Your home’s landscaping is one of the best features of your property. In fact, a beautiful landscape design can add as much as 15 percent to your home’s resale value. But there’s more to landscaping than building up a beautiful garden bed. You also need to pay attention to your landscape lighting design.
The right lighting can make your landscaping stand out even more. Here are a few tips to help you create the perfect design for your home.
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Set a Budget for Your Landscape Lighting Design
Landscape lighting can be incredibly affordable. But if you’re not careful, you could end up blowing through thousands of dollars on fixtures alone. Before you can start upgrading your yard with light fixtures, you need to establish a firm budget. Think about how much you’re willing to spend on the project. If it’s just a couple hundred dollars, that’s fine. But you need to be firm and stick to that budget. Once you have that number in mind, you’re ready to start looking at fixtures.
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Think About How You Use the Space
The way you use your space can determine your landscape lighting design. Think about how you typically use your yard. Do you entertain friends and family on the patio? If so, you’ll want to incorporate lights around your patio space to enhance the ambiance. Do you spend more time in the front yard instead of the back? Then you’ll want to put most of your budget towards enhancing the front yard. There’s no right answer here. The best designs make the space more usable for you and your family. If that means it’s not the same as the rest of your neighbors’, that’s fine.
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Illuminate Your Walking Paths
As a homeowner, you’re responsible for everything that happens on your property. If someone falls and gets injured, you’re liable for those injuries. Illuminating your walkways is a great way to reduce your liability and keep your family and guests safer. These lights don’t have to be complex. All you need are a few stylish stake lights installed along the entryway. This will be enough to prevent many tripping hazards and reduces the amount of foot traffic your landscaping sees.
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Highlight the Features You Love Most
Landscape lighting doesn’t just work for lighting up your yard. It can also add dimension and increase the impact your landscaping has.Use your lighting to highlight the features you love and are most proud of. These can be any part of your landscaping from decorative retaining walls to a particular tree you enjoy looking at. The only limit is your imagination.
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Vary Your Angles
Many fixtures are adjustable and can direct light to particular areas in your yard. This helps you draw attention where you want it to go, hiding the parts of your yard you’re not happy with in shadow. All you have to do is change up the angle of your fixtures. Look at the features you’re highlighting and let them guide your positioning. For example, setting a low spotlight at the base of a tree illuminates both the trunk and canopy. This creates a unique glow that makes the tree the focal point of your yard. But you can also mount lights in the upper levels of the trees and surrounding landscaping. This mimics moonlight and provides a softer, more natural look. The angles you choose help make your landscaping dynamic at night.
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Don’t Forget Security
Landscape lighting can play a huge part in improving your home’s security and safety. Pay attention to your entryways. Mount lights near the front door to make sure your family can see who is outside at any time. Add motion-detecting lights to the sides of your home or your backyard to draw attention to anyone trying to break in. These simple measures help make your home less of a target—when thieves feel exposed, they’re less likely to target your home.
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Don’t Be Afraid to Combine Styles
You don’t have to settle for a single type of light fixture. In fact, incorporating different types and shapes can enhance the look of your house. Decorative wall sconces are great for illuminating entryways and adding to your home’s exterior. But they’re not suited for directional lighting. Simple canister lights are ideal for lighting up specific trees and features, but the fixtures aren’t exactly eye-catching. By combining different types of fixtures, you’ll create a unique look that works for your needs and your personal style.
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Focus on Energy Efficiency
Landscape lighting does require electricity to illuminate your yard. But that doesn’t mean it has to cost you an arm and a leg. Focus on energy efficiency from the very beginning. Invest in LED light bulbs rather than incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. They use less electricity and put out more light than any other option. Best of all, they last for years, sparing you the frustration of having to replace burned out bulbs several times a year.
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Leave Landscape Lighting Installation to the Pros
Though landscape lighting design may seem simple, it’s far more difficult to implement than you might think. Not only are you running new electrical wires to your new fixtures, but you also need to make sure the fixtures get installed safely. Instead of trying to do it on your own, leave the installation to the pros. They’ll make sure everything works safely and efficiently.
Final Thoughts
Remember, a well-lit home is a beautiful home. Use these tips to help you get the landscape lighting design that works with your budget and your property. For more helpful tips on turning your house into a home you love, check out our latest posts.
