How to Design a Landscape Lighting System

An exterior lighting system can illuminate pathways and highlight garden focal points.

Homeowners often extend thought and effort into creating the ideal landscape for their homes. The landscape features help to make the home more enjoyable when homeowners are outdoors, but without an exterior lighting system, these features are only enjoyable during daylight hours. A landscape lighting system illuminates the features of the landscape so that they can be seen at all hours. Lights are also important to add security to a landscape, because intruders are deterred from entering areas that are well-lit. Lighting options range from soft accent lights to bright floodlights.

Instructions

1. Walk around the landscape at night to determine the areas that could use lights. Make notes of spots that require brighter lights and those spots in which dim lights are sufficient.

2. Determine the type of lights that work best for the home's needs and the family's budget. Types of lighting systems include 120-volt, 12-volt and solar lights; the landscape can include multiple types.

3. Designate a concealed and convenient spot in the landscape to install a transformer, if using a 12-volt lighting system. The household electrical system hooks up to the transformer and converts the standard 120-volt power to 12 volts.

4. Work with an electrician, if necessary, to achieve the lighting design goals. Large 120-volt lighting systems must be installed by a licensed electrician and may also require a permit.

5. Install floodlights for security around garages, outdoor sheds and house entrances. These lights can be turned on with a switch or installed with a motion sensor or dusk-to-dawn timer.

6. Use spotlights, such as uplighting on landscape focal points like flags, fountains, statues and flowering trees. Light these features from multiple directions so that the objects appear three-dimensional at night.

7. Cast shadows of trees or statues onto a fence or the side of the house with spotlights. Position the light directly in front of the tree so that the light passes through; position the light closer or farther from the tree to change the size of the shadow.

8. Line pathways with small lanterns or mushroom lights to add dim lighting to help avoid falls; use a 12-volt or solar system to reduce electricity costs. A lined pathway also makes the home seem more inviting and highlights investments such as brick and natural stone paths.

9. Draw attention to small shrubs, ground cover and flower beds with spreadlights, a type of light fixture that produces evenly dispersed, circular, low-level light. These types of lights also work well to accent garden ponds and can even be installed underwater.

10. Provide multiple lighting options for outdoor living spaces, such as patios and decks, so that the lights can be controlled based on immediate need. Accent lights and lanterns may provide sufficient illumination for regular use, but outdoor entertaining could benefit from a bright floodlight or lampposts that border the patio.

11. Position wall wash lights or spotlights to highlight stone walls, privacy fences or sides of the house.

References

• Landscape Lights: Landscape Lighting Design Tips
• Site Lights: A Consumer Guide to Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting
• "This Old House"; How to Put in Landscape Lighting; Joseph Truini
• Clearwater Landscapes: Landscape Lighting Design
• Residential Landscape Lighting Design: How to Design Your 12 Volt Outdoor Lighting System