Outdoor Lighting Blog | McKay Landscape Lighting - Part 5

What You Need to Know About Outdoor Lighting

Written by McKay Lighting | 08/07/2015

You're considering outdoor lighting for your home, when the company already working on your place mentions they do lighting, too. You think, great we'll have them do it. Or maybe you even try the do-it-yourself route. How difficult could it be, right?

We hear about situations like this more often than not. This year, we had a customer contact us because the contractor they hired to install their landscape lighting never showed up. The contractor told them exactly where to go and what to purchase for their lighting system. Then had them draw up exactly where they wanted all the lights to go. After doing everything the contractor requested, and realizing they had no one to install it, they called McKay.

Here are some things to consider before hiring a company or doing it yourself:

Fixture Quality:  Your outdoor lighting fixtures will endure extreme weather conditions, especially in Nebraska - snow, heat, rain, and sometimes hail. The better the quality, the better they will hold up in these conditions.  At McKay, we only use high quality products that are proven and reliable. Familiar with the fixtures the contractor had the homeowners purchase, we knew the quality wasn't the best. Luckily, they were able to return them.

Lighting Placement & Design: In this particular situation, the placement of some of the light fixtures would have been lost in the landscaping. Then, other areas had an overuse of lights. The end result would not have given the homeowners the lighting impact they were looking for. The original plan called for 27 path lights - too many lights on a path creates a runway look. We narrowed it down to three strategically placed path lights. After walking the property and discussing ideas, we came up with a new lighting design to light their trees, deck, and driveway.

What's Involved: Besides lighting fixtures, you'll need a transformer - or two depending on how many fixtures you are installing, and the bulb wattage, and wire.

Looking to Enhance Your Property?

Our dedicated team at McKay Landscape Lighting works with you to create a custom landscape lighting design that's unique to your property. From design to installation to service, you can count on our team of experts to make sure you are happy with your lighting system for years to come.