Owner of Southern Landscape Lighting Systems, Lindsey Rodericks, takes us through what to do, and what to avoid when it comes to your landscape lighting in Atlanta.
Landscape lighting, if designed and installed right, can subtly set the mood of a garden by using light to highlight features and working with shadows to create texture while improving curb appeal and adding value to the property. Outdoor lighting also performs an additional important job, that of increasing the security of your property. Lindsey Rodericks, with many years as owner of Southern Landscape Lighting Systems has enough experience and wisdom on the subject to fill a book, and she sat down with us to share four of the most important things that you should do with your landscape lighting, as well as some things to avoid.
Do Use Outdoor LED Lighting Systems
New LED lighting is between 60% and 70% more energy efficient than traditional halogen bulbs, and they can last ten years or more. LED technology is still evolving, and LED lights are now available in a range of different hues so that you can create the same effect as the soft white light of halogen bulbs. Southern Landscape Lighting Systems has several price points for LED landscape lighting fixtures and systems including high-quality, machined LED lighting fixtures that have a 20 year warranty and will last through all elements of nature.
Do Use Enough Landscape and Security Lighting Fixtures
It may be tempting to save money by installing fewer fixtures by making them brighter. This can ruin the effect of outdoor lighting as you will have patches of extreme light and extreme shadow. If you have budget constraints, Lindsey encourages customers to focus on lighting the important areas of their exterior – such as patios, walkways, and entrances and also provides consultation on how to best phase in a larger project according to a comfortable budget.
Do Vary the Fixtures Throughout Your Garden
By varying the intensity and colors in your LED lighting fixtures in a garden, it is possible to create a sense of depth and texture to the area and the use of colored light can provide dramatic ambient environments.
Do Highlight Landscape Features Correctly
It’s a mistake to only use one light to illuminate features that you want to highlight in your garden such as statues and water features. A single light will create harsh shadows and wash the feature out; this can be avoided by using two or more lights spaced correctly with low to medium light intensities.
Don’t Use Solar Lights
Solar lights produce very little light and are not reliable because they are weather dependent, and the lifespan of solar lights tends to be a lot shorter. For people looking to make environmentally conscious decisions, LED landscape lighting is an energy efficient alternative and will be significantly more cost effective over a 5-10 year period when taking maintenance, installation and replacement costs of cheap or solar light fixtures which typically last about 12 months.
Don’t Treat Pathways and Stairs the Same
Pathways are a flat surface that won’t create awkward shadows whereas stairs immediately create shadows even if there is only a small amount of light on them. Lighting up a staircase by placing a single light at the top will make the bottom stairs difficult to see, but this set up could work effectively for a pathway light application. Stairs need a single light on each level (if the stairs are narrow), however for wider staircases, it may be necessary to place multiple lights on each rung.
About Southern Landscape Lighting Systems
Southern Landscape Lighting Systems has been servicing the greater Atlanta for years, providing expert advice, high levels of customer service and expert landscape lighting services under the leadership of Lindsey Rodericks. The company specializes in landscape lighting design with free daytime consultations, as well as offering landscape lighting installation and services. The team focuses on quality workmanship and only uses the best quality products to ensure their customers get the most value out of the investment in their landscape lighting and security lighting. They pride themselves on offering superior after-sales service to keep their client’s systems operating optimally.