The Do’s and Don’ts of Landscape Lighting

Owner of Southern Landscape Lighting Systems, Lindsey Rodericks, takes us through what to do, and what to avoid when it comes to your landscape lighting installation in Atlanta.

Landscape lighting, if done right, can subtly
set the mood of a garden by using light to highlight features and working with
shadows to create texture. Outdoor lighting also performs an additional
important job, that of increasing the security of your property. Lindsey, with many
years as owner of Southern
Landscape Lighting Systems, Atlanta,GA has enough wisdom on the subject to
fill a book, and she shares four of the most important things that you should
do with your landscape lighting, as well as some things to avoid.

Do Use LED Lights

New LED lighting is between 60% and 70%
more energy efficient than traditional halogen bulbs, and they can last ten
years or more. LED technology is still
evolving, and LED lights are now available in a range of different hues so that
you can create the same effect as the soft white light of halogen bulbs.

Do Use Enough Fixtures

It may be tempting
to save money by installing fewer fixtures but making
them brighter. This ruins the effect of outdoor
lighting as you will have patches of extreme light and extreme shadow. If you
have budget constraints, rather focus on lighting the important areas of your
exterior – such as patios, walkways, and
entrances.

Do Vary the Fixtures Throughout Your Garden

By varying the intensity of the beams in a
garden, it is possible to create a sense of depth and texture to the area.

Do Highlight Landscaping Features Correctly

It’s a mistake to only use one light to illuminate features that you want to
highlight in your garden such as statues
and water features. A single light will create harsh shadows and wash the
feature out; this can be avoided by using two lights spaced correctly
with low to medium bulb intensities.

Don’t Only Use Bullet Lights

Bullet lights (or spotlights) are a
versatile fixture as they can be fitted
with different color bulbs and beams, but they can be quite one dimensional as
the light that they provide and can be quite harsh. Lindsey suggests limiting
the use of bullet lights to the corners of your home and property and for
highlighting architectural details, but to rather use softer lighting options
for the front of your home.

Don’t Use Solar Lights

Solar lights produce very little light and
are not reliable because they are weather dependent, and the lifespan of solar lights
tends to be a lot shorter. For people looking to make environmentally conscious
decisions, LED landscape lighting is an energy efficient alternative.

Don’t Treat Pathways and Stairs the Same

Pathways are a flat surface that won’t
create awkward shadows whereas stairs immediately create shadows even if there is only a small amount of light on
them. Lighting up a staircase by placing a single light at the top will make
the bottom stairs difficult to see, but this set up could work effectively for
a pathway. Stairs need a single light on each level (if the stairs are narrow),
however for wider staircases, it may be necessary to place multiple lights on
each rung.

Southern
Landscape Lighting Systems has been servicing the Atlanta for many years,
providing expert advice, high levels of customer service and expert landscape
lighting services. The company specializes in landscape lighting design with
free daytime consultations, as well as offering
landscape lighting installation and service. The team focuses on quality
workmanship and only uses the best
quality products. They pride themselves on offering superior after-sales
service to keep their client’s systems operating optimally.

The following article was originally published to The Do’s and Don’ts of Landscape Lighting and is courtesy of Southern Landscape Lighting Systems. Read more on:} https://www.southernlls.com/

A Collaborative Approach to Landscape Lighting

When it comes to designing a landscape lighting solution, a multi-step approach is needed according to the team at Southern Landscape Lighting Systems.

Lindsey Rodericks,
owner of Southern
Landscape Lighting Solutions in Alpharetta, has found that the best way to
ensure that a landscape lighting installation is a success, is to work closely
with the property owner using a structured plan to map out the design step by
step. Following their three-step process
of focusing on the house, then looking at proximity and placing of lights and
lastly adding depth and texture, they are confident that they will be able to deliver the perfect installation every time.

First, Focus on the House

In many cases a client may find the process
of designing a landscape lighting installation overwhelming, many homeowners want to be involved in the process, but find it
difficult to know where to start. Lindsey suggests that, rather than focusing
on everything that needs to get done, that they rather focus on the most
important feature: their home. Some important tips to keep in mind:

• Landscape lights should not
  draw attention to themselves, but rather ensure that the focus is on the facade
  of the home.
• Focus on lighting up the most
  important areas such as walkways, entrances and any other areas that get the
  most traffic.
• Security implications highlight
  areas around your home to deter intruders such as porches and windows.

A good way to get started is to observe
your home at night from the perspective of a visitor – think about the
potential problem areas that might make your home difficult to navigate at
night, as well as making a list of the best features of your home’s exterior.

Second, Think About Proximity and Placement

The spacing of outdoor lights is critical
to a successful lighting installation. Correct spacing and an understanding of
what areas should be highlighted means
that lights:

• Should be evenly spaced to
  cover the whole outdoor area.
• Shouldn’t be too close together
  or too bright as they can flatten features that should be accentuated or they may be too
  bright for people to be able to navigate through the garden successfully.
• Should be placed slightly away
  from the feature that is to be highlighted
  in order to cast a greater area of light.

