Planning and Installing Outdoor Lighting

Installing outdoor lighting should never be attempted by anyone except a seasoned professional. If you are a professional and still have questions, please feel free to ask questions in our forum or participate in our blog.

Before installing outdoor lighting you must plan your site out. The best way to do this is to consult a qualified landscape architect to help you design the best outdoor environment to suit your needs.

The landscape architect can hep you determine your soil type, can recommend the best plantings for your garden, and present you with an architectural layout of your landscape drawn to scale.

You never know, he/she may even be able to recommend a great lighting designer if you wish to go that route.

I cannot stress enough how important proper planning is to your project.

Just remember that doing it the right way the first time will save you a lot of time and energy. Plus, who really wants a mediocre looking yard? Plan on installing outdoor lighting to make it special for you and your guests.

Choosing the best Outdoor Lighting Designer

Once your layout is set, you can consult your lighting designer for help. A lighting designer knows the business and has a good idea of how to get whatever effect you want to create designed to your taste.

So check your lighting designers' credentials before hiring him. Ask him for pictures of projects that he has completed. Also ask him for references and call those references or meet with them personally to discuss what kind of person you are dealing with.

It is vitally important that your lighting designer, landscape architect, and contractors communicate effectively. All lighting designs must be incorporated into the landscape after the plantings and other essential elements in your project are completed.

That's because certain elements in the lighting design must be hidden in order to create a non invasive incognito approach to outdoor lighting. Junction boxes and transformers are needed for proper operation of your lighting and should be placed in the proper locations for best results.

A good lighting designer should know the proper tools of the trade needed to make the outdoor lighting installation run smoothly.

Outdoor lighting installation requires extensive knowledge of how the elements can affect the lighting system. Special cables must be used when running outdoor lighting.

The lighting designer should fully understand what you want to accomplish in your lighting design and should know your budget.

A really experienced designer should be able to suggest alternative methods of creating the desired effect without breaking your budget too much.

Following Local Laws

Your lighting designer must be aware of the local laws pertaining to proper outdoor lighting installation procedures. He/She must be well versed in the type of wiring needed for different applications and should be knowledgeable about the proper installation process.

For example, a municipality may require low voltage lighting to be installed at a minimum of 18" under ground and also require that it be fed through PVC piping.

This of course must first be cleared with your local municipality and it's laws regarding outdoor lighting installation.

Your local laws may also require that an inspection be done prior to the work being completed. Especially when installing line voltage lighting (U.S. 120 volts residential), always make sure to have an inspection done prior to finishing the job.

Line voltage lighting if not installed correctly can cause serious bodily harm to anyone caught in it's path. Besides, why would you want to burden yourself with the responsibility of someone getting hurt?

Hiring a Contractor

If you're working with a lighting designer, the designer can usually recommend a contractor that they've worked with in the past.

If you're hiring a contractor to do any of the necessary excavation, make sure that they are qualified to do the job.

A contractor that works with or has worked closely with installing outdoor lighting is preferred. The last thing you want is to flip the switch of your new outdoor lighting scheme to find out that a cable has been damaged during the installation process.

Ask the contractor for references, speak to those people. Check your county's website, sometimes you can find a listing of contractors and electricians to see if they are licensed and if they have any blemishes on their license.

Speak with friends and ask them for referrals. Your best bet is to always follow through and review the contractor's references, look them up online, and go out and see their work.

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