When it comes to outdoor lighting tips, the best ones are those hints where you can accomplish multiple things at once. Your lights should fulfill multiple purposes around the exterior of your property. You want the illumination that allows you, your family, and your guests to see where you’re going and what you’re doing when you spend time in your backyard or your patio or deck.
Contacting your local landscape lighting service Bradenton can give you some important tips on how to set up a good lighting scheme that not only provides light for enjoying the great outdoors but also provides a level of security for the home that will deter burglars and thieves from targeting you and your belongings.
So, what’s the best way to light the exterior of your home? That’s a question only you can answer because every home’s exterior is different, every neighborhood is different, every homeowner has different needs and desires for keeping their property well-lit for safety, security, and improved curb appeal.
But that doesn’t mean you need to fumble around in the dark trying to decide how best to light the exterior of your home without knowing where to first start. There are a few things you should keep in mind to help you make the right decisions for your outdoor lighting requirements.
Analyze Your Property
The first thing you need to do is walk around the exterior of your home and take notice of those areas that are left in the dark when the sun goes down. These unlit corners along the exterior should be addressed so you’re not giving safe harbor to any uninvited guests. These dark areas are excellent hiding places for someone to lie in wait and watch you and your family as you leave the house and once it’s unoccupied, they can go to work on taking your valuables.
Proper lighting begins with knowing where your exterior is most vulnerable. Not just to intruders but to your own family and your guests who could risk hurting themselves trying to walk from one place to the next in the dark. Poor lighting is the number one cause of slip and fall incidents that occur outdoors. If someone gets hurt on your property due to falling down the stairs or tripping on a walkway that is not well lit, you could be exposing yourself to a lawsuit.
Picking the Right Fixtures
In order to properly light your home’s exterior, you need lighting fixtures that will always be ready to work when you need them. That means selecting lighting fixtures that are approved by Underwriters Laboratories. You when you see that (UL) symbol on your bulbs, you’re getting the UL seal of approval. That means your lighting is weatherproof and won’t catch fire or short out when they become wet or damp.
As for the types of lighting you can select from, you may want to incorporate any combination of the following: floodlights, landscape path lighting, roadway lighting fixtures, and surface-mounted fixtures. All of these components can be highly effective at lighting the exterior of your home in the places where they are most useful.