Landscape Lighting Alpharetta Images - 5/26/2022

 

Landscape Lighting Marietta Images - 5/26/2022

 

Landscape Lighting Acworth Images - 5/26/2022

 

Landscape Lighting Alpharetta Images - 5/6/2022

 

Landscape Lighting Acworth Images - 5/6/2022

 

Landscape Lighting Marietta Images - 5/6/2022

 

The Value of Safe, Beautiful Trees for Acworth, GA, Homeowners

Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Acworth, GA, is committed to designing, installing, and servicing premium residential and commercial landscape lighting systems in metro Atlanta. The team spotlights homes and businesses using lighting fixtures, techniques, and technology that enhance safety, security, utility, and curb appeal. The treescape is an important aspect of any landscape lighting project because trees add significant value to a property.

The Value of Safe and Beautiful Trees

In an article entitled “Increase Your Home’s Value With Mature Trees,” HGTV writes, “Towering trees on your property provide more than beauty -- they increase the value of your home. Several recent nationwide surveys show that mature trees in a well-landscaped yard can increase the value of a house by 7 percent to 19 percent.”

Trees can be a great asset to a home, but to maximize the value of this asset, the homeowner must ensure that the treescape is safe and beautiful.

How to Create the Ideal Treescape

Individual trees require regular maintenance and care if they are to be safe and beautiful. A routine inspection by the homeowner during the months when foliage is on the trees can identify dead or diseased limbs. If the limbs are large and shedding branches and twigs on windy days or during thunderstorms, have a licensed arborist inspect the tree. The arborist will remove dead or damaged limbs if necessary.

Signs of damage or disease include:

• Unseasonal leaf-shed
• Lots of limbs and branches falling from the tree
• Termites and other pests on the tree
• Visible rot or fungus on the tree or its roots
• Open wounds oozing sap
• Unusual leaning or tilting
• Brittle branches

A yearly inspection by a licensed, insured arborist can take tree safety to the next level. Not only can the arborist spot and remove damaged and diseased limbs and trees, but they can also trim and shape trees to enhance their beauty, raise the canopy to let in more sunlight, fertilize the trees, and treat for pest infestation.

The treescape may also be invigorated by the planting of new trees. For advice on the best types of trees and their placement in the overall landscape, have a licensed, experienced landscape architect survey the layout and make suggestions. They can also manage the installation and maintenance of the new trees.

The best time to prune, trim, and shape most trees and shrubs is during the winter months when they are dormant. A bonded, licensed, and insured professional arborist with the proper equipment can safely provide the services. If outdoor landscape lighting is in place, identify the fixtures and other electrical components with orange tape, flagging, or marking paint to prevent damage by the crew. Consider including a lighting design professional from Southern Landscape Lighting systems of Acworth in the process. When the arborist and the lighting specialist work together, the results can be spectacular day and night.

Enhance the Beauty of the Treescape With LED Landscape Lighting

Healthy trees make for a safe treescape. A well-maintained treescape is the best foundation for the design and installation of landscape lighting. A competent arborist working in conjunction with a lighting specialist is able to artfully shape trees so that when the trees are illuminated, they truly shine in all their beauty. Something as simple as the optimal height of the canopy can dramatically affect the impact of the landscape lighting application. Working in concert, the arborist and the lighting designer can produce brilliant results that enhance the safety, beauty, and overall enjoyment of the landscape while adding real value to the home.

With any addition or improvement to the home or landscape, the homeowner must ascertain the intrinsic and economic return on investment. The daily enjoyment a home brings to the residents is priceless. The expense of installing and maintaining a pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, or backyard putting green may not be fully recovered at closing when the home is sold, but these amenities do enhance and improve the quality of life. They may also substantially increase the value of the house.

Outdoor LED landscape lighting enables the homeowner to experience the beauty of the treescape after dark. In some regards, the well-lit tree takes on a mystical quality. It seems to move and shimmer in the spotlight’s beam, seeking to escape the bonds of its root structure. What value can be placed on a majestic Georgian oak, nature’s masterpiece? Its grandeur is priceless!

The value of a treescape is directly linked to its safety and beauty. The expense of transforming an unhealthy and mismanaged treescape into a safe, beautiful component of the overall landscape could be staggering. However, if the treescape has been well-managed, the addition of outdoor landscape lighting could produce stunning results that pay rich dividends.

Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Acworth, GA, will set up a nighttime demonstration that allows the homeowner to experience the mystique, ambiance, and grandeur of a well-lighted treescape. The team of professionals offers lighting design, installation, and maintenance for homes and businesses in the metro Atlanta area.

Contact Southern Landscape Lighting Systems for more details about landscape lighting design services that showcase a property in the best light. The Acworth office can be reached by phone at (678) 324-6842, as well as by email at lindsey@southernlls.com.

LED Low Voltage Outdoor Landscape Lighting for 2022: Begin With the Basics

Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Alpharetta, GA, offers residential and commercial customers the opportunity to enjoy LED landscape lighting. The lighting experts utilize premium fixtures, the latest technology, and innovative lighting techniques to illuminate homes and landscapes. Without landscape lighting, a magnificent house and a well-manicured landscape fade into darkness with the setting of the sun. However, homeowners can keep the experience alive with landscape lighting.

The Basics of Landscape Lighting

A basic understanding of the fundamentals of LED low-voltage landscape lighting highlights the multifaceted value of having a home or business that has been exquisitely illuminated. The design and installation professionals at Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Alpharetta share tips on what goes into a landscape lighting plan and installation that casts the home or business in the best light.

LED: The Top Choice for Landscape Lighting

LED technology has been around for over 100 years, but innovations and mass production have only recently made LED landscape lighting accessible. Just Energy, a leading electricity company serving North America, explains that LED bulbs “first entered the market in 2008. By 2011, Philips Lighting North America perfected the design with a prize-winning 60-watt LED light bulb. At the time, the bulbs sold for $40 each and had a lifespan of over 27 years.”

Over the past decade, LED lighting has become very popular and is the industry standard for landscape lighting. Several factors contribute to its popularity.

• Energy efficient

LED bulbs use 80% less energy than traditional halogen lighting systems.

• Long-lasting

While traditional halogen bulbs only last between 2,000 and 5,000 hours, LED lights can last up to 40,000 hours or more, depending on the environment. In applications to light piers where the fixtures are submerged, the bulbs can last up to 70,000 or more hours.

• Durable

Shock-resistant bulbs are housed in non-corrosive-resistant fixtures.

• Low maintenance

An outdoor LED lighting system is less labor-intensive to maintain due to the longevity and durability of the bulbs.

• Affordable

Efficiency, longevity, durability, and low maintenance make LED the affordable choice for homeowners and business owners.

• Safe

Lower voltage requirements make LED the safer choice. The likelihood of electrocution or fire is significantly reduced. Halogen bulbs are very hot and can ignite leaves, mulch, or other flammable materials.

• Versatile

Advances such as the step-down transformer enable lighting designers to achieve a wide array of lighting effects.

Low-Voltage Outdoor Lighting Components

A low-voltage lighting system breaks down into several basic components. The transformer reduces the household current from 120 volts to 12 volts. The bulb determines the color, beamwidth, brightness, and consumption of electricity. The fixture housing is where the bulb is located. The housing serves many functions, including protecting the bulb from the elements. Phalanges on the housing help dissipate heat which is the enemy of the LED bulb. The fixture also aids in shaping the light beam. The fixture is affixed to a stake that stabilizes the unit, and electrical cables conduct current to the fixture.

Types of Outdoor Landscape Lights

There are six general types or categories of outdoor landscape lights: garden, wash, bullet, well, downlight/uplight, and flood.

• Garden lights

A garden light features canopies on top of a post that is 18 to 24 inches tall. These canopies reflect light down into a flower bed. Garden lights can also be used as a pathway marker. These highly visible fixtures come in a variety of styles and finishes that complement their surroundings.

• Wash lights

This fixture casts a soft, diffuse light ideal for illuminating garden walls, privacy fences, and other flat facades such as a mural.

• Bullet lights

Bullet lights, or spotlights, project a narrow beam and are ideal for precisely lighting architectural features of a home or business, garden structures such as a fountain, and tree trunks. Some styles of this fixture resemble a bullet, hence the name “bullet” light.

• Well lights

This waterproof fixture is concealed in the ground. These covert lights are perfect for illuminating the underside of plant foliage. A lighting designer deploys the well light to graze the base of a fence or wall. Some bulbs may be fixed or able to swivel.

• Downlights

A talented lighting designer can create a magical moonlight effect with these fixtures by installing them high on tree trunks and branches and aiming the beam at the tree’s foliage, lawn areas, or paths. Side glare is eliminated or reduced by a long, cowl-shaped shroud.  A reputable lighting design company will install premium quality stainless steel, brass, or copper housings with LEDs in this application which extends the life of the fixture and the bulb. The installation of downlighting may necessitate the services of a tree climber or a boom truck. Better quality fixtures and long-lasting LEDs make the best sense in this application.

