Outdoor Lighting – DIY vs Professional?

After our past few posts about common DIY lighting mistakes; lighting overkill and lighting placement, the question becomes should you hire a professional to install your landscape lighting or should you do it yourself?

For some DIY homeowners, the potential cost savings of installing the lighting themselves is worth the challenge. Lighting installation requires technical skills that most people don’t have and there are also risks in working with electricity without training.  It is crucial that you have done your research and made a lighting design plan as well as consider all safety concerns prior to taking on the project.

You want to make sure that you have everything you need to install lighting correctly and safely. Using high-quality parts in the right way will enhance your results.  While the big box stores offer a wide selection of outdoor lighting fixtures, few of them are high quality products that come with long term warranties.  Often, homeowners overlook important considerations in lighting installation and as a result, they end up spending more money and time in order to get it done right.

Bottom Line?  Unless you have experience and training with electricity and have devoted a lot of research and planning to your lighting plan, it is best to leave outdoor lighting installation to the professional.  Otherwise, you could end up with lights you aren’t satisfied with and could end up spending more money to get it done right. The results you achieve with a professional installation will give you the best results, accentuate your home, and maximize the return on your investment.

Professional service technicians are able to maintain your lighting too. As your landscape grows and changes over time, so will your lighting needs. The light fixtures and bulbs will require maintenance and repair to ensure optimal function.