Awash in light
Make your property stunningly visible even in the dark
A beautiful home with lush gardens should be admired by all.
But not just during the day. And not just in summer.
If you add landscaping lighting, experts say, homes and gardens can look striking at night and through each season.
“It creates a dramatic artistry in the landscape at night that is otherwise lost in the dark, or lost to purely functional lighting,” said Allan Schraufnagel, an associate landscape architect at David J. Frank Landscape Contracting Inc., which has locations in Milwaukee and Madison.
“As designers or landscape architects, we can incorporate lighting to craft a night scene within the landscape,” he said. “Lighting an otherwise dark landscape adds layers, depth and dimension to a property.
“It helps guide you through a space and can accentuate details such as textures and colors, and can highlight architectural elements of a building, destinations within the landscape, and focal points to draw your attention,” he added.
Peter Kudlata, owner of Flagstone Landscaping of Cedarburg, said he believes landscape lighting is most impressive in winter, especially when trees are highlighted.
“I love it in winter because you can see the architectural nature of a tree, and then the shadows of that tree on the house,” he said.
While lighting does enhance a property, how many lights you add and where you focus them makes a difference.
“You can just do a few areas,” said Kudlata. “Some villages will only let you have a certain number of fixtures and there are guidelines as to how bright they can be.
“That’s good because you don’t want it to be too bright. It’s not a restaurant, it’s a home,” he said.
Schraufnagel agreed that the look should be subtle.
“You want a balance of light that carries across the landscape and property, but you want to avoid creating an airport runway look,” he said.
He added that it’s also important to be aware of how your landscape looks when it’s viewed from inside the home.
Another plus is that landscape lighting is functional, as it lets you enjoy your yard longer while also making it safer.
“It creates an ambiance and lets you use your yard more when it’s dark out,” said Kudlata. “Especially in Wisconsin when it’s dark at 4 p.m. in late fall. Then it’s nice to look out into your yard and see your plants.”
Path lighting also makes spaces safe, added Schraufnagel.
“You want to have people go up your walkway safely. I tend to look at safely navigating through a space” (when I design a landscape).
So what kind of lighting is used?
Schraufnagel said he sees LED lighting trending, although incandescent lighting is still available.
“Incandescent lighting is not as efficient (as the LED) and it doesn’t have the longevity. People are getting away from it.”
He added that a lot of people are concerned with the color of LED lighting, but that the technology has changed for the better.
“It’s come a long way. Now it gives off a warm orange color. People don’t want that blue color” once seen in LED lighting, he said.
He said other benefits to using LED lighting are that it’s easier to install, it can be installed any time the ground is not frozen, and there is less maintenance.
“And if it doesn’t fit into the budget now, lowvoltage lighting is easy to add into an existing landscape. Or, if you are adding a new landscape, you can prepare the site to come in later and add the lighting. With this style of lighting it’s also easy to add more fixtures down the road,” he said.
So how does the technology work?
Schraufnagel said here all a homeowner needs is a standard outdoor house outlet for power and a transformer. The transformer converts line voltage (120 volts) to low voltage (12 volts), and then all the lights are connected to the transformer.
In most cases the wires from the fixtures to the transformer are buried 6 inches deep, and most fixtures are stuck into the ground with a stake.
Kudlata said when he does installations, his preference is to use a 120volt system because the higher voltage lighting can reach to the canopy of your trees.
With 120 lighting, wires are buried 18 inches deep and better fixtures are available, he said.
“It’s not more expansive to run, but it’s more expensive to install. With 120 you don’t need a transformer, as you are using power from your house,” he said.
Schraufnagel said another trend in lighting is fixtures that are dimmable and/or can change colors through apps on cellphones.
He said that, for example, you can have a default setting that has your normal lighting, but that you can preset it for special occasions such as football games when you want to shine your team’s colors.
Because these systems include a mini computer, they are more expensive, he added.
When it comes to fixtures, there are a variety of styles to choose from, and they come in different sizes and colors.
Kudlata said when lighting a structure, “The architecture of the building should dictate the style of fixture you use.
“But in a landscape you want the fixtures to be mostly hidden. You want to see just the effects of the lighting,” he said.
Steven Phillips, senior product manager at Trex, a firm that makes wood alternative decking and outdoor lighting systems, said consumers can add landscape lighting systems themselves. The systems are sold online as well as at area home improvement stores.
“Everything we sell is plug-in-place,” Phillips said. “It all uses a connector, and it’s easy to install. It’s all 12-volt LED.
“On our website we have videos and we also have technicians on hand that you can call to help with installations. It’s meant to be user-friendly.”
Phillips said that Trex deals primarily in light fixtures used on decks, but that it does have products that extend into yards.
“People can put it on their decks, then extend it out into the yard,” he said. “You can light up a couple of trees in your yard and a pathway.”
He added that recessed lighting was one of the first products his firm launched, and that these lights are set flush into deck boards.
“They are the size of hockey pucks and they shine upwards.” He added that most homeowners use them around the perimeter of a deck, but that they could also be used to create a pattern on a deck.