5 Ways to Illuminate Your Exterior
Tried-and-true outdoor-lighting techniques that will make your home shine after the sun goes down
By Kathy Kantorski
There’s just something about a well-lit home at dusk. It’s the same attraction that draws us, like moths to a flame, to the twinkling lights around the holidays. But exterior lighting doesn’t just bring the “ooo and ahhh” factor to our home’s curb appeal—it increases our security, decreases our chance of missing a step on the deck or front porch and makes us welcome the sight of our home when we return after a long day.
So, how do we achieve the correct balance of curb appeal and security without lighting up the whole neighborhood? The pros offered these five techniques.
Photo courtesy of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
Uplighting
Placed on the ground and directed upward, these lights bring a dramatic look to your home, highlighting architectural features, trees, a fireplace or water feature, pergolas and trellises—the options are practically endless. The fixtures to purchase for uplighting are called well lights or bullet lights. It’s best to place the fixture so it’s not pointed directly upward, but upward at an angle towards the house or tree. This hides the bright source of light from view, instead directing your attention towards where the light is hitting the house or tree.
Moonlighting
The opposite of uplighting, moonlighting fixtures are placed 20 feet or higher, usually in a tree, and shining toward the ground. “A lot of times a blue filter is added so the color mimics moonlight,” says David Rohrer, president of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives in Raleigh. “The blue color works great when showing a green shrub, such as azaleas.”
Photo courtesy of Kichler Lighting
Path Lighting
As evidenced by their name, these fixtures are mainly used to illuminate walkways or garden paths. “Path lights help make guests feel safe and secure when visiting your house at night,” says Eric Kent, president of Archadeck of Charlotte, which services the Triangle area. Rohrer also suggests using path lighting to light up flower beds, landscape borders “or even just interesting items, like small rock formations,” he says.
Photo courtesy of Trex
Deck & Hardscape Lighting
In recent years, many advancements have been made in lights that are built-in to hardscapes (pillars, half walls, outdoor kitchens, etc.) and decks (posts, stairs, rails and more). For hardscapes, the lights are integrated into the stone element, and often must be installed when first building the hardscape. However, for deck lights, many options are available for retrofitting your deck with lighting. Trex DeckLighting products are dimmable, low-voltage LEDs (the first brand to include LED components from Cree) that can often be installed in existing decks.
Photo courtesy of Kichler Lighting
Entryway Lighting
Though it may seem obvious, the significance of entryway lighting should be reiterated. “It’s important to make sure the front of your house is lit for safety and practicality,” Kent advises. But don’t stop at just the front door—every entry point into your house (back and side doors, garage door, sliding patio door) should be accompanied by at least one exterior light. Ensure your fixtures complement the style of your home’s exterior, and the fixtures should match each other, as well, for a cohesive look.
Power Pros and Cons
| Line-Voltage | Low-Voltage | Solar | |
| Pros | Can be as bright as needed; voltage drop is not an issue | Many fixture options; can be moved with ease; safe voltage running in yard; cable easily repaired; LED lights offer extensive bulb life | No wires; inexpensive |
| Cons | Cable must be buried 2 feet deep; not easily moved; dangerous voltage running in yard; high cost of line voltage | If the bulbs are not LEDs, their life tends to be short | Not guaranteed to work every night; light output is minimal, light color is poor; doesn’t work on shaded properties |
—David Rohrer, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
Expert Tip: Copper or Brass is Best
Like any material that will be exposed to the elements, durability is key for outdoor lighting fixtures. David Rohrer, president of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives in Raleigh, strongly advises homeowners to pay close attention to what material the fixture is made of to ensure it will last. He recommends copper, brass or a PVC-type material, and advises against cast aluminum, which tends to break down quickly, especially around fertilizers and pool, pond and fountain chemicals.
Photo courtesy of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
DIY or Pro?
The lighting of pathways and trees can be a pretty manageable task for most homeowners; the biggest problem most homeowners have with this is not getting the correct voltage to fixtures, causing premature bulb failures and the first light on a cable to be extremely bright while the last is dim (this is called “voltage drop”). On the other hand, uplighting a house is probably best left to professionals to achieve the best results.
—David Rohrer, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
—David Rohrer, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
Don’t Pollute!
How much light is too much? “Light pollution is a hot topic in today’s world,” says David Rohrer, president of Outdoor Lighting Perspectives in Raleigh. “The brightness of low-voltage lighting is usually not enough to worry about, but you definitely don’t want the fixtures to be aimed at neighbor’s homes or toward the street.” He notes that Outdoor Lighting Perspectives installs all of its fixtures so the light source is hidden from the street view. His rule of thumb: “Anything under 35 watts dissipates after about 100 feet.”
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