Why You Need Hardscape Lighting?
Hardscapes are some of the most critical areas of your landscape. They are also some of the most neglected when it comes to lighting. Many outdoor lighting experts are quick to install decorative lighting that highlights trees, bushes, and flowerbeds. They use path lighting, uplighting, moonlighting, and well lights, all to beautiful effect. But some lighting designers may shy away from hardscape lighting because of the extra work and technical skill required. But if you leave out hardscape lighting, you are doing only half the job.
Some of the most common hardscape lighting is the lighting for your patio or deck. Even the simplest home usually have some sort of lighting for their patio or deck. It’s not always pretty, often just a single bright light, but it’s at least something. Another prevalent hardscape light is the porch light or entrance light on most homes. Professional lighting design and installation can create a much, much better lighting scheme, but as a bare-bones setup, most homes have at least a patio and an entrance light.
But what can you really do with hardscape lighting? The possibilities are endless. Good hardscape lighting doesn’t just give you a light to find the front door, it creates new shapes and interesting contrasts using light and shadow and the shapes and textures of your hardscape. It improves the safety of your home by preventing slip and falls as well as deterring unwanted guests. It also makes outdoor spaces livable, comfortable, and relaxing, increasing the total living space of your home.
Free Lighting Design Consultation
We offer a free design consultation to our clients. We will first listen to your ideas of what you would like in your lighting portrait. We will ask:
- What are your main vantage points? (Where do you see the yard from?)
- Are there certain paths or steps you would like to navigate at night?
- What elements are most important to you in your landscape?
We will discuss the perspectives from which you see the yard and how you use the space. We will discuss various landscape lighting design concepts.
We should have a brief discussion about your budget.
We will then take panoramic photos and use these, in conjunction with our notes from our conversations to create a design that will best meet your needs. Depending on the size and scope of your project, design times can vary
We will provide you with a detailed proposal covering the specific areas illuminated and equipment included with a specific price. I’ll also bring my spreadsheet so we can use it together to fine tune the proposal to best meet your needs.