• Floodlights

The floodlight typically casts a wide beam (more than 40 degrees) with a brightness greater than a wash light. A collar minimizes annoying side glare. A floodlight is an excellent choice to illuminate tall trees or the wide façade of a home or business.

The design and installation team at Southern Landscape Lighting Systems brings together the technology of LED low-voltage lighting, the many options afforded by a wide variety of fixtures, and the lighting artistry of designer and owner Lindsey Rodericks to showcase a home or business in its best light.

For more details about scheduling outdoor landscape lighting installation and service, contact the Alpharetta office by phone at (770) 691-1221 or email at lindsey@southernlls.com.

The History and the Benefits of Beautiful Outdoor Landscape Lighting

Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Marietta is a full-service outdoor architectural landscape lighting company. The lighting specialists design, install and service residential and commercial outdoor lighting systems in Marietta, GA, and the metro Atlanta area.

All Things Bright and Beautiful: The History and Benefits of Landscape Lighting

The history of outdoor architectural landscape lighting is as ancient as the sun, moon, and stars. The morning sun rising above the horizon announces its imminent arrival with a splash of brilliant colors that paint the morning sky with strokes of orange, purple, and red. The day concludes with a fireball extending flaming fingers that claw the darkening sky to slow their hastening demise. A lesser orb pierces the evening’s black shroud with a faint liquid light that casts eerie shadows on the forest floor. Myriad stars dust the night sky with just enough luminescence to lift the eyes but not enough to light the path. For millennia, humanity has sought to capture and recast the beauty of creation with artificial landscape lighting.

A Brief History of Landscape Lighting

The science of modern landscape lighting dates to the seventeenth century, long before the harnessing of electricity. Lighting was utilized in decorative gardens and outdoor settings mainly for safety purposes. Lighting fuels advanced from whale oil to coal gas to natural gas in the nineteenth century, the climax being the production and usage of electricity in the twentieth century. Affordable, accessible electricity made it possible to integrate lighting into the design and function of a home’s landscape.

As a nation climbed out of the Great Depression in the 1930s, Frank Nightingale, an employee at General Electric, made the bold decision to quit his job and pursue his passion: landscape lighting. In 1933, he launched his own company, Kim Lighting and Manufacturing Co. From this starting point, he revolutionized the landscape lighting industry. By following his passion, Nightingale, who became known as the father of modern landscape lighting, transformed landscape lighting into a true art form.

LED: A Leap Forward in Landscape Lighting Technology

The first LED lightbulb for basic residential use was invented in 2010. The advances have been measured not in small steps but in giant leaps. Within a decade, LED lights have become accessible, affordable, and commonplace in and around homes and businesses across the United States. The net energy savings has put energy dollars back in the pockets of the average homeowner.

Not only did LED technology become widely adopted in homes, businesses, offices, schools, hospitals, and factories, but it also became a popular way to light up the exterior of the home. Early LED landscape lighting technology was expensive and faced some performance challenges, but American innovation rapidly overcame these issues. In 2022, LED landscape lighting technology has captured the beauty of creation and is recasting it with a brilliance that is 80% more efficient than traditional halogen lighting. LEDs can last up to 50,000 hours. Encapsulation of the LED in a sturdy brass or aluminum fixture designed with heat-dissipating phalanges ensures the longevity of the bulb. The metal casing also gives the LED an advantage when exposed to the elements or the boots and equipment of the lawn maintenance crew. The lower operational temperature of the LED bulb reduces the potential for fire and injury to pets and people.

Traditional halogen landscape lighting bulbs, on the other hand, use five times the energy of LED. A 300-watt tubular halogen bulb at full power can reach 1,004 °F, hot enough to ignite mulch, leaves, or other debris. Halogen bulbs only last from around 2,000 to 4,000 hours before they need to be replaced.

Outdoor architectural landscape lighting involves the illumination of private lawns and gardens, as well as public landscapes. Purposes include the enhancement of nighttime aesthetics, security, pedestrian safety, accessibility, recreation, entertainment, and illumination for social gatherings.

Southern Landscape Lighting Systems of Marietta offers virtual and onsite consultations. The design and installation professionals also provide nighttime demonstrations, which allow clients to experience how landscape lighting puts their home in the best light.

To learn more about outdoor LED lighting installation and service, contact Southern Landscape Lighting Systems by email at lindsey@southernlls.com. The Marietta office can be reached by phone at (678) 616-9166.