The addition of a lighting system can enhance any landscape with beauty and drama. When properly conceived and executed, it makes outdoor spaces usable at night and adds a magical view into the landscape from interior spaces.

However, one of the greatest challenges in this industry is realized when a Contractor tries to impress a client with the benefits of a professional outdoor lighting system. Many clients don't realize the pent-up potential of their home that can be unleashed with a lighting system. The majestic trees, gazebos, pools and jacuzzi, stairways, statuaries, and fountains can all come to life at night with the right light.

To explore the business of Landscape Lighting, LCM interviewed Chuck Evans, president of Illuminated Concepts, based in Laguna Hills, California. With a background in theater lighting, Evans decided 12 years ago to turn his efforts to landscape lighting full time. His primary clients are homeowners that reside in some of California's most exclusive and historical neighborhoods.

The key lighting principle that Evans strictly adheres to is that a well-planned lighting system should highlight the architectural features of a home. He accomplishes this by focusing on the architectural elements of the home that are unique or interesting. For example, he might graze the surface of a brick wall to bring out its texture or use bullet lights to highlight an archway or peak.

The hallmark of a professional lighting system rests in the attention that is paid to details. "If you think about the purpose of outdoor lights, then you don't want to bring attention to the fixtures and wiring because it detracts from the beauty of the home," Evans explained. "Every opportunity to hide wiring and fixtures should be taken because it minimizes the daytime impact of the system." If a bullet light fixture is placed in the branches of a tree, Evans said that he paints the wiring so it will match the tree's bark. It is this attention to small details that will make a lighting project a success.

According to Evans, one of the most important aspects of installing a lighting system is to establish a strong relationship with the client. Essential to establishing rapport is to conduct an interview to find out what the client's needs are. "You can expect clients to be very vocal and involved in the process because they have a vested interest in their home," Evans related. Though they may not know a lot about lighting, ask questions that will provide information regarding their design needs and desires. Ask questions about the atmosphere or appearance that the client would like to create and what impression they would like visitors to experience. Also be sure to explore the activities that will take place in the landscape after dark and any safety or security issues.

Evans has a unique method of opening the channels of communication with the client. To demonstrate the effect that landscape lighting will have on the client's home, Evans makes his first house-call with a 12 volt portable battery in tow. He hooks up various fixtures and illuminates different areas of the house. "Once the client gets a glimpse of how great their house can look with professional lighting, they don't want to go without it," Evans explained. The key is to educate the client on the vast possibilities of landscape lighting and to show them how it will enhance the beauty of their home.

In the very near future, Evans said he wants to take his demonstration technique to the next level. He will set up a miniature lighting system with about ten fixtures that can be left at the client's home for one week. "This allows the client to move the lights around and get familiar with the lighting system," Evans said. This is a great way to introduce clients to the options that exist in lighting a client's home. To prevent damage to the light fixtures by gardeners, Evans said he might post a notice in English and Spanish on a stake to alert them.

Another visual tool that Evans is working with is the new software program, Design Ware at Night, developed by Design Imaging Group. This is a photo-imaging program that illustrates the effects of exterior lighting on a customer's actual site. Not only does this program help the customer visualize how the design concept will enhance their property, but it also helps the contractor prepare bids, order products, and create invoices.

The Bidding Process

After the introductory meeting with the client, Evans returns to his office to draw a basic design concept for the lighting system. From this basic plan he creates a design sheet to specify which lighting products he will use along with their appropriate description and price. Since the price is normally higher than the client expects, Evans explained that he always prices out the backyard and front yard separately. This allows the client to progress with only one part of the lighting design without creating extra work to re-price the job. If they do decide to do it piece-meal, Evans said that clients normally opt to do the front yard first to establish curb appeal. By lighting the front yard, it creates an inviting and elegant approach to a home while making it less attractive to prowlers. If a client decides to light the backyard first, they are probably more interested in entertaining guests. A well lit backyard extends the interior environment of a home and it also turns every window into a picture frame.

