Designer Landscape Lighting

The Popularity of Outdoor Lighting:

Take a drive around any subdivision at night and you will be guaranteed to see many homes with small lights bordering paths or landscape areas. These low wattage lamps essentially delineate an area, and are often referred to as 'runway lighting'. The fittings are generally plastic, and the transformer may be rated at 70 watts of power and components are available inexpensively at many retail hardware outlets. This is not the business that we are in.

Designer Lighting:

Now imagine your home and landscape coming alive at night. The Japanese Maple bursting with nighttime colour; soft light cascading mysteriously from the canopy of your Silver Birch and casting dappled moonlit shadows, whilst the silver white trunk stands as a shimmering pillar. The stately pine plays with light and shadow amidst its needled boughs, whilst the dancing waterfall is captured by an oblique cross light from a concealed spot. These are ail examples of indirect lighting, where the source light is concealed and the landscape plantings and features are revealed.

Path lights have a place for safety, and function to illuminate pathways, steps, and low level landscape features. The fixtures themselves can create a statement in the landscape, with a wide variety of styles, fixtures and finishes, from the rich patina of verde to a rustic weathered iron, to the cunningly concealed rock light, there is a place in your landscape for these fixtures.

Bulbs and Hardware:

If the fixture is the part of the light that you see, it is the bulb that does the work. Although bulbs are generally referred to by wattage (the power they consume), technology has vastly increased the light output and halogen filled MR16 bulbs enable precise focusing of light on the desired subject. Of course, the system needs power, and the smallest transformer (which converts line voltage down to 12 volts) we use is 250 watts. The 'Cadillac' of the industry is the Nightscaping Transformer, which has a lifetime warranty, but other quality units are available. The wire to deliver power to your fixtures is important, too small and the voltage drop will dim lights and compromise the whole effect.

Maintenance and Performance:

Outdoor lighting fixtures have to survive in the harshest of environments. Winter cold, summer rain, wind, and the usual wear and tear that comes from standing year round in the garden. The fixtures that we use are all metal, and have finishes that are baked on or powder coat and are guaranteed to look good for years. Bulb life will vary up to 4000 hours, but an annual service of the bulb and fixtures will keep them shining bright.

Price:

By now you will realize that the light system that we install cannot be found on the shelf of your local store, and quality does not come cheaply. Expect to pay around $1,500. for a 5 light system, installed. Price will vary according to your lighting requirements and selection of fixtures. Please visit our unique showroom to experience the magic of landscape lighting, we'd be de-light-ed to see you.