Landscape Lighting for Homeowners

(ARA) - Homeowners spend hundreds of thousands of dollars making the outside of their homes look spectacular. Yet, this investment remains visible only half the time -- when the home isn’t shrouded in darkness.

“Lighting your property adds over a thousand hours of enjoyment,” says Curtis Hogan, president of Nite Time Decor Inc. in Lubbock, Texas. “With the proper exterior lighting, you can extend the home’s usability by adding life to dark areas and making the property appear larger.”

Another benefit of landscape lighting involves enhanced safety and security, as burglars will move past a home that’s lit up at night in favor of a dark house. Crime statistics show that lighting is the single most effective deterrent against burglary that a homeowner can consider.

“Landscape lighting can have a dramatic impact. It enhances the home’s charm and elegance year round, maximizes the home’s curb appeal, and adds warmth during the fall and winter. In fact, with the right landscape lighting system, you can achieve the same dazzling effect and glow of the Magic Kingdom at night,” adds Hogan.

Homeowners should look for a landscape lighting installer who routinely uses three distinct lighting levels and placement to create a three-dimensional effect.

“Achieving that kind of aesthetically pleasing look requires a certain level of sophistication. You’d be surprised how many homeowners are dissatisfied with their landscape or architectural lighting because the lights are too bright or too dim, or they stop working altogether. Most landscape lighting contractors give you a series of flat, bright lights and create an effect that is only two-dimensional. To really increase the value of your landscape investment, the landscape lighting portrait must be subtle, artistic, and carefully placed, taking all angles into account,” comments Hogan.