As a general rule of thumb, when homeowners think about landscape lighting, they immediately picture Malibu lights at their local hardware store. So, it is no surprise that clients usually react in shock when Evans presents them with the initial bid. He calls this "Malibu Mentality." Sure you can buy a do-it-yourself kit and have pathway lights installed in under an hour, but you will definitely get what you pay for. Illuminated Concepts installs professional lighting products and they go the extra mile to make sure the client is happy with the end result. That is something that you can't buy at your local hardware store.

After all the contracts and related paperwork has been signed and the lighting materials ordered, Evans places different colored flags in the landscape to denote where specific lights will go. A blue flag represents a bullet light, a red flag shows where a spread light will be installed, and a yellow flag denotes all other lighting fixtures. While the crew is removing old wiring and installing the new, their goal is to be as unobtrusive as possible to the surrounding landscape.

Low Voltage Systems

Low voltage lighting systems are well suited for a custom residential project. The size of a site will influence voltage choice due to the required length of wire runs and the scale of fixtures. When a site is smaller with medium size trees, 12-volt incandescent lighting works best because the smaller fixtures can be hidden from sight. The use of low voltage lighting fits right into Evan's principles for landscape lighting. The burial depth of the wiring is only 6" to 8", versus the 16" to 18" for 120 volt, which means that disruption to the landscape is minimized. In addition, low voltage lighting is safer to work and is more energy efficient.

One of the primary disadvantages of low voltage lighting is voltage drop. As the name implies, voltage drop means that under certain circumstances the voltage at the beginning of a length of wire may be higher than at the end. This means that the first light fixture in a series will receive more voltage than the last light in the series. Also, if one light in the series fails then the other fixtures will receive more wattage which can decrease its life expectancy. To avoid voltage drop requires proper selection of a wire size based on the total load on the wire and the length of the run.

Unique Lighting Systems, based in Escondido, California, has developed a new low voltage system that can provide the same voltage to each light fixture. The newly introduced Equalizer Hub is a wiring manifold designed to be used in conjunction with one or more fixtures, and serves as the connection point between the homerun wire (from the transformer) to the fixture wires. The Multimatic Power Transformer has independent voltage taps ranging from 12 to 22 volts which compensates for voltage drop and delivers proper voltage to the hub. Unique Lighting Systems has also developed a new line of lighting fixtures that come with a pre-wired 25' long, #16-2 wire lead. This system eliminates the need for sealed wire nuts since all of the connections are either made above ground or sealed within the Hub housing.

Lighting Techniques

Experience is the best teacher when it comes to specific lighting techniques for residential projects. The architectural elements of the home and the plant materials are the primary focus for illumination. The first step is to establish the focal points of a project which might be a tree that draws your eye through the landscape, a fountain, majestic columns, or a gazebo. There are many different techniques that are commonly used to highlight various aspects of a residence.

The technique of grazing emphasizes texture and creates strong shadows. To graze a masonry wall for example, the fixture must be installed close to the wall with the light aimed up, down or across the surface. To light the width of a wall evenly while highlighting interesting texture or relief detail, the fixture spacing must be closer than if you were using floodlights.

Uplighting is commonly used to highlight trees or to emphasize a specific architectural element that deserves attention. This technique creates a glowing canopy with translucent leaves that emphasizes the foliage shape and color, as well as the overall canopy shape. Always be sure to include the tree's trunk because if you leave it unlit it will cause the tree to look disjointed from the ground. Also incorporated with the technique of uplighting is the related effect of shadowing. This is a simple way to add visual interest on large, plain walls.

Moonlighting creates a soft glow in a tree's branches while casting shadows onto the ground below. The fixtures need to be mounted high in a tree's branches and aimed downward. However, directing light through foliage can easily create hot spots so consider uplighting into the canopy to balance this brightness.

Whatever technique you employ, the art of Landscape Lighting can add drama and excitement to the nighttime environment of any residence. Illuminate the possibilities for your clients by educating them on the benefits of an outdoor lighting system.