I am writing this blog after taking out several old and poorly installed outdoor landscape lighting systems this year.Good Outdoor Landscape Lighting Isn’t Cheap, Cheap Outdoor Landscape Lighting Isn’t Good.
I swear one of the lighting fixtures were made so poorly it felt like an aluminum beer can,see photos below.I felt bad the homeowner had spent so much money and trusted this person to install quality fixtures that would not have to completely replaced in only 3 years time. These same fixtures were almost impossible to re lamp. When I have a customer say” we decided to go with someone else who had a cheaper price ” it scares me for them. I can only try to educate the customers about the difference in fixtures,lamps and installers who sometimes can’t even troubleshoot their own installs, but do not install proper waterproof connections or do great wiring jobs. I just had the nicest compliment from a customer the other day while doing an annual maintenance and cleaning and adjusting lights for growth. She said,I can’t believe we have not had any problems with our outdoor lighting. My background as a concert lighting tech taught me if you do things properly you will never have a problem. That is why I stand behind my installs 100% and use the best products in the outdoor lighting business. Some of these fixtures do not even have any type manufacture tag in them due to the fact they are not proud of their CHEAP fixtures and do not want a name on them.
We spend a lot of time replacing old poorly installed outdoor landscape lighting systems with cheap fixtures,please remember your outdoor landscape lighting should last 15 plus years no problem with only replacing LED lamps when needed. Do yourself a favor and if someones quote sounds too good to be true in any trade,remember it probably is.
Cheap path light I took out and redid the entire lighting system
what happens to your wiring if connectors are not properly connected
cheap light fixture that can’t hardly be relamped
This fixture is like an aluminum beer can and most were split up the middle,this system was supposedly professionally installed and was only 3 years old
old cheap lighting system in around pool area mostly path fixtures and a few up lights not properly installed
old transformer a landscaper tried to fix with ducttape
Poor Outdoor Lighting and Installations. Sadly, this happens more than we’d all like to see. In most cases, Poor lighting installations occur when service providers are rushed, or just don’t care enough about the outcome of the lighting project. Take for example another service provider who is rushing his installