Landscape lighting, properly designed and installed can really enhance the appearance of your home at night and provide a level of security. On this page you’ll find a couple of videos and some still photos of the landscape around my house and and the lighting that I plan to install as well as some night time photos after the lighting was installed.
I figured that if I just start with the landscape lighting video people are sure to have questions about some of the plants in my landscape so I decided to do that video first.
This video is about the landscape design around my house.
For more info and photos on Landscape Design and Landscaping Ideas see this page.
Let’s start with the video where I show you what landscape lighting fixtures I bought for my house and where and how I am placing them. The fixture that I choose for my house are Kichler Landscape Lights. I bought my at Lowes because I figured it would be easier to buy them locally and I could easily return any product that I didn’t need or did not meet my expectations. With that said, they worked out perfectly.
Yeah, I know. I miss spoke in the video if you can believe that and said the lights shining up the pillars are flood lights and they are not, they are spot lights. And yes, my camera person accidentally had the tip of her finger in the shot. Oh well, you know by now that we try but never claim to be perfect. And that’s why I do a page on the blog as well so we can answer questions and clarify anything that we need to.
The after photos;
I really like these path lights because not only do they shine down and light the walkway and some of the colorful plants in the landscape but just a smidgen of light shines through the holes in the fixture.
Keep in mind, these fixtures are all either 3 watt or 5 watt LED bulbs. The 12 volt transformer is 120 watts output so I am assuming that even though the entire lighting package is less than 60 watts the correct calculation to run these lights would be the 120 watts that the transformer produces while it’s on. Which is just a tad more than a 100 watt light bulb.
Using the photo eye on the transformer my lights come on at dusk and right now I have them set to shut off after four hours. As the days get shorter I’ll extend that to six hours. I do not leave them on all night even though if I did it still wouldn’t cost that much to run them.
I hope you found this useful and as always, by any and all means stay inspired!
Questions, comments, mean things to say? Post them below and I will respond.
Can you post a link to the lights and transformer you used? Amazon?
Lindsay,
The lights came from Lowes and the 120 watt transformer I did order on Amazon but right off hand I don’t remember even the brand of the transformer. You just have to make sure that your transformer delivers enough wattage to match the lights you are connecting to it and then some, but not more than say 35% of what you need in wattage. There is a link in the article to the lamps and there are a lot of details on that page.
Dear Mike,
It’s impressive how much better you look after bariatric surgery! I bet you can do more work in an already busy schedule, feel better and sleep better, as well. Impressive! What you have done has possibly extended your life by many years. Hang in there!
I appreciate your knowledge and no bs presentation. That’s a nice system, and thank you for doing the legwork for us! You get a big brown thumbs up.
I’ve learned a lot from your videos. The lighting looks Great. From the comments from our Friends, we can see the plan can be adjusted to suit one’s needs and situation.
Does the control box have a dimmer switch to adjust the lumens? Very nice system.
Best wishes and be well,
Jack from Pennsylvania
Thanks Jack. No, you can control the lumens with fixture selection. Keep in mind, the light isn’t really as bright as it appears in photos.
your landscape lighting looks great, Mike, and so do you. I appreciate the fact that you own up to “goofs” in your video’s, lets us plain folk know you’re just like us, instead of some professional actor that we can’t trust . . . keep up the great informationals, it really does help those of us who don’t really know what we’re doing anyway! And I too, will take lighting a few hours a night to deter criminals as opposed to bugs who have the propensity to spread disease.
I AM GOION GTO TONE DOWN WHAT I WAS GOING TO WRITE, BUT THESE ARE THE FACTS;
Lighting makes me feel safer. I don’t need to illuminate my tree’s beauty. I want to arrive home knowing my family is going to be safe. Lights take away so much of the night shadows. I shine at my bushes so as to take away convenient shadows for the criminals to hide in. I want to look at my house and know that there is nobody waiting to harm me or my wife and kids from where I part down the path to the front door.
I don’t plant bushes or trees in the front for the criminals to hide behind. I light up the path and the front door.. I even light up the side a little so as to give criminals no place to hide and come running to assault us. Motion lights are over my driveway. We have had too many car break-ins. This is a reality for some people with different challenges (neighborhoods with crime, different curfews, apartment living up the street from my house, etc)). The police don’t follow up on the crime since it is usually low level Hundreds of dollars to cameras and computers). They also don’t want to keep hearing that their investigations are racist (notice the times). So they don’t do anything but report.
