In 2013, the owners of this Omaha, Neb., home contacted McKay Landscape Lighting to overhaul the outdoor lighting system. McKay had installed lighting in 1999, and again in 2010 under a new owner. There are 283 fixtures on site and seven transformers (900 and 1200-watt). The unusual and spectacular water bowls in the front of the home are lit front and back by four underwater brass MR-16, 35-watt halogens (Focus Industries). Two spotlights (Aurora MR-16 20-watt halogens) also direct light to the water feature. Four MR-16 20-watt downlights are inset in the portico's vaulted ceiling, with two more beneath the caps of the brick columns.

This is the west side of property, including the main drive and garage area. Copper MR-16, 35-watt spots uplight the maple trees. T3 wedge-base copper fixtures (Hadco, 10-watts) under the wall caps wash the stone walls.

This residence has become familiar ground for McKay. In 1999, they first installed a fairly simple system: uplights for the front of the home, and a few lights on the backyard trees.

In 2010, a new owner contacted them with a request to bring more light to the front yard of the property. So McKay installed a number of uplights around the home as well as nine bollard lights lining the paver driveway. The following year, the homeowner called for additional lighting to the back yard, including around the pool area.

A 2013 redesign of the entire landscape prompted the homeowner to contact McKay once again for another overhaul of the landscape lighting. The improved grounds included a new paver driveway, a pondless water feature, and a number of new plantings in the front and back yards. McKay temporarily removed several fixtures to facilitate the landscape reconstruction. Closely working with the landscape team allowed McKay to prewire much of the job.

The Wish List
The client desired a "resort-style" lighting design that would also minimize glare. And he wanted to bring light to the pool area, outdoor kitchen, fireplace and hot tub to keep them safer at night and let the homeowners extend their outdoor living time far into the evening.

 

Hand-blown lit glass balls (NightOrbs) are McKay's specially designed art glass on natural stone pillars. Each piece was hand-carved in the pillar and is removable for service. The globes are 13-inch (20-watt) and 18inch (35-watt) in diameter.

This photo displays the raised eating area covered with a specially designed cedar pergola. Copper seatwall lights (Hadco, 4-watt) were installed under the paver steps. Copper 20-watt "starliters' hang under the pergola, and copper Aurora spotlights (MR-16 20-watts) aim at the water feature. Also pictured are Nightscaping/Lumiere 20-watt MR-16 down lights in the locust trees. Vista well lights (20-watt MR-16) in the pavers uplight the brick columns.

The bottom of the back yard water feature is pictured. Powder coated aluminum spotlights (MR-16 20-watt halogens) aim at the waterfalls; 20-watt MR-16s downlight the locust trees and the water.

In fact, general security around the property was an important priority. McKay developed a design that brightened dark corners around the home, as well as the gates leading into the backyard. Also, the client wanted the property to have strong curb appeal at night. By providing sufficient light in the front of the house, McKay made sure that the house "showed well" to neighbors and passersby.

This project provided McKay a number of interesting elements to light. The paver driveway was a perfect opportunity to use bollards. These fixtures look stately and give the correct amount of light for the large driveway. Four stone walls with pillars lent themselves to a remarkable look at night thanks to the shadows around the stones created from the lights below.

Two water features on the property also presented an occasion to generate some nocturnal focal interest. The one in the front yard includes a pondless waterfall with three urns in a small pool. In the back yard, three waterfalls feed into another pondless basin. These features were lit with a combination of uplighting and downlighting to adequately illuminate each important aspect.

The pool area provided yet another distinctive element for McKay. LEDs were installed around the rim, bringing dazzling color to the pool at night. A number of path lights were added around the edge of the pool to offer greater walking safety at night. Seat wall lights were recessed within the steps in the pool area. Three fire bowls furnish a great deal of light and interest.

Nine well-spaced 20-watt bollard lights (Hadco) give the new paver driveway a stately look, while providing the "correct amount of light," the lighting professional's determination that combines esthetics with what is sufficient for safety and security. MR-16 20-watt down lights wash the brick column fa?????ades. Copper spots (MR-16, 35-watt) uplight the house, and the birch and crabapple trees. Copper lights (wedge base T3, Hadco) were also placed under the stone caps of the four natural stone walls and pillars.

The client's desire for "resort-style" lighting that would also minimize glare is evident in the judicious lighting design of the outdoor kitchen, the eating area on the patio under the pergola, the fireplace, and the pool and spa. The safety and security lighting requirements were also met, allowing the homeowners to freely use their outdoor living area into the evening.

The lounging and hot tub area shows the LEDs rimming the pool and hot tub, and illuminating the water jets. Copper seat 4-watt halogen wall lights (wedge base T3, Hadco) are recessed in the paver steps up to the pool deck level, and under the capstones of the natural stone columns. Copper spotlights (MR-16 35-watt halogen) light the maple and evergreens. Well lights (20-watt MR-16s) in the lower patio pavers shine upon the fireplace. Three fire bowls sit atop the stone columns.

The Check List
The main challenge of this project was coordinating the installations with the other contractors working on the property. During the landscape construction, McKay wanted to prewire the property as much as possible. While not without issues, prewiring saves time and makes the installation much less intrusive on a newly completed landscape. Coordination with other contractors such as Elite Landscapes, Quality Irrigation, and New Wave Pools was extremely important. Avoiding cut wires can often be difficult when working in and around new landscape construction, but by working side-by-side with these contractors, McKay minimized time spent repairing wire.

Another challenge was making sure McKay had the correct fixture inventories at the right time. If a fixture needed to be installed immediately, it had to be in stock and a lighting technician standing by. Outfitting the fixtures with lamps of the correct wattage presented a final challenge. As explained earlier, the homeowner wanted minimal glare. Through continuous tinkering, bulbs that were too bright were exchanged for lower-wattage ones. McKay worked diligently to make sure that the client's vision for the lighting system was achieved.

The sheer number of fixtures on this property is striking. The landscape company worked hard to make sure that the grounds looked great during the day. It was McKay's responsibility to make sure that the landscape looked great at night, and was safe too. They were able to create a distinctive lighting system that fulfilled the homeowner's vision and catered to his specific needs.