. Your home should always feel safe. But if it’s dark or poorly lit during the nighttime hours, you might have some concerns.
Finally, vacation home lighting is exactly what it sounds like…outdoor lighting for your vacation home. We know that many clients with second homes desire the same amazing benefits of outdoor lighting that they enjoy at their primary residence.
In addition to these four primary lighting applications, there are also various lighting techniques, fixtures, and even styles that can come into consideration to create a landscape lighting design.
In this outdoor lighting guide, we’ll dive into more details about the many different ways that lighting can be used to enhance your Memphis property. With strategic decisions, you can really maximize your lighting design.
As we’ve mentioned there are various ways to customize your landscape lighting with different landscape lighting techniques. Details such as how you position the lights, how bright they are, and even what type of light you use can all impact the results.
As you consider what landscape lighting ideas make the most sense for your property, you’ll want to think about the various techniques and how they can achieve different results.
For example, there is uplighting vs. downlighting to consider.
As you might have guessed (and just as the names imply) when you uplight a landscape, the lights point up. When you are downlighting an exterior, the lights point down.
Often, downlighting is used to light up driveways and walkways so that people can see where they are going. Downlights can also be used as a way to light up a patio space and make it more functional.
This lighting technique is sometimes referred to as “moonlighting” since it creates a similar effect as the moon shining down.
Uplighting, on the other hand, involves lights pointing upward. We often use uplighting as an architectural lighting technique to highlight focal points like sculptures or landscaping.
Uplighting can also be a great technique for creating shadows and adding depth and interest to your property.
While we do often think of uplighting as an aesthetic addition, it also adds a sense of security to the home. The better-lit the home is, the better able you’ll be to deter unwanted intruders. Uplighting often ends up lighting up windows and doors, ultimately making them safer.
In general, outdoor light placement is a big consideration when it comes to creating the desired effect you want. Every property is unique and therefore each design should ultimately be a customized process.
You’ll also want to consider how you can ensure that you are using low-voltage landscape lighting so that your end result is as energy-efficient as possible.
LED landscape lighting has come incredibly far and is definitely the superior choice. If you want to get the most out of your lighting design for your Memphis, TN home, you want to make sure you’re getting only the best.
LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode. LED lights are essentially electronic devices that emit light when electricity passes through them. While it’s the best technology out there, plenty of companies have not adopted it.
The fact that some pros still work with old-fashioned lighting has kept incandescent light alive, even though the superiority of LED technology has far surpassed it.
A key reason to consider LED landscape lighting is because it’s much more efficient. This is because of how they use energy. LED bulbs do not require as much power to produce light. It’s the same reason why these bulbs remain cooler (temperature-wise).
These energy savings ultimately equate to dollar savings.
Energy-efficient outdoor lighting uses a fraction of the electricity that incandescent or halogen bulbs use which means you’ll see a big difference in your electric bill. On average, LED bulbs use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and they can last around 25 times longer.
Our LEDs will last more than a decade, meaning you don’t have to constantly be changing bulbs. Because of that, we can also be more creative with an LED landscape lighting design. Since we do not have to be as concerned with accessibility and location (in order to regularly change bulbs), we aren’t held back in creative designs.
We hate to see Memphis homeowners get stuck with older technology that they won’t be happy with in the long run. That’s why it’s important to do your research and make sure that you lighting professional you hire is keeping up with “what’s new.
Today’s landscape lighting has also come incredibly far from a technology standpoint. Smart landscape lighting is all the rage, and for good reason. There have been some exciting advances as far as what’s possible with landscape lighting.
With WiFi landscape lighting control, you can have your lights controlled by an app on your smart device. That means that at the push of a button, you can make instant changes to your lighting set-up. Often, homeowners pre-program different lighting “schemes” that they prefer for different situations.
For instance, you might have a lighting scheme that is set for a dinner party with brighter lighting so that everyone can see one another (and what they’re eating).
But if you are having a more intimate, immediate family gathering, perhaps you just want a handful of lights to come on…and maybe you want them dimmed, particularly if you are going to be spending time by a fire feature.
With smart landscape lighting, you have precise control of your lighting.
Color-changing lights are another technological advance. Your light colors can be controlled by a smart device.
Imagine you’re having a party for the big game and you want to change your lighting design to feature the team colors. That can be set up easily on an app. Or, maybe instead of going through the hassle of stringing lights for the holidays you just want to light up your property in red or green. That can be done, too.
You can have a lot of fun with color-changing systems.
To some people, a landscape lighting installation might seem pretty easy. You’re just adding a few lights here and there, right?
Hopefully, this outdoor lighting guide has helped you to understand that it’s a lot more complex than that. But here are some additional reasons to consider hiring a pro instead of tackling DIY landscape lighting.
One of the key reasons why it’s important to consider a pro is that you’ll get the most out of your investment. In order to ensure that you have a truly professional-looking final result, you need to work with an actual professional.
After all, you want to make sure you’re reaping all of the benefits such as increased property value and curb appeal, enhanced enjoyment, and safety.
There’s also the risk of mistakes to consider. Unfortunately, homeowners and even some less-skilled pros can make mistakes that impact your success.
Common landscape lighting mistakes include using too many lights, using the wrong types of lights, or creating a lackluster design. Along with that, wiring mistakes can be a pretty dangerous risk. Poor wire connections or faulty grounding can put you or your family in danger…and cause you hassles and headaches that can be expensive to fix.
While people might assume that an outdoor lighting job is simple to complete, there’s typically more know-how with outdoor electrical wiring than people tend to realize. It’s not uncommon for people to realize they’re in over their heads when tackling a DIY landscape lighting project.
Of course, it’s not enough to hire any old landscape lighting designer for your landscape lighting installation. We recommend finding a Certified Outdoor Lighting Designer.
If you truly want the best results, you need to work with the best designers. An area where professional landscape lighting often goes awry is in the design. You might notice that a lot of lighting projects look identical. That’s because the landscape lighting designer didn’t create a custom design and failed to think outside of the box.
This is where hiring a Certified Outdoor Lighting Designer can make a world of difference. In fact, one of the principles of the program I completed with the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals is to “expose participants to different perspectives in lighting design.”
This translates into proper installation, too. Once the design is complete, you definitely want to make sure that it’s installed correctly. A Certified Outdoor Lighting Designer will know exactly what they’re doing.
Outdoor lighting is not exactly a small investment, so you want to make sure that you’re getting the most possible value out of it. While you can certainly find companies that will cut corners and do it cheaper, the very reasons that we outlined above are exactly why it’s worth paying a little bit more and getting the job done right.
If you are thinking about a landscape lighting installation, you might be wondering how much you can expect to spend. Outdoor lighting will contribute significant value to your home…but only if you invest in something high-quality that will deliver all the benefits.
As you start to do your research, it will help to understand the cost of landscape lighting.
You’ll likely also notice that the cost to install landscape lighting can really differ from one company to another. As with any service you’re getting, there’s going to be some variation. A landscape lighting company that charges less might also be using outdated technology and have less skilled team members doing the work.
Remember, older incandescent lighting systems are less expensive to install, but they’re going to require more maintenance, including regularly changing bulbs. The cost to run a lighting design with older lighting is also more expensive.
Today’s LED lighting systems are much more energy efficient and can save you money on maintenance and electric bills. However, they may be a more substantial investment upfront. It’s important to keep in mind that the savings on the back end are significant (as compared to an old system).
Because every project is so unique, it really is difficult to say what you might expect to pay. But our minimum starting price for a new installation is $2,500. That would be for a small project that takes less than a day.
If you’re talking about a larger project with multiple lights that takes a full day, it could be easily upwards of $5,000. And if you’re talking about a substantial project with different areas of the property lit, that takes two days, it could easily be upwards of $10,000.
These are starting points to get you thinking about the cost of installing landscape lighting. The more elaborate your project, the more it’s going to cost. But, that will also equate to more value.
As you make your purchase decision, make sure that you are weighing cost vs. value. You want to make sure that you’re truly getting your money’s worth.
While you might be able to find someone who would install landscape lighting for less money, you have to question what you’re getting. Unfortunately, not all outdoor lighting companies are created equally. Many are using outdated technology and installing subpar lighting materials.
