Whether you live in a very nice neighborhood or just want to look like you do, exterior lighting to cast stunning light on your home will either help you to fit in with your classy neighbors or make your home stand out from the dark ones around you. How many times have you gaped in wonder at a home that looks spectacular because of the spotlights highlighting it as you drive by? You can achieve that same impressive look, without taking out a small loan.
The best approach to lighting your home’s exterior is to make sure that you have a plan before you begin. Walk around your home as the sun sets and note areas that need additional light. Try your best to plan your lighting scheme so that beams of light overlap, which will enhance your home’s security as well as look great. You also want to take into account any lighting that is around your home, such as neighbor’s beams or streetlights or nearby businesses. All of these competing lights could impact your plan.
Picture 1: Lanterns are still a popular exterior lighting option
Placement of Lights to Shine On Your Home
The primary decision you will have to make about casting light on your home’s exterior is the location of the lights. You have several options:
Wall sconces can give a nice spread of light on your home’s exterior. These sconces do a wonderful job of making your home’s entrances look great and your bay windows impressive when they are placed on either side of such windows. Sconces can cast wide beams and make your rooms seem lighter; they also prevent your windows from looking like black mirrors. Many of these sconces beam light outward and downward, but you can often turn the lights in any direction that you wish (uplights often have a dramatic effect).
Soffit (roof overhang) downlights are another popular option. These circular lights often do not have a lot of wattage, but they do cast a nice glow on your home’s exterior. They create a more subtle effect of light.
Landscape uplighters positioned in your yard or garden can cast a wide or narrow beam on your home. Many times when you are struck by a home’s beauty at night, these uplighters are the reason why. How much light you cast on the home and in what pattern will be determined by where you place the uplighters. You can put inset lights into the ground right next to the walls (with side lips to prevent glare), and you will have a much more narrow beam to highlight certain areas of your home. Uplighters placed a metre or two in front of your home usually have much higher wattage and a more dramatic effect. They also will help you to see in your yard in case any suspicious activity is taking place near your home. Take a look at the homes near you that are lit in a way that you appreciate and mimic where the owners have placed their uplighters.
Final Considerations
- If you need advice about your home’s exterior lighting, landscape architects can offer their expertise.
- As you plan your home’s front exterior lighting, you should know that these lights can now be solar powered, which might make them a bargain in years to come as the sun pays your lighting costs.
- Be sure that your lights’ beams do not enter your home in a way that cast disturbing shadows on your room’s ceilings.
- To cast the best light on your home, go for warm white colour.
- Finally, do your best to make sure that the switch for your home’s exterior lights can be operated from your bedroom. That way, you can turn them all off at night quite easily and your can turn them on in the middle of the night if you hear any strange noises outside.
The right exterior lighting on your home can take it from a gloomy structure to a stunning masterpiece as you decide what parts of your home’s public side you want to show proudly to the world and how brightly you want those lights to shine.
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