5 Ways to Make Your Outdoor Lighting Design Last for Years
5 Ways to Make Your Outdoor Lighting Design Last for Years
For most people, there are two kinds of outdoor lighting. The first is the porch light and the second is delicate string lights. String lights, as you might see around the holidays, do look beautiful when strung crisscrossed over the top of your porch or deck. They can provide gentle illumination from the eves and make your home look appealing. But your outdoor lighting options go far beyond string lights and the simple porch light. Not only can you choose from a wide variety of outdoor lighting options, there are also methods to make your outdoor lighting plan last even longer. No need to worry about burnt-out string bulbs when you've got the power of buried lines and/or the shining sun on your side.
Stake Solar Lights Along the Garden Path
Solar lights are outdoor lights that soak up sunshine during the day, then re-emit that sunlit power at night. When the sun goes down, the lights detect the drop in solar energy and switch from soaking to shining. These shining lights are ideal for garden paths and are usually staked into the ground. But they don't have to be.
Solar lights can be set up in a number of ways, anywhere they can soak up direct sunlight and then transition that energy back into light in the evenings. You can also get solar lights mounted on your fence posts and on the post railings of our deck. These lights are fantastic for providing safe after-dark illumination and last for years if well-installed and properly maintained.
Industrial-Quality String Light Installation
String lights aren't always the flimsy dead-bulb-riddled strings that you buy around the holidays to wrap the house and tree. Those string lights were designed to be semi-disposable so if one got terribly snarled, some of it could still be saved. However, the type of string lights you install over your deck or strung through your trees is a different matter entirely.
Working with lighting professionals, you will find that even string lights have an industrial counterpart that you can greatly benefit from in your lighting design. Talk to your lighting providers about where you would like permanent string lights. They will find the right strand design and the nearest outlet to ensure your lights are on when the night is dark and people are home to admire the beauty of your gently lit deck.
Overhead Porch Lights and Ceiling Fans
One often-overlooked option for outdoor lighting is overhead lights and ceiling fans. Many a summer porch could be improved with a perfectly placed overhead ceiling fan. Any porch or patio with pergola-style overhead beams can likely mount both an overhead light and a ceiling fan. Perhaps several over a large enough space.
An overhead light for your porch is a powerful illuminator, blending the line between indoor and outdoor living. This is also your chance to design with a style and flair that will be admired by the home's residents for many years in the future.
In the center of your porch - or centered over the gathering area - is the perfect place for an outdoor ceiling fan. A little air circulation goes a long way when you're enjoying the outdoors on a scorching summer day. The ceiling fan can also be a beautiful design statement, with broad leaf-shaped blades and an elegant slow spin when not whirling at high speeds.
Buried Lines for Extended Yard Lighting
Want lamp posts or elaborate lighting out in the landscaped regions of your yard? You can have that, too. Many yards have beautiful landscaped spaces with benches and reading nooks that would be perfect for some lighting. If the area is too leafy or the design too elaborate for solar light posts, we can bury a power line extending to the outer reaches of your yard for lighting design.
Have a bench swing nestled in a ring of bushes in the far yard? Give yourself a gorgeous reading light lamppost in the same region with a buried line. Want to string lights through the boughs of every tree in your yard? A buried line can provide power for those strings that connect away from the house. You can even light your kid's playground jungle gym equipment for safe and beautiful nighttime play.
Know How to Change an LED Lightbulb in Each Fixture
Finally, once your outdoor lighting design is installed, the trick to years of enjoyment is knowing how to maintain your new lights. The biggest challenge will be keeping up with the lights in a few years when the LEDs start to go out. LED light bulbs (of any size) last much longer than their incandescent predecessors. It will take many months, often several years, before your LED bulbs start to burn out. But when that happens, know how to change each bulb in your lighting design.
For your solar pathway stakes, know how to take apart the lantern frame to reach the bulb. For your string lights, know your replacement bulb size and how to switch out bulbs in the sturdier string light design. For your porch lights, deck railing lights, and overhead lighting, become familiar with each fixture and how to provide basic maintenance.
Call for Lighting Services to Install and Maintain Your Outdoor Lights
Every home deserves a beautiful outdoor lighting design. Your yard shouldn't fall into complete darkness when the sun goes down if you still want to enjoy your deck and garden paths. With professional outdoor lighting design, you can enjoy your backyard any time of the night, for personal meditation or delightful social gatherings. With sturdy light fixture design and long-lasting LED bulbs, the lighting design you build today could still be as beautiful and functional several years into the future.
Are you looking to renovate or improve your home's outdoor lighting design? Let the pros at Urban Ambiance help make sure the job is done right. We would be proud to help you choose the best light fixtures and lighting power solutions to make your vision of outdoor lighting a long-lasting reality. Contact us today to consult on your lighting plans and how we can help!
