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While it is crucial to have proper interior lighting in a home, good exterior home lighting also has its significance. Outdoor light fixtures play an important role in maintaining the security and safety in your surroundings. In the evenings, a well arranged outdoor home lighting makes the home look more appealing and it enhances the architectural beauty of the structure.
Your home is no longer obscured by the shadows but cast in an interesting light that also boosts its curb appeal. The lighting helps you or any guests to properly see their way and stay safe when visiting after daytime hours. This reduces the chances of falls or of dangerous persons lurking about. When installing your exterior home lights, there are some factors you should consider ensuring you choose the most suitable ones:
Some cities have restrictions regarding the kind of lighting one can use for home exteriors. Therefore it is best for you to contact the building inspection authority in your area to know the prevalent building codes and the outdoor lights you can actually install.
You should choose outdoor lights that will beautify and enhance the appearance of your home. You should consider the features of your home before choosing any particular type of light to use outdoors. The size of the structure, landscaping style, and other architectural aspects should be thoroughly analyzed to determine how best to accentuate them with the lights.
To get the best finish, you should hire a home lighting specialist or a professional landscaper to give you better outdoor house lighting ideas. A professional would also help you choose lighting that are environment-friendly and minimize energy consumption.
No one enjoys tripping and falling over because a walkway is not adequately illuminated. With this in mind, you should install outdoor lighting that properly illumines your surroundings to reduce tripping on walkways or staircases. The ideal lighting should be attractive but functional enough to provide the necessary illumination up to a good distance away. There are many beautifully crafted lamps you could choose from to blend with the prevalent architectural style of the building. Other extra spots such as the porch, entertainment areas, or a swimming pool, should be properly lit to ensure they do not become safety hazards.
The ideal home outdoor lighting should be bright enough and strategically placed such that points where lurkers could hide are all well lit up. Flood lights are good for his purpose as they provide stronger glares that would go a farther distance than the regular wall bulbs.
If your home is large, ensure you have adequate exterior lighting that would allow you see most of if not all of the structure’s perimeter. It’s best you consult an exterior lighting expert to guide you in which lights to install that would suit the size of your property. That way, potential intruders are deterred by the thought that they would be easily spotted due to the bright lights.
A lots of persons in their quest to do their exterior lighting work themselves end up piling the lights haphazardly or in a way that does not provide thorough illumination for the surroundings. If you must do your outdoor lighting yourself, you should map out a lighting plan so that the circle of illumination of each light overlaps. This way, there is a higher likelihood that all aspects of the home’s exteriors are properly lit up. Handling the outdoor lighting of a very large home requires a more detailed plan, and so is best left for a professional to do.
Outdoor spots you should have properly illuminated
There are spots that require particular attention when installing your outdoor lights and they include:
1. The front entrance: This is a pivotal entry and exit point in every home for the occupants and for visiting guests. It’s at the front door that you identify, greet and admit guests that call on you so the area must be well illumined after daytime hours. You can have a pair of well-crafted wall lamps installed on the walls at both sides of the entrance to ensure safety as well as offer a warm, welcoming look to your guests. Other entrances at the side or back of the house should also be well illuminated.
2. By the garage: You can mount similar wall lanterns on both sides of the garage door or mount a more powerful single light above the door. This ensures the area is more secured and safer for you especially at night. The major rule is to ensure any dark spot is well lit to avoid any potential danger. To conserve energy, you should use photocell controlled lights that would be sensitive to daylight and toggle on/off at the appropriate times.
3. Driveways, Paths, and Staircases: These areas usually constitute tripping hazards, especially the stairs, so you should have lights strategically installed in these spots for optimal illumination. This ensures the home occupants and visiting guests can safely and securely navigate those places when it’s evening or night. Post lanterns or customized path lights can be used for this purpose.
For lengthy driveways, or pathways surrounded by shrubs, flower beds or other decorative plants, low-level lights are more suitable as they cast out light in wide, circular patterns. You can opt for bollards which are higher but still provide sufficient illumination at ground level. To reduce excessive glare, it is recommended that you have shielding covers placed on your light fixtures.
4. Swimming Pools, Jacuzzi’s and Fountains: Creative lighting around pools and fountains are a great way to enhance the general aesthetics of your home. A lighting specialist could install fiber-optic lights at the pool base and edges to create a surreal starry effect. LED lights and low-voltage bulbs are usually favored for pool lighting as they give the appropriate ambiance. Floating lights and solar-charged bulbs can also be used for these purposes. Remember to check with the relevant authorities before using these to ensure you do not infringe on any building law.
Lighting Techniques
1. Use creative lighting arrangements to highlight trees for a more stunning landscape.
2. Use moderate uplighting to channel light rays upwards to highlight your landscaping and home architecture further.
3. Focus the lighting on specific interest areas e.g. the entryway.
4. Ensure the lights deliver functionality and aesthetics by maintaining a balanced arrangement.
5. Try different kind of lights for better effect.
6. Plain white lights tend to be more appealing than multi-colored lights that can easily appear garish.
7. Use photocell-controlled lights for better efficiency.
The Current Trend of Using LED Lights
LED lights are now the increasingly popular lighting choice for most people although they were not trending in time past due to their high cost and monotonous glow. Over time, they have been reworked to deliver a warmer ambiance and the prices are now more moderate.
More people have thus, become interested in them. These lights use a lower voltage wiring mode so are easier to install, however, they still cost more than regular bulbs. For that extra cost, you get huge savings in your energy expenditure.
With the proper home exterior lighting, your outdoors can be as safe and inviting as your interiors. You get to observe better safety and deter potential intruders with these lights. Take all other factors into consideration before you settle on the optimal outdoor lighting to install. You’ll be pleased by the improved aesthetics, better safety and enhanced security these exterior lights offer.