Outdoor lighting is often installed by landscaping companies or other businesses that do lighting as a “side job.” But that means they’re not bringing the top skills and expertise to the field. Because landscape lighting truly is both an art and a science, an unqualified technician simply can’t deliver the best results.
Even with a top-notch system, you’re going to have some outdoor lighting maintenance that needs to be done. Keeping up with maintenance is important as it helps protect the long-term value of your system.
A little bit of a proactive approach with maintenance can really go a long way in maintaining your lighting design over time
Here are a few things to keep in mind.
As we’ve talked about in this landscape lighting guide, maintenance of older systems had a lot to do with regularly changing bulbs. But with today’s LED lighting, that’s not necessary on a regular basis.
Instead, landscape lighting maintenance is looking at ensuring that your system is functioning optimally and making tweaks as needed. Since lighting fixtures are outside, it’s not uncommon for them to get bumped out of place or moved over time.
When your landscaping company is there tending to your plants or mowing the lawn, they might accidentally bump a fixture. Or, maybe your kids were just playing soccer in the lawn and a fixture got hit by the ball.
Alignment issues such as these can be easily fixed during routine maintenance. This might sound like a small thing but it actually makes a big difference in maintaining the integrity of your design.
Landscape lighting maintenance is also about finding and fixing potential problems. Bulbs still do get broken or over time (10+ years) might require changing. Along with that, sometimes wires make their way up to the surface and need to be re-buried.
Insects and debris can also get into the lights and cause issues, requiring cleaning.
In general, the idea is to seek out and fix problems. That even includes changing settings to accommodate daylight savings time. When ongoing lighting maintenance is performed you gain peace of mind that everything is going to continue to function as it should.
Keep in mind that not all landscape lighting professionals offer maintenance services. But these services can be really valuable when it comes to maintaining your system.
At Mid South Night Lights, we tell clients that keeping up with routine maintenance is a great way to protect the long-term value. We advise that homeowners invest in quarterly Lighting Maintenance Program visits.
At a minimum, our Lighting Maintenance Program involves coming out twice a year. However, we have clients that we come out as often as monthly for. If you have hundreds of fixtures and lights throughout the front and back of your house, there is much to be inspected.
With ongoing outdoor lighting maintenance, you can gain peace of mind that any potential problems will be sought out and fixed before they can cause major issues with your lighting design.
At the end of the day, getting the most out of outdoor lighting in Memphis, TN comes down to the company that you choose to do the work. There are a lot of landscape lighting companies in Memphis, TN, but you want to make a choice that you feel will get the job done right.
This can feel like a daunting decision when there are a lot of companies to choose from. You should start the process with a list of possible options and then do your research.
Avoid the “Jack of all Trades”
We recommend looking for a company that does not aim to be a “jack-of-all-trades,” as many landscape lighting services do. Often lighting is an “add-on service” for a lot of landscaping companies. But you want to find a company that does lighting all day, every day.
Look for Companies that Keep up with “What’s New”
It’s also important to look for companies that are committed to staying on top of “what’s new.” That means the latest lighting techniques, skills, and products.
Outdoor lighting has come incredibly far in recent years with new lighting technology but not all companies are keeping up.
Look for Certified Outdoor Lighting Designers
We also recommend looking for a company that has a Certified Outdoor Lighting Designer. As we mentioned previously, this is the highest level certification out there and means that you’re getting a true pro.
Research Your Options
When it comes to getting the best possible outdoor lighting for your Memphis, TN property, it’s important that you take some time to research your options. We would recommend spending time looking through the websites of the companies that you’re considering. Go to the “About Us” page of any company that you’re considering and read about them!
Avoid shopping on price alone as you want to make sure that you are truly satisfied with the end result.
At Mid South Outdoor Lighting & Audio, we know that outdoor lighting is more than just something that “looks nice.” While there’s no doubt it will add tremendous aesthetic appeal, it also brings functional value by allowing you to get more use out of your space.
If you choose Mid South Outdoor Lighting & Audio for your outdoor lighting project, we are ready to help you maximize enjoyment and use of your outdoor areas with a lighting design that is customized for you. With just the right lighting, you’ll be enjoying your property more than ever.
Are you ready to create a secure, functional, and beautiful property at any hour of the day? If so, let’s meet and discuss some bright ideas.
