Picking Your Landscape Lighting Fixtures and Power Supply
Now that we've established areas we would like to illuminate we will look at the best options for fixtures for each feature on your property. We are on Step 2.
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Highlight Your Features and Landscaping.
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Picking Your Fixtures and Power Supply.
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Installation and Wiring.
In our sample yard we identified 7 features and areas we want to illuminate.
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Large Tree in the front yard.
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Front Walkway.
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Front Garden Bed with two Cedars.
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Walkway leading to back yard.
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Fence on other side of the back yard.
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Deck Stairs
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Rear Garden Area
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Rear Cedar Hedge.
1. Large Tree in Front Yard
There are a few ways to illuminate a large tree from the ground but it often depends on the surrounding landscaping at the base of the tree. If the tree is surrounded by grass that is subjected to mowing we would definitely use an inground Well Light. Alternatively if the tree has a garden landscape at the base we can look at using an upward Accent Light. For our example we will assume that there is grass leading up to the base of the Tree and use a Well Light with a protective grate on the top.
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Well Light w/ Grate x 1
2. Front Walkway
For the Front Walkway we will use Path Lights. Generally it is recommended to space Path Lights every 6-8 ft apart to provide adequate lighting. For our sample we will assume the walkway is 20 ft long and will use 3 path lights.
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Path Light x 3
3. Front Garden Bed with Two Cedars
We have quite a few options for Landscape Lighting when it comes to garden beds. Well Lights can be used to illuminate the general area, Path Lights can be used to light low lying foliage, and Accent Lights can be used to illuminate taller features. You will also want to take care when choosing lighting at the front of the house to not have lighting which shines through front windows which may cause unwanted glare. Since we have two Emerald Cedars in our sample garden bed, we'll keep it simple and use two Accent Lights to highlight them.
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Accent Light x 2
4. Walkway Leading to Backyard
The first thing to note about this area is there is no landscaping but only the fence on one side and the house on the other. Illuminating the fence posts will not only add to the beauty of the fence but also provide lighting to the path way. In our sample we have three fence posts in the side walkway. We could put lighting on all three, but the third post is directly over the stairs which we will be illuminated seperately we will plan for two posts for now using Brilliance Guadalupe Accent Lights.
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Guadalupe Wall Mount Light x 2
5. Fence on Side of Backyard
We will also use the Guadalupe lights to illuminate the fence on the other side of the yard. We could use all three posts available or use the post that is centered in the middle of the pool. For our example we will just use the center post to give the side of the yard a symmetrical look, and keeping in mind that we will be illuminating the rear hedge.
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Guadalupe Wall Mount Light x 1
6. Deck Stairs
Illuminating stairs with Landscape Lighting can provide the upscale look you're looking for and provide the wow factor to your outdoor landscape. Using Landscape Lighting on stairs can also provide a safety feature for dark areas. For our example we will assume we have 2 steps on both the front and rear of the deck. Since the front of the deck is not as wide we can use 1 fixture per step, with 2 fixtures per step at the rear stairs. We will be using the Pro-Trade Ledge Light as our fixture.
Fixture Summary
ProTrade Ledge Light Front Deck x 2
ProTrade Ledge Light Rear Deck x 4
7. Rear Garden Area
We can look at this garden bed in few ways. Do we want to illuminate features in the garden or the entire garden itself. We could also utilize the fence posts if desired. Since the area is smaller can use a few Path Lights to illuminate the area nicely.
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Path Light x 2
8. Rear Cedar Hedge
For Cedar Hedges you have the option of using upward facing Accent Lights to highlight point along the hedge, or you can opt to use Wall Wash Lighting to provide an overall glow to the entire hedge. For our example we will choose using two Wall Wash lights to illuminte rear hedge. This will provide us with a general illumination accross the back yard.
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Wall Wash Light x 2
Fixture Summary
Brilliance Well Light with Grate x 1
Brilliance Path Light x 5
Brilliance Accent Light x 2
Brilliance Wall Wash Light x 2
Brilliance Guadelupe Wall Light x 3
Pro-Trade Ledge Light x 6
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TOTAL = 19 Lighting Fixtures
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To accomodate the 19 lighting fixtures, we need to select the proper power source.