Lighting for Your Backyard

Outdoor lighting can beautify your home and make it safer as well. Putting in outdoor lighting is relatively easy. To decide what type of lighting you like the most, use an Internet search engine or visit a hardware store to see what’s available.

Outdoor lighting isn’t extravagant or pricey. Low voltage devices provide both ambiance to your home at night and a measure of safety. They can even act as a theft deterrent by making it difficult for potential criminals to reach your house without exposing themselves.

Here are some starter tips when planning to install outdoor lights

* Decide how much you can afford to spend. As with any project, you will want to shop around to get the best value for your money. Landscape designers, hardware stores, and the Internet are all great places to seek advice. They will also be helpful in deciding what kind of lighting you will need and where to place individual fixtures.

* Low voltage is always better. Low voltage lamps conserve energy and provide just enough lighting to give your lawn a pleasant glow. These lights come in sets at many hardware and department stores, and they include built-in transformers and usually timers that will turn your outdoor lights on or off at specified times.

* Pick the appropriate lights for backyard structures. One common type of outdoor lighting can be placed on shrubbery or small trees. You may want to illuminate the shapely bushes that guard your doorway or your prized rose bed. For most projects, 5 or 7 watt bulbs will be adequate, but you’ll want to make sure you get a powerful enough transformer to handle the load.

* Ensure that you document your DIY initiative with a schematic diagram. This will help guide you with the installation and to assist you in future repairs. Include in the diagram the power requirements, light bulb specifications and their exact location in your backyard.

* Come up with a complete parts listing before heading off to your favorite hardware shop. Get the quantity of lighting bulbs and their spares rights. Make sure you have surveyed the backyard to get the right cable lengths connecting your light installation to the transformer and power source.

* Get your lawn ready for a makeover. Most outdoor lighting sets contain a stake which will need to be driven into the ground. Soften the earth in that area of your lawn by watering it beforehand. Next, make sure that the places you plan to put light receptacles are cleaned out and ready. It will also help to lay out the cable you will need, leaving plenty of extra length on the transformer end.

* Use smart systems to eliminate switching on and off your outdoor lights. You don’t want to install outdoor lighting only to find that it’s too much of a hassle to turn it on and off every night. You can purchase transformers that detect when it’s dark and switch your lights on automatically. Likewise, it will turn them off in the morning.