One of the primary perks of being a homeowner is having free reign to change your space as you see fit. From retiling bathrooms to taking out entire walls, your home is your remodeling oyster — so long as you have the cash or home equity line of credit to accomplish your dreams. One of the most under-appreciated ways to change the look and feel of your home is to add or change your exterior lighting.
From low-voltage landscape lights that draw attention to your yard’s best features even after the sun has gone down to motion lights that bring added security and peace of mind, here are seven tips to consider as you go tackle your home’s exterior lighting.
1. Landscape Lighting
Especially if you’ve already put time, money, and energy into improving your home’s landscaping, it makes sense to add lighting that will accent it at night. Highlighting areas around your yard and home doesn’t have to be overly complicated or pricey and low-voltage lights are an ideal and cost-effective way to accent. Choose the prize features within your landscaping — a flowering tree, small waterfall, or other notable piece — and train a small, warm spotlight on it. Not only will this type of landscape lighting give your house more of a presence throughout the darker hours, but it will also add an element of nighttime security to your home and yard, as well.
2. Outdoor Post Lights
Another great way to spruce up your home’s exterior lighting is to install outdoor post lights. Oftentimes, homes with longer walkways leading around and up to the house have some type of post to mark the beginnings, ends, and transitional aspects of these paths. By installing a post light on each of these, you’ll not only add a remarkable amount of pleasant lighting to your property, but you’ll make maneuvering around in the dark a little easier.
3. Light Your Paths
In similar fashion, you can also buy some low-voltage lights to accent your paths and walks. Not only will doing so make for easier maneuverability in the darkness, but path lights also create a sense of continuity on a property that makes traversing it in the dark a more pleasant experience.
4. Consider the Ambience
Not all exterior lighting is created equal, which means you’ll need to take care to ensure that you’re achieving the look and mood you’re after. Whether you’re adding lights to an outdoor deck, swimming area, garden, or sidewalk, keep in mind the way your house looks and feels in the daylight, since you’ll want to match that ambience as much as possible. If you feel uncertain about pulling off a convincing match, contact a local residential lighting company or home interior designer whose work you like and trust.
5. Motion Lights
For an increased sense of security and, arguably, increased actual security, a well-placed motion light is hard to beat. However, not every outdoor corner of your home is a good candidate for a motion light, so how are you to decide which ones are? Above the garage is the most obvious place to install a motion light, and many people are satisfied with just that single application. However, if you do feel the need for more, try placing motion-detecting lights at other common points of entry like back doors, side porches, and the like.
6. Be a Good Neighbor
Some neighborhoods have rules governing the type of lighting you can install around your home, but most do not. That being said, just because you don’t have a neighborhood association breathing down your neck in regards to every change you make to your home doesn’t mean you should ignore the feelings and concerns of your neighbors. Especially if you’re planning on installing floodlights or other lighting that might affect your neighbors’ experience of their properties, consider talking about your plans with them first.
7. Consider the Ecosystem
Loss of habitat is a problem that routinely affects fauna and flora from cities to rural areas with disastrous consequences, and light pollution is part of that problem. Bright lights kept on throughout the night impacts numerous species of plant, insect, and animal. From mating woes to trouble navigating the air space, outdoor lighting affects much more than just how our homes and neighborhoods look. As much as you can, make lighting choices that are the least disruptive to the sensitive ecosystem of which you’re a part.
To the discerning homeowner, a house’s exterior lighting is every bit as important a consideration as its look, size, or location. If you’re just starting to tackle the lights outside your house, follow these seven tips for a look and feel that will satisfy you, your neighbors, and the world around you.
