Having a well-maintained and landscaped garden not only looks amazing, but can boost your overall mood and well-being. Have you laid down your lawn? Installed a porch? Planted your flower beds? That’s wonderful…but you actually aren’t quite finished landscaping your property.The best way to get a truly professional and “wow” worthy garden is by installing lighting. Not only will this highlight the best spots in your garden, it also adds a safety element to your home.
Whether you’re a first time property owner, or a real estate professional, hiring a trusted, professional landscaping company like Cutters Edge is a fool-proof way to ensure a perfectly lit home. So if you’re on the fence about whether to take the plunge and “glow up” your garden, keep reading to learn the top 5 benefits of installing landscape lighting.
Highlight Your Landscaping Decor
Want to make a feature of your garden look brand new? By strategically placing outdoor lighting around your backyard, you can accentuate features of your backyard that you already have. You can install energy-efficient solar posts to guide people to your front door over paths and walkways. It also works the opposite way as well. Steer people away from areas you want to cover up by removing lighting, or use lighting to delineate borders and boundaries. Don’t forget, installing lights next to a water feature or particularly gorgeous tree is another way to make your landscaping sparkle.
A final way to really bring the glam to your garden is by installing statement lights. Hang brightly colored orbs around your porch to create an instantly romantic atmosphere. Or, if you have a theme in your garden or decor (like an ocean or beach theme), you can use nautical inspired lighting to enhance this effect.
Extend the Square Footage of your Home
If you live in a warmer climate, your outdoor space is just as important as your indoor space. Your patio and backyard are ideal places to entertain your friends and family throughout the year. By adding lighting to your outdoor spaces you extend the longevity of your outside space, and make it usable even after the sun goes down. You can even install outdoor lights with a dimming feature so you can create the ambiance that you desire. Not only that, outdoor lights come in a variety of shapes and designs (from functional to non functional), so finding lighting to match the rest of the decor of your home is no problem.
Increase Your Curb Appeal
Anytime you improve your home you increase your property value. It’s no surprise then that having a professionally designed and executed backyard would be a great investment into your home. In fact, according to the National Association of Home Builders, 41% of potential buyers rate outdoor lighting as an essential quality for their desired home; and 49% of potential buyers rated it as a desirable quality.
Outdoor lighting can also be used to enhance and highlight any unique architectural features of your home. One technique that many designers use is called the “moonlight effect”. This means that the light incorporated into your outdoor spaces is never brighter than the light of a full moon. This ensures that your home is safe and visible, but also gives it a romantic and elegant feeling.
Safety First
Outdoor lighting is obviously very beautiful to look at, but it serves an even more important purpose – your safety. As stated earlier, lighting your footpaths, driveway or stairs can be crucial in keeping family and friends safe by preventing trips and falls. Outdoor lighting can also potentially save you from a lawsuit by using lighting to highlight any uneven surfaces on your property. You may want to think about installing lighting in areas that have a lot of footfall like decks, pools, patios and any outdoor seating spaces.
Protect Your Property
Besides preventing personal injury, outdoor light can also act as a crime deterrant. Burglary is one of the most common threats to your home and occurs roughly every 13 seconds in the United States. Use flood lights to brighten up alleys or any dark nooks and crannies around your home. A home that looks like it is well-maintained from the outside could help prevent trespassing or theft. Worried your electric bill will go through the roof if you’re constantly lighting up your home? Many lights now use motion sensors so that they are only in use when they detect movement, and surprise anyone who may be considering robbing you. Also, outdoor lighting can be set to timers so that they only go on in the evenings, or are off when you’re away on vacation.
Have we convinced you yet? If not, let’s throw in one more interesting fact about outdoor lighting. Increasingly, solar powered outdoor lights are being used in landscape designs. Not only is this more cost efficient for the property owner, it’s also a great option for people who have kids or pets as there are no wires to pull on. Solar outdoor lights come in a range of styles and sizes – you can even use them as lanterns or string lights on your patio!
Ready to upgrade your landscape lighting professionally? The team at Cutters Edge in south Florida are here to help you from start to finish. With over 150 years of combined experience in the landscaping service industry, you know your lawn and garden will be handled with the utmost care and commitment. Contact them today for a free estimate!
