Outdoor Lighting Mistakes

Most people agree that adding outdoor lighting to your home is important for safety, security and curb appeal.  However, many homeowners are reluctant to invest in outdoor lighting or they attempt to do it themselves and aren’t happy with the result.  In an effort to help the DIYers, we will go over the most common outdoor lighting mistakes and offer suggestions to avoid making them.

The first mistake we often see is lighting overkill.   A homeowner not familiar with the way light fixtures work will often use too many fixtures and create a glaring mess.  The lighting overlaps and you have too bright of light.  This causes the opposite effect with the outdoor lighting detracting from your home’s curb appeal and can even be a safety concern.

The easiest way to avoid this mistake is to plan ahead.  Consider what features you want to highlight on your home and property.  Also, consider walkways, stairs and pathways that would benefit from lighting.  Most of all, not every area on your home should be lit – you want there to be a contrast.  Be considerate of your neighbors as well and make sure your lighting only your property.

Once you know what you want to be lit, research the different lighting fixtures available and how much light they put out.  Be careful when using security flood lights – these can put out a lot of light and may be distracting if you use too many.

If you don’t plan ahead, you may end up spending more money doing it yourself and end up with a result that you aren’t happy with.

Next week, we will look at another common outdoor lighting mistake; lighting placement.