Landscape lighting starts with the yard, not the catalog
Where roofline lighting works on the building, landscape lighting takes care of the yard: paths, garden beds, trees and stairs. Done well, it looks like the yard is lit and not like a row of lamps. Done badly, it looks like an airport runway down the driveway.
What a yard normally needs
Most 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 changes the whole front of a property after dark. Then there are garden beds, stairs and walls where the light is about footing, and the parking area.
The other outdoor lighting people ask about
Homeowners rarely want one category. Out back, patio lighting is the difference between a patio you use and one you look at. Security lighting handles the parts of the property nobody can see from the street. Accent lighting handles the detail.
Where landscape lighting goes wrong
The most common mistake is too much of it. A yard lit evenly at every point has no depth, and flat is the one thing you were trying to avoid. Badly aimed fixtures put light in your guests' eyes rather than onto the surface. The third is ignoring how the yard will look in five years, when the shrub in front of the uplight has doubled.
Commercial grounds lighting
On commercial property the brief changes. A restaurant patio has to be comfortable to sit in after dark. A parking area is about people getting to their cars. A neighborhood entrance sets the tone for everything behind it, which is why entry lighting gets attention in planned developments.
How they work as one design
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.A single design avoids a mismatched result, which is the usual problem when a second company adds to a first company's
https://evercrestlighting.com/permanent-lighting/ work. If the budget has to be split, ask which half does more for your property, and it is not always the roofline.Landscape lighting is not entirely hands off. Mowers, growing shrubs and seasons nudge fixtures out of position. An annual look and re aim keeps the plan looking like the plan.
Getting it installed 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 residential and commercial properties. Working out of Greenville, South Carolina, they cover 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].