Lights are essential for us. We want to give no place for the criminals to hide. Attractive low-cost lightning is essential for us. Thanks, Mike! for bringing this to our attention and allowing this forum. Some of us have lots of different things to think about.
What about the shadows in front of the windows?! I would rather have them off to the side of the window. If large shadows are in front of the windows, that it where thieves hide, and then they have access to the windows. I have not enough vanity to need to light up my bushes, and trees. I have to keep the vermin out of the house.
Light pollution? Better than people pollution!
Lights keep criminals from hiding next to our house and cars. I would hate to have to pollute around my house with dead bodies bc I had to shoot people to keep them out of my house bc there were too many shadows around my house, bushes, and cars. The times are changing: GIVE THEM NO PLACE TO HIDE!!!
I have enjoyed your advice for years. I appreciate others’ points of view, too, but if I have to choose between the little bugs around my house over the big thieves and criminals that keep attempting to open my doors and garage doors and stealing from our vehicles in the night bc there are so many dark shadows within which they can hide with immunity, the bugs might have to lose. I hate to disturb nature, especially on a large scale, but I have groups of boys come down my street and rob vehicles and get garage door openers and go into the houses. I or my family could be shot, or I may shoot them. I say it Is better to keep them away with some attractive, low-cost lighting. Thanks for your patience with me, as I am too poor to keep losing valuables to kids that do this nightly through the summer.. The cops won’t even take fingerprints, nor interview those who we show them or accuse. The boys are below the age of 18, and they always pull the race card. Nothing gets done but I lose my valuables, and the boys are on the street the next day to hit other neighbors like you and me.
Thanks for sharing! Landscape lighting is lovely and you made it sound easy enough to do.
Again thanks for the inspiration Mike
Really nice looking! The “up” lights on the house seem a little too bright for my taste but I can see that it really shows off your stonework. Thanks Mike and Duston for all you do to “brighten” my day.
Keep up the good work.
The lighting is absolutely beautiful!!!!!
Thank you for making these videos. I always look forward to see them.
Lol, even the ones with bloopers or fingers in the way. 😄
Keep up the great work you’re doing.
Sincerely grateful,
Maria
Looks GREAT Mike!!!
I have been wondering how to add lighting to our walkway as we have 8 landscape lamps in front of home highlighted but sidewalk is not well-lit. Looks like you solved that with your 2-way lights!
We have LED’s now; had started years ago with 20-watt Malibu lights which we were replacing around one a year and couple bulbs too; were cheap but not reliable.
Several yrs ago we had to get a new transformer, so splurged and also replaced lamps with new LED’s and were able to add couple more lamps due to lower wattage.
Not sure of cost to run but electric bill not huge (unless running A/C 24 hrs a day) so figure it is the upfront costs and any lamp/bulb replacements that are probably close to the overall energy cost.
The LED’s lights are more expensive (over twice the cost) but so far lasting a lot longer – so hopefully less replacements and lower electric bill are working in our favor!
Although I have some limited experience in Horticulture and landscaping I would never try to tell others or try to make it sound less than it is . There is a lot more involved to the proper landscape lighting than you portrayed you should probably seek help or at least guidance from someone that does.
Vence,
Really? The point of a post like this is to show people that you don’t need to hire a professional to install 12 volt lighting around your home. That’s why these products are sold a places like Lowes.
How mean!! He is trying to help DIY people!
OMG you have lost so much weight!! Lookin good, Mike!
Thanks Norma, finally after all these years I opted for weight loss surgery.
It’s a change for the good, Mike.
A word to the wise. Patients dont realize the weight will come back without a good eating plan. I believe you have the intelligence and courage to continue on your path to success.
Sincere best wishes and God bless you all.
Jack from PA
I wonder if you considered the possibility of light pollution. Insects and bugs desperately need dark for their health and welfare. TOo much light all the time is really detrimental to their lives present and future. I notice that the fireflies congregate in my rather dark backyard and completely avoid those that have house lights or parking lot lights blazing all night long.
PLEASE consider this carefully–esp. as you are advising a huge number of other folks. THANKS Jean
Jean,
My lights are only on for a few hours and are not lighting up the whole neighborhood or even my back or side yards. But we all have to decide what works best for us.