Landscape lighting is the best way to upgrade the functionality of your outdoor space and its security. Installing lights carefully along walkways or patios also magnifies the aesthetics of the area and highlights other outdoor elements like pools and fountains.
Remember that DIY landscape lighting projects are impressive when you’re just incorporating a few lights around some plants or brightening a pavement. But, if you want a more dramatic landscape lighting design, then hiring professionals can help you enhance your home’s curb appeal and make sure that you get an excellent deal.
Before calling an expert to install landscape lighting, it’s important to know how much the project may cost. Continue reading to learn how much professional landscape lighting costs and the factors that may impact the total expenditures for your outdoor lighting project.
How Much Does It Cost To Install Landscape Lighting?
Factors That Influence The Cost of Outdoor Landscape Lighting
Design & Contractor Costs
The more experienced and adept the landscape lighting professionals or electricians, the higher they’ll charge to install outdoor lighting.
A landscape lighting designer will usually bill $200-$500 to create a plan and give you a detailed illustration for the contractor or to apply in your DIY. A designer will often locate the most suitable fixtures to use for the project and pinpoint the best stationings for them to provide you with a better look.
A skilled electrical contractor who specializes in a project for an outdoor space can incorporate different types of spotlights, path lights, uplights, security lights, and more.
New Landscape vs. Retrofitting Existing Landscape
Lighting is laid after the new plantings are established into a landscape and before mulch is layered. Suppose your outdoor space already has an existing outdoor light, you will have to retrofit and modify the existing wiring network to give room to your new landscape lighting system. Outdoor lighting installation in existing landscaping is much more laborious because the contractor needs to work in tight places between plants to spread wiring to the entire new fixtures.
If you add lights simultaneously with your new landscaping, it will cost you less since you can add lighting without being concerned about someone having to patch your lawns once the landscape lighting installation is finished. Furthermore, labour can be even more affordable because contractors save time. It helps when they don’t need to do any excavating around barriers to bury the conduit.
Project Size
The cost for landscape lighting varies depending on the project size. Size can pertain to fixture number or lawn size. Bigger lawns generally require more lights for them to look great. You can likewise opt to have more fixtures.
When you have a large property to address, a long run of wire will be more expensive since you have to counter voltage losses. That suggests you might have a better wiring gauge, a more powerful transformer, or both to achieve your landscape lighting plans.
Halogen Bulbs or LED Bulbs
Halogen lights are a lot more budget-friendly than LED light bulbs at first; however, they demand replacing the bulbs at least every year, which adds cost and maintenance as time goes on.
Almost always, contractors will use grade-A LED lighting as they use less energy, making them energy efficient. And, because LED fixtures are not manufactured from brittle glass, they can last longer than standard incandescent or fluorescent bulbs can.
Fixture Line
The cost changes depending on the landscape lighting fixtures you pick. You can opt to have low-end or high-end fixtures, or perhaps a mix of both. Low-end fixtures will look displeasing sooner or later. You’ll end up spending money to repair or replace them more frequently than with high-end fixtures. High-end fixtures also look great for a longer period and typically come with a warranty.
A few landscape lighting firms may attempt to help you in making savings by advising that you choose aluminum light fixtures. However, aluminum rusts quickly, so you’ll end up spending money to replace those fixtures in a couple of years. If you decide to choose brass, even when somewhat pricey, you’ll get a light fixture that is long-lasting, withstands corrosion, and is durable.
Types of Light Fixtures:
- Well lights - Also known as in-ground lights, they are commonly installed in groundcovers or lawns. This fixture needs more labour to install since it rests in a metal cylinder underground that has to be placed properly so lawn mowers can go over them.
- Spotlight - Use these to shine up into taller trees that the standard fixture can't reach. It offers a way to accentuate special architectural features and provides the home with a contemporary look. They commonly light up walls, plants, statues, and anything you can point it at.
- Bollard lights - It is commonly used to illuminate pathways and landscapes for pedestrian use and safety. No light shield/cover. Bollard light is among the types of outdoor landscape lights that can illuminate in all directions.
- Path lights - Usually called "mushrooms", these freestanding lights focus on an entry walk to give a safer way. The cost to install modest practical fixtures is minimal against delicately assembled artistic lights intended for specific styles.
- Deck/step lights -These are used to light up dark stairs and decks to provide a safe passage. They can also be used to illuminate entertainment space in your yard.
- Post-mount light - Post-mounts lights are used as architectural lights. These types of light fixtures are built to highlight specific elements. You will mostly see post-mount lights on gates, fences, entries, and surrounding a deck. These get pricey when decorative fixtures are used and when motion sensors are needed.
- Floodlight - A floodlight is used for darker spots on your lawn and illuminates different areas of your garden and property. Floodlights are recognized for their wide beam that lights up a large area simultaneously, flooding the space with light as implied by its name.
- String lights - Ideal for stringing through trees and over hardscapes so you can honestly appreciate their appearance. They deliver a more subtle light for a dramatic ambiance.
Source Of Power
Battery Powered Outdoor Lights
Solar Garden Lights
Hardwired Landscape Lights
Potential Electrical Requirements
In most cases, bigger houses need a long length of cable. Older homes notoriously need comprehensive electrical tasks like the installation of new 110-volt exterior ground fault circuit interrupter (CGFI) outlets, conduits, and sockets or upgrades of outdoor outlets.
Adding a bigger or extra transformer can resolve that, or you could decide to disregard it. If you must raise the voltage capacity, you will need to spend money to change the existing transformer depending on the size of your residence.
Cost To Install Low Voltage Landscape Lighting
Cost To Install Outdoor Motion Sensor Lights
Relocate Them Away From Other Light Sources
Outdoor Lighting Effects
- Shadow lighting effect - Floodlights, spotlights, or wall lights are often used to establish shadow lighting.
- Silhouetting lighting effect - Well lights or spotlights are used for a silhouette feature. This technique is used to accentuate sharp trims or elements that are difficult to see otherwise. It creates a centre of attention with a sense of drama and romance.
- Path lighting effect - Bollard lights or path lights are used to produce an eccentric, cozy pavement. The fixtures must be spread out instead of directly across from one another and positioned distant enough apart to prevent overloading. The lights will be directed downward to light up the pathway.
- Washing lighting effect - The mere fixture that goes with this effect is a floodlight. This is typically best operated in a space where entertaining is done to help brighten the entire area. The light source is directed between a wall and a centrepiece; therefore, creating a whole area of light.
The Benefits of Installing Outdoor Lighting
To take advantage of your garden space, outdoor lighting is essential. Patio, deck, and pool lighting make your area pleasurable for your family, friends, and guests. Furthermore, outdoor lighting activated by timers helps protect your home against trespassers.
Landscape lighting is not just a perfect security measure, but it’s also a good safety measure. Ensuring your tracks and steps are well lit for guests to see is vital so there are no accidents, regardless of how small or large they could be.
Most importantly, adequate lighting makes every action outside even better. There’s no more wonderful area than your front or backyard to chill, entertain and roam around.
Colin Macmillan is a seasoned entrepreneur and the CEO of Riverwood Landscape, a leading landscaping company based in Canada. He has been at the helm of the company since leaving high school, demonstrating his strong leadership skills and business acumen.
Colin’s expertise lies in various aspects of landscaping, including lawn care, interlocking, sod installation, and commercial maintenance. His hands-on approach and dedication to the craft have been instrumental in building Riverwood Landscape into a reputable brand.
One of his most notable achievements is the creation of a successful landscape franchise that services multiple locations. This accomplishment underscores his strategic thinking and ability to scale operations effectively.
Colin has also had the privilege of working with Guelph Hospital for landscaping and maintenance, a testament to the trust and reliability that his company has earned over the years.
His professional mission is to offer the best services and experiences for customers, a goal that he tirelessly pursues. Colin’s commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction continues to drive the growth and success of Riverwood Landscape.
