You had your new backyard deck built and bought your new shiny BBQ grill, but something is missing. You will be in the dark in no time without proper outside lighting. Previously most homes either had the single light by the back door or the overly bright floodlights mounted to the back wall of the house. Times they have changed, and more options for outside lights have become available in recent years to accommodate any situation that arises. Not only will you be able to come up with a balanced outdoor lighting scheme, but also you will be able to make it match your exterior décor easily.
You want an outside light to illuminate your outdoor living area, much like in your living room or great room of your home. Bright enough to cook by, visit with neighbors, have a party, and still be able to read the directions from your BBQ recipe book. Depending on how large your patio or deck area is you want to option for a combination of outside wall lights or sconces, and combine them with strategically placed pole lamps. If your outdoor living space is covered, then recessed lighting can be installed in the rafters to bath the entire area with soft or bright light that is controlled by a dimmer switch.
Depending on the intricacy of your lighting needs out in the back yard, you may need to employ a combination of a landscape design professional and licensed journeyman electrician to get the job done. A project like this may require building permits, and inspected by code enforcement inspectors. This is required in many major cities, but should not be needed in rural areas. Tell the designer what your expectations are, and what type of budget you have to spend, and they will usually come up with a workable solution that you will be happy with and be able to afford.
Solar Outdoor Lighting
Solar outdoor lights are always an option that will not require the above mentioned costly project and can be setup in just a couple of hours. The technology available today in the solar industry will allow you to have outdoor lights glowing all night long if daytime hours were completely cloud free and sunny. In case of cloudy or dark days the lights may only stay on for a couple of hours. This situation would probably be well-suited for homes in the most southern regions of the United States where it is sunny the majority of the time.
Fri, Apr 9, 2010
Outdoor Lighting