When it comes to outdoor lighting there are a few subcategories that fall within it. And within those subcategories there are specializations to keep in mind. In the following i will describe these categories letting you know what to look for and possible red flags to avoid when hiring an outdoor lighting company.
Architectural Lighting
Architectural Lighting is any lighting pertaining to your home. For example gabled roofs, dormers, pergolas, out lookers, balcony's, ect. With architectural lighting your accenting the unique parts of your home, creating depth, and texture with shadows. Common issues we see is people who don't understand architectural design. They put up too many lights not accenting key factors of the home and it winds up looking like a giant spot light. Or the opposite not enough light creating dark spots and a 2 dimensional look. Another thing is understanding different colors of light (kelvin) and how they can wash out or enhance the colors of your home. If you have a light stone entry way and install a 2700 kelvin bulb, it will make that stone look dull and washed out. A lot of times we'll see a house where the original designers placed high wattage lights on a home creating hot spots or creating light pollution into your home making it impossible to sleep because your room is lit up from the outside. With architectural lighting you want to have someone who understands architecture and the flow of the house. Someone who understands different building materials and how they absorb/ reflect light.
Landscape Lighting
Landscape lighting refers to the lighting of trees, flower beds, and pathways. When it comes to landscape lighting there are a few things to consider. First and foremost, different types of lighting how they are used. Uplights and well lights are perfect for medium to large trees. Uplights are better in flower beds because they are protected from mowers and trimmers. Well lights are better for grass and rock because they seamlessly blend into the landscape and are protected from lawn equipment. Downlights are best used to light up activity areas, pathways, driveways, and sometimes flower beds. Downlights can be tricky to install because, they have to be installed at the right height. If installed too low your blinded by the glare of the bulb, and too high you lose the effect of the light all together. Also with downlights i see a lot of installers not give the tree room to grow when installing. So as the tree grows it rips the wire causing the light to lose power. In some circumstances when the wire breaks, water can get inside causing the entire system to short. Then you have pathlights, pathlights can be very instrumental in your design if placed strategically, but there are down sides. Pathlights because of their size can be easily destroyed by kids, cars, and mowers. On top of that i see a lot of designers place pathlight up and down a driveways or walkways giving a runway/ commercial appearance. Pathlights should be placed sparingly to allow safe travel but not be overwelming. Pathlights can be great for flower beds because they are protected from mowers and kids and create a lite 360 glow from within. With landscape lighting you wan't to consider the type of tree/ shrub your lighting. Some trees absorb light and are very tall requiring higher wattage bulbs. Some trees and plants are glossy and reflect light so you'll want to be more conservative on wattage. Be sure to have someone who knows horticulture and design when picking a lighting designer.
Hardscape Lighting
Hardscape lighting refers to guard rails, water features, steps, and retaining walls. Hardscape lighting can be the hardest to install because it involves core drilling, seamlessly hiding wires, and functionality. Core drilling is when you drill out concrete, wood, or stone to place a recess light into. The hole must be the perfect size to protect from water and keep the light level so it doesn't move around. Also it must be done with the right equipment to protect from splitting the wood or concrete your drilling into. Hiding wire is an art form, there are many ways to disguise it or have it blend into the environment. Having skilled installers is key in this aspect. Hardscape lighting has two key aspects when it comes to functionality. First safety, you want to make sure stairs and drop offs are well lit to mitigate injury. Second aesthetics, weather its a retaining wall for a flower bed or a water feature you want to accent it subtly to add a glowing effect not a busy spotlight effect. This comes down to proper design and understanding wattage and kelvin.
Choosing your Designer
In the architectural lighting and landscape lighting business you have a lot of people who will take on a project without having the proper design or instillation experience. Many people will have landscapers or electricians do their outdoor lighting projects and will wind up unhappy by the finished product. Most the time we come in to do repairs or upgrades it's because a landscaper or electrician did an inadequate job. Common issues we find are, hot spots creating to much light saturation causing a blinding effect. Improperly buried wires that are exposed to animals, whether, and landscaping equipment. Cheap fixtures that rust, or leak allowing water into the fixture shorting out the light and possibly the whole system. Finally design issues, from dark spots, light pollution, exposed wires, and cheap fixtures that cheapen your landscape at night. Be sure you vet and interview quality lighting designers, that specialize in outdoor lighting. Lighting can be expensive and going with a cheaper option usually means cheaper fixtures, rushed installations, and no preliminary design. You don't want a Jack of all trades and master of none, you want someone who specializes in certain field to give you a quality finished project that will last for years.
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