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 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 goes in a typical plan
Most plans start with the path to the door, which is the piece that earns its cost every single evening. A light aimed up into a tree gives the yard depth after sunset. Beds, steps, walls and
https://evercrestlighting.com/about/ the driveway round it out, and some of that is safety more than style.
Where the categories blur
The request almost never stays in one lane. Out back, patio lighting is the difference between a patio you use and one you look at. Security lighting deals with the corners of the lot, which is a different goal from the pretty work. Accent lighting is the finish work.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is too much of it. A yard lit evenly at every point has no depth, which is exactly the look people are trying to get away from. The second mistake is aiming fixtures where people walk, so the path lights blind you instead of showing the path. The third is ignoring how the yard will look in five years, when the shrub in front of the uplight has doubled.
Commercial landscape lighting
On commercial property the brief changes. A restaurant patio has to be comfortable to sit in after dark. Parking and walkways are a footing and visibility question. A neighborhood entrance is about the first impression of the whole community, which is why entrances get lit carefully.
Combining the two
Roofline lighting handles the building. Landscape lighting handles everything else. Together they finish the picture. Roofline light outlines the building, and the yard lighting gives the front of the property depth.Doing them in one plan is easier than doing them a year apart. If the budget has to be split, ask which half does more for your property, and it is not always the roofline.Unlike a roofline system, ground level fixtures shift. Fixtures get bumped by mowers, beds fill in around them, and the aim wanders. An annual look and re aim keeps it looking the way it was designed.
Getting it planned properly
The plan should be made standing in the yard, not picked from a page. 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. Consultations are free, and the design gets built around your yard. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].