Driveway outdoor lighting providing safety and security Spicewood Texas

Driveway Lighting

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Have you ever pulled into a driveway that was so dark you had difficulty navigating yourself through it? Not being able to see properly probably made you worry about hitting something on the property or not seeing someone.

Now, consider your own driveway. Would your guests have any difficulty at night?

Lighting a driveway serves several purposes. It provides safety for you and your guests and adds that curb appeal to your property that we keep talking about!

Lighting your driveway serves as a guide to navigate you and your guests, creating a warm, welcoming ambiance at the same time. Driveway lighting gives your home that WOW factor, leaving a great first impression.

Here are 3 cool ways to light up your driveway

Down-lighting

If you have large trees along your driveway, down lighting is a great choice.  Down lighting emulates the feeling of moonlight. Downlighting appears to be natural, feels natural, but is (in reality) luminaires skillfully placed and aimed. Depending on how many trees you have and your how your driveway is laid out, utilizing bollards or well lights might be needed in combination with down-lighting. Mixing up the light sources can help balance out the light and ensure an evenly lit driveway.

Decorative bollard outdoor lighting

Bollards

Bollards are solid, sturdy, and stately. Providing a soft light around a driveway, bollards are great markers to define the edge of a driveway. Texas Outdoor Lighting will provide you with an outdoor lighting design that will space the bollards on your driveway proportionately. Alternating sides provides optimal light without creating a runway effect.

Walkway Bollard Outdoor Lighting

Up-Lighting

While bollards stand taller with a light source above the ground; up-lights are located closer to the ground. If you prefer fixtures that are less noticeable, up-lights are a great choice. If you have mature trees along your driveway, up-lights will help define the driveway edge and add ambient light. One amazing use of up-lighting is installing fixtures into the driveway cement or at the garage entrance.

In ground well light garage lighting Lakeway Texas

Whichever type of lighting fixtures you choose, Texas Outdoor Lighting can highlight any potential obstacles along the driveway – trees, fences, walls, etc. – or at a change of direction. Additionally, providing adequate lighting at the entrance to the destination makes finding the entrance to your home easier and more appealing.

Call us today at (512) 504-3030 to schedule your free consultation.

Outdoor Lighting Home in Rough Hollow Lakeway Texas

Increasing Curb Appeal & Value

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As Austin continues to grow, the demand for homes for sale is high. According to the Statesman, experts expect another strong year for Austin housing market. If you are looking to sell your home, how can you set your property apart from the next?

Outdoor Lighting Bee Cave Texas

Outdoor lighting can enhance the curb appeal and even possibly increase the value of your home or property. According to the National Association of Home Builders, over 40% of home buyers they surveyed listed outdoor lighting features as “essential”. Lighting is a key part of a building’s appearance. During daylight hours everyone gets the full effect, but once the sun starts to set, all the details and aspects of the property that made it so appealing disappear into the darkness. LED landscape lighting can transform the look of your property at night. Outdoor lighting will highlight structural features like pathways, fire pits, water features, fencing and more. If you have outdoor patios, decks or other outdoor living spaces, those will also be included in the overall lighting design.

Landscape Lighting Garage Security Lighting in Barton Creek Texas

When you drive through a neighborhood at night, chances are the homes that stand out most are those where lighting plays an important role. Adding light to any outdoor space enhances its beauty. This applies especially to the landscape of your house. By highlighting your lawn, the walkway, and any other aesthetics, you make your house more pleasing to the eye, and in the process, increase its market value. Professionally installed, subtle lighting can even make the space appear larger. An investment in outdoor lighting does more than just make your home look great; by illuminating your lawn and yard you make your home a less appealing target to potential burglars and those wishing to do you harm. Lighting up the areas around windows and doorways can enhance the look of your home and boost your security as well.

Outdoor lighting landscape lighting Spicewood Texas

Simply put, shedding some light on the exterior features of your house and property adds to the beauty a potential buyer experiences. Let Texas Outdoor Lighting send one of our award winning designers out to your property to increase your curb appeal!

Outdoor Lighting Backyard Outdoor Living Space

DIY vs Hiring a Professional for Your Lighting Project

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In the era of HGTV, Pinterest, YouTube Videos, etc. we all get the urge to get our hands dirty and DIY some of our home projects. Whether a small job such as painting a bedroom, or a larger job like redoing your kitchen cabinets, the tutorials available make the jobs seem easy and more affordable. But is it always the right and best decision in the long run?

Installing outdoor landscape lighting within your property is a long term investment and if done properly, can increase your home’s curb appeal as well as add essential security. There are quite a few reasons why, in this case, hiring a professional to install your lighting will be more beneficial in the long run.

Outdoor Lighting Front of home Austin Texas

Our lighting designers can create a layout for your outdoor lighting while considering all the details. A professional lighting team will spend time to understand your vision for outdoor lighting, assess the layout of your property and come up with ways to enhance your space through different lighting effects. As professionals in the field, we are able to discuss your lighting options such as the type of fixture, the light temperature and the spacing required as well as develop unique looks for your home.

The variety and range of lighting fixtures available to you at the hardware store is generally very limited compared to what we as professionals have access to. Commercial lighting typically has longer warranties and are significantly better quality. Our team is confident the fittings supplied are durable enough to tolerate outdoor weather conditions and outdoor factors such as bugs, pets and humidity. They also understand electrical systems, wattage needs and permits required to complete your professional installation.

Hiring a professional will typically cost you more than doing a DIY lighting project, however our team of designers can keep your project on budget, save you time on research, and help you avoid costly repairs.

Cafe Bistro Lighting Outdoor Living Space Pool Lighting in Lakeway Texas

Call Texas Outdoor Lighting today at (512) 504-3030 to schedule your free estimate today and let us be your preferred outdoor lighting team!

Making the Switch from Halogen to LED

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We have seen a lot of changes and progress within the lighting industry over the past decade. As with everything these days, newer technology and efficiency is developed and becomes available over time. An outdoor lighting system installed many years ago may be becoming old or even obsolete compared to today’s standards.

Halogen bulbs used to dominate the lighting industry. It was not until a few years ago that LED began to take over and become the industry standard. Now, it has become the choice of many outdoor lighting designers.

A few of the advantages of using LED vs Halogen are:

  • Longer Lifetime
  • More Durable
  • Low Energy Consumption
  • Easy to replace
  • They do not attract insects because LED lights emit very little heat and UV light
  • Much more cost effective

In these photos, you can see the before and after of a parking garage that Texas Outdoor Lighting converted from Halogen to LED.

Before Photo of a parking garage using halogen lights in Horseshoe Bay TexasAfter Photo of a parking garage switching to LED lights in Horseshoe Bay Texas

If we haven’t convinced you yet of all the benefits of making the switch to LED, read this article from the Washington Post. Many manufacturers have stopped carrying Halogen light bulbs making it harder and more expensive to replace your bulbs.

Texas Outdoor Lighting offers free consultations to see if we can convert your current lighting system to LED, or one of our designers can work with you to design your dream lighting system. Give us a call today to schedule! (512) 504-3030