Steve is a homeowner and has lived in his neighborhood approximately 16 years now. During his time there, he has served in various capacities on the Home Owners Association (HOA) Board of Directors. The low-voltage landscape lighting in the entrance and common areas for the neighborhood was installed during the development phases and before Steve lived there. When the bulbs started to burn out or repairs were needed later down the road, he wasn't sure who to contact.
For several years they hired a handyman to replace bulbs, clean lenses, and maintain the lighting system. After numerous issues, failures, and outages an electrician was contacted. The electrician instructed the HOA to buy replacement fixtures and parts online. Then Steve said the association spent an exorbitant amount of money with the electrician trying to fix the photocells and get the fixtures working again. Afterwards, the park lights and entrance lights were still having issues and one whole side was completely without lighting.
The HOA worked with several electricians and the lighting still wasn't working. In February 2015, Steve was personally assigned with the task of overseeing all the repairs of the neighborhood’s outdoor lighting system, and responsible for hiring someone to get it working again. One electrician was able to get the whole system up and working again, and then the next night, all the lights would be off again. Steve continued to work with the electrician before finally giving up in August.
During a casual conversation about the situation, someone mentioned McKay Landscape Lighting, a company specializing in outdoor landscape lighting. Feeling a little hopeless, Steve contacted the lighting company and met with one of the outdoor lighting designers for an onsite diagnosis. Within four hours, Steve received an estimate with detailed explanation of the work needed to be done. The HOA Board approved the neighborhood lighting repairs. The park, as well as the entrance lighting, was fixed by one service technician during one days work. The neighborhood’s landscape lighting is finally working again - all the lights are on and all is going well! Steve contracted for the entire system, park and entrances, for repair and regular maintenance.
Steve's experience is common amongst many Home Owners Associations. Hiring a professional that does not specialize low-voltage outdoor lighting to maintain and repair the lighting system may lead to more headaches than solutions. Download the Free Guide for Hiring a Landscape Lighting Professional for help finding a professional in your area.
