With the installation of brick paver walks and patios, attractive plantings like trees, shrubs, or ornamental grasses, and a lush, well-kept lawn, you are giving your home some real curb appeal – whether you plan to attract a prospective buyer, or just entertain your friends and family.
So why let that pretty home exterior fade to black when the sun goes down? Consider adding some professionally designed landscape lighting. Not only will you augment the best features of your property’s look, you’ll also step up the safety and security of those who live and visit there.
The right exterior light fixtures, properly chosen and skilfully laid out and installed, will accent and highlight striking features around your house – trees, sculptures, architectural elements of the house itself – without splashing them with garish light. Lighting designers talk about the “moonlight effect” of exterior ambient lighting: natural-looking light no more intense than light from a full moon, and yet still enough to create attractive highlights and shadows where they are desirable.
Shadows, however, can conceal intruders, or mask tripping/falling hazards, and that’s where security and safety aspects of landscape lighting are important to mention. Motion sensor light fixtures (switched on when movement is sensed, whether it’s a human or animal) are normally installed on the house itself, and will flood an entry point with enough light to startle and drive away a potential burglar. Even ambient, moonlight-effect lighting from fixtures placed around the property provides illumination adequate to give an occupied look to your home, and discourages intruders looking for full darkness in which to operate.
Ground lighting along paths and stairs is essential for enjoying your home’s exterior on a seasonable evening. Falls are annually a leading cause of injuries sustained at home, according to the Home Safety Council. Light fixtures for stairs and walkways need to be carefully selected, laid out and installed; shadows must not hide uneven spots or trip hazards on a walkway, and because the fixtures are mounted low to the ground, the light from them must not point up, and shine too much light and glare at eye level.
Along with all of these benefits, landscape lighting can add resale value to your home. Ask your realtor for an estimate on the return you might expect to gain on investing in an exterior lighting project. Whatever the potential payback, landscape lighting can add a new dimension to your enjoyment of your home.