If you have budget constraints, rather
start small and cover the most important areas properly. This will be more effective than spreading the
lights out too much and having big patches of dark interspersed with lights
that are too bright.

Lastly, Add Depth and Texture

There are a couple of ways to set up
landscape lights that will quickly add layers to your garden to give it a
multi-dimensional effect. To add depth:

• Vary the intensity of the
  different outdoor lights.
• Limit the number of accent
  lights.
• Vary the angle of the lights so
  that they shine in different directions.
• Limit the gaps between lights
  to prevent big black areas in your garden.

Lights vary in intensity; large lumen lights work well to draw
attention to important areas such as large trees or statues as they are very bright.
Medium intensity lighting is a good option for high traffic areas such as
patios and pathways so that there is enough light to see what you are doing. Low-intensity lighting can be interspersed
throughout the garden to add diversity to your garden’s lighting.

Mixing different types of lights and
incorporating shadow through backlighting, silhouetting, up-lighting and
down-lighting will also help to create depth for your yard.

Southern
Landscape Lighting Systems in Alpharetta has worked on a wide range of
landscape installations for many years and are well-known for their striking, effective
lighting solutions, as well as the quality of their workmanship. If you’re looking for landscape lighting for your
garden, they’d love to walk you through the process and design a bespoke
installation that brings your vision to life.

The next info was first published on A Collaborative Approach to Landscape Lighting and is courtesy of Southern Landscape Lighting Systems. See more on:} The Southern Landscape Lighting Systems Blog in Georgia

Outdoor Lighting System in Marietta GA that Makes a Difference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Are you in search of a landscape lighting design and installation services that makes the world of difference in your home?

A leading local company is building a strong reputation by offering one of the best outdoor lighting systems in Marietta, GA. With expert advisory council on lighting installation and maintenance for clients (new and old,) with exquisite taste and appreciation for technology, Southern Landscape Lighting Systems pride itself on years of experience in the field of landscape lighting architectural designs, fittings, maintenance and installation for over hundreds of homes in and outside.

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, only if one remembers to turn on the lights"

Outdoor LED lighting has become popular in homes as a form of adding beauty to the house and garden at night and evening relaxation outside with families and friends. Also, most importantly for security purposes, having landscape lighting design should incorporate a focus on security lighting where all areas of your yard are strategically lit to reduce the chances of break-ins.

Landscape lighting design and installation services are gaining more popularity with the advancement in LED technology in recent years. This has made it possible for outdoor lighting to have a new facial uplift.

LED lights can last up to 20 years. This makes it a better choice in the area of outdoor lighting. People are always faced with the question, “If outdoor lighting is something I should consider, how do I get started?” and “Why I should use LED lights?” And the answer is simply, creating excellent outdoor lighting is a form of art and adds value to your property.

Exterior lighting systems can be complex for anyone who is not a landscape lighting contractor. Little but important details are often overlooked such as light pollution. It can be extremely frustrating to invest one’s valuable time and money into a project, only to have it turn out completely different than what was envisioned or sadly have it not work after a couple of months.

What people forget most of the times is that installing outdoor lights can be potentially dangerous. So a sound understanding of electrical installations before beginning is highly recommended. It is simpler and safer to hire one of the best landscape lighting company in Marietta GA. Make sure they have a low voltage electrical license and experienced staff so that you, your family and your home are safe.

In-depth knowledge of the latest technology in the field of lighting and how to reduce the effects of light pollution on the environment by making more educated choices, are just some of the reasons why choosing Southern Landscape Lighting Systems in Marietta is the best choice for all your landscape lighting design needs. When selecting a landscape lighting company, these essential checks should be carried out before making a decision. Additionally, checks such as advice on lighting, safety compliance, a focus on security, the option to customize your lighting installation, the lighting contractor’s reliability and competitive pricing.

Southern Landscape Lighting Systems in Marietta, GA is a certified low voltage electrical contractor that specializes in LED landscape lighting. The next time you are searching for a landscape lighting contractor in Marietta and its environs, you can always reach out to Southern Landscape Lighting Systems. Sometimes, they are out of the office doing onsite consultations and therefore are not in office during regular office hours, as such clients should book an appointment before visiting the store.

Location: 2470 Windy Hill Rd SE #300-5276
Marietta, GA 30067
Phone: (678) 616-9166
Email: lindsey@southernlls.com
URL: https://southernlls.com/locations/marietta-georgia

The next post was originally seen on Outdoor Lighting System in Marietta GA that Makes a Difference and is republished from Southern Landscape Lighting Systems. Find more on:} https://www.southernlls.com