You’ve spent a lot of time and invested a lot of hard work in your outdoor space. Why not show it off a little? If you’re the kind that enjoys the evening hours outside long after the sun has dipped below the distant horizon, landscape lighting is a must.
From chasing away the darkness in the far corners of your property to illuminating the areas you frequent the most, landscape lighting serves both practical and aesthetic purposes. Here are five of the biggest benefits that lighting up your landscape offers.
Effortless Aesthetic Boost
Landscape lighting highlights your landscaping decor and adds layers of brightness and depth to your home and lawn, and creates ambiance. Some of the best examples of ambiance creating landscape lighting include:
String Lights
Drape these through your trees to add a little whimsy to your yard, or dress up your patio or deck with these lights to brighten up the space.
Spotlights
With just a single focused beam of light, spotlights offer up a wealth of versatility. Depending upon the width of the beam of light and the wattage, you can create a dramatic lighting effect in your space. Some popular techniques for using spotlights include:
- Silhouetting
- Highlighting
- Grazing
- Shadowing
Use spotlights to highlight certain features of your landscape, such as fountains, statues, or trees. The sky’s the limit when it comes to ways to implement spotlights into your landscape.
Step Lights
Step lights add a backlight to your steps, making them easier to see and creating a subtle ambiance. Both practical and attractive, step lights are a must for outdoor areas with steps.
Increased Home Property Value
The addition of landscape lighting to your property offers more than just curb appeal. It also gives a nice boost to your home’s property value. Outdoor lighting promotes a sense of safety, a desirable feature in a home for prospective homebuyers.
Safety
Landscape lighting provides safety for both you and your guests by illuminating the areas once shrouded in darkness and difficult to navigate. By lighting up paths and walkways, you reduce the chances of slips, falls, and twisted ankles.
Landscape lighting also makes your property safe for those passing by. This helps to reduce the chances of someone falling near your property and trying to come after you for damages.
Landscape lighting is also an excellent way to keep people safe around features in your lawn that could become hazardous in the dark, such as:
- Swimming pools
- Fountains
- Ponds
- Areas of uneven terrain
The better the visibility, the less you’ll have to deal with easily preventable accidents.
Security
Lighting is one of the best ways to deter thieves from your property. By illuminating the dark spaces around your home where would-be thieves could lurk and hide, you reduce the chances that your home will be a target. Some areas to consider focusing on are:
- The driveway
- Around the garage
- Entryways to your home
- Dark areas around your property
Security lighting doesn’t need to be harsh or startling to offer this effect. Just enough light to brighten up the dark areas is all it takes to keep unwelcome intruders at bay. While most of your property may already have ambiance lighting (such as porch lights) and other features, floodlights in the darkest areas of your property may be all you need to make your home unappealing to would-be trespassers.
If you’re worried about the energy bill increase from lighting up all these darkened nooks and crannies, consider motion sensor lights, which only flip on when they sense movement in the area.
Expanded Functional Living Space
Rather than moving the party inside after the sun sets, a well-lit outdoor area is a functional extension of your living space. Landscape lighting makes your outdoor spaces usable at night, extending your living space significantly. In this way, it actually makes your home feel even bigger.
Even if you aren’t entertaining, a well-lit outdoor space is a perfect place for romantic dinners on the patio or a great place to relax at the end of the day and enjoy some fresh air.
Expert Landscaping Electrical Near Me
Before you begin adding lights to your outdoor space, you’ll need an experienced electrician to ensure your home can handle the extra electrical usage. If you live in Gloucester, Hampton Roads, Williamsburg, and Northern Neck Areas, Asbury Electric is here to help. Our experienced crew can quickly and safely help you to transform your space. Contact us online or call today to learn more.
