Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil
Most homes have some sort of outdoor lights to turn on when it gets dark. Depending on the homeowners, you may see something that lights up a good portion of the home’s exterior or just certain spaces.
In any case, there are a number of reasons why you should install landscape garden lighting outside your home. Whichever style of lights they are, they’ll serve a few important purposes that will go a long way for you and your family.
Reasons to Add Landscape Lighting to Your Garden
1. Improve Safety Around Your Home
A well-lit garden makes it easier to get around your home at night. Adding lighting fixtures along the walkways and paths as well as corners of the garden makes it easier to walk around in case you need to check on something. This makes it safer for you or any of your family members to get around.
If your lawn or garden is located in front of your home, or somewhere you need to cross to get to your driveway or other areas of your home, lighting becomes more important.
In addition to the pathways, make sure the steps, stairs, ponds, inclines and declines have good lighting. These are danger areas where people can trip over something or fall especially when they can’t see where they’re going.
2. Reduce the Risk of Crime
In addition to being able to see your way around the outside of your home, lights also let you easily see things from inside. This makes it easy to peek at your garden in case you hear something.
A well-lighted area makes it hard for anyone to hide. And because of this, burglars or those trespassers often skip homes with lights for those that don’t have any.
Even when you’re not home, having lights turned on can prevent prowlers from entering since they’ll think that the owners are home.
3. Make Your Home Look Better at Night
While the first two reasons are more functional and practical, this one is more aesthetic. Lights make your home look more beautiful at night.
And admit it, everyone likes they home to look good. Not only do you get flattering comments from your neighbors, you also have that sense of self-satisfaction that makes you feel good inside.
Installing lights at the right places allows you to accentuates the best parts of your home and garden. It also lets you decorate your home to make it stand out.
At the very least, having an illuminated home makes your home feel less cold or gloomy.
4. Improve the Value of Your Home
One thing that not many people think about when adding things to their homes is whether that new fixture will increase or decrease the value of your home.
Sure, you may not be thinking of selling it at the moment. But, isn’t it nice to think that come the day that you do, the small things you’ve improved on your home made it worth so much more than when you bought it.
Lighting is one of these things. Adding outdoor landscape lighting to your home and garden kicks up the level of your home in terms of looks and appeal. In doing so, it boosts its value because people think it’s much higher end.
5. Enjoy Time Outdoors with Friends and Family
One of the best reasons to add lighting to your home is so you can enjoy some outdoor time with your family without leaving the house.
This is a great way to have a no-spend weekend or save on money. At the same time, it lets you get out of the house so you and the kids aren’t just sitting around watching TV or fixated on computer screens.
In addition to spending time with the family outdoors, a well-lighted garden also lets you entertain or have guests over. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors or make new friends.
You can likewise set up a grill or BBQ nearby that will let everyone enjoy the mid-afternoon to night-time air while having something delicious to eat.
How to Install Landscape Lighting
Now that we’ve covered the reasons why having outdoor landscape lighting is great for your home, it’s time to understand what goes into installing them.
The good news is that they’re fairly easy to set up. And even better, there are so many options to choose from that you can select the exact kind that matches the exterior of your home and your garden space.
Choosing Outdoor Landscape Lighting – Different Types Available
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make is what type of lights you’ll be installing. Take note, you don’t need to limit yourself to one kind.
You can set up one type of lighting on the pathways for example. And, another type of lighting bordering your garden.
Here, you’ll need to consider a few things.
- Wiring. Besides the cost of the lights themselves, wiring is going to be one of the main things to consider. You’ll want to figure out whether there are ways to wire the lights across your home. If so, you can do it yourself or hire a professional to do so. If not, go for solar powered lights. These are great because they harness the sun’s rays to store energy during the day and use that energy to light the bulbs at night.
- Size. How big will the lights be. Do you want multiple smaller lights or a few bigger ones? This has a lot to do with the design of your home’s exterior and how you want it to look.
- Brightness. How bright do you want the lights to be? This can go many ways. You can choose a few lights that are high in brightness. Or, install more lights that have moderate brightness. How bright or dim you want it ultimately comes down to what you want to achieve. Do you want to be able to see everything clearly or use a slightly dimmer, more aesthetic approach.
- Ongoing Cost. If you go with something other than solar lights, you may want to at least consider how much they cost to run. You’ll be running the lights all night, every night. For the most part, this shouldn’t add much to your electric bill. But, if you go with high brightness lights or install a lot of them, then it may add up.
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