Question
Landscape Look
Hi Sean,
I am looking to add some landscape lighting to the front of our house and had a few questions as I have never done this before. We have a gardner who said if we buy the lights at the hardware store he will put them in the ground and run the wiring. I went to Lowes and saw there are so many different kinds of outdoor lights, which do I need? Budget is definitely a priority. Also, how do we control the lighting? We'd like to be able to switch them on/off as a group from inside the home with our porch light switch or set them to a timer (pref the 1st if possible). Attached it the look we're going for. I'd like to send a pic of the front of our house too if possible for some ideas of where to put lighting, but I think I can only upload 1 photo at a time. (is there a way to send another photo?)
Thanks!
AnswerOK, this is a rather long question and to be honest your best bet is to hire a professional. You can typically get a nice system LOW VOLTAGE for about $1500 to $2000 installed and wired (roughly $200 per fixture). If you want to run them to a switch inside your home or if you want to use 120 volt lamps, you are definitely going to need a professional electrician unless you really know what you are doing. Otherwise you may be able to do it yourself. You'll need a transformer which you need to size based on the number of lights and watts required for each. Typically most residential jobs install a 500 watt transformer to cover 5 or 6 lights around 50 watts each (you have to account for wattage drop across the line). You'll need an outdoor duplex receptacle to plug the transformer into. If you don't have one, then you back to needing and electrician. I would stay away form kits with plastic lights. Good lights will be $30 to $150 each and all metal. Transformers come in lots of sizes and wattage. Be sure you get one with a supply chord long enough to reach the plug you intend to use. You'll need wire and connectors for splicing the lights onto the lateral line.
I can't really explain, in this forum, how to light your house. My advice is to not bury the wire until you are satisfied with the light effects. Move the lights around and try different things until you are satisfied, then bury the lines. Google "landscape lighting" and there are all kinds of sites with advice.
Best of Luck
Sean J Murphy
Amenity Architects
