Don’t forget to light the front too!

We loved the lighting and the cute halloween DIY project at betweennapsontheporch.net

We spend a lot of time talking about creating outdoor living space in the backyard and making sure it is well lit. But how about our front yard lighting?  This is what is seen everyday by you, your neighbors and the rest of the world.  Does it create the curb appeal you want for your home? Will it provide guests light to safely get to your front door? Can it provide security lighting to deter unwelcome visitors?  Now is the time to turn your attention to your front yard lighting.

So where should you start with front yard lighting?  The first place is to look at your front porch.  You should have lighting around your front door.  This helps a guest find the front door and it helps you identify a visitor before opening the door.  Lighting around your front door can be as easy as sconces on either side of your front door.  It can also be a chandelier that hangs over the front door space.

Next turn your attention to the pathway between your driveway or street to the front door.  Are there any stairs or steps that need to be lit for safety?  Consider path lights to mark the way for guests and also to highlight your landscaping.  After that, you can turn your attention to up lighting on the facade of your home and down lighting from your trees to make your home really stand out.

Your home will likely be visited by many little ghosts and goblins looking for candy this Monday evening so do make sure you check your the safety of the front porch and make sure your light bulbs haven’t burned out.  And if you aren’t passing out candy this year, make sure you turn OFF your porch lights especially if you have them set up on an automatic timer – this will help kids realize you aren’t participating and they will hopefully not ring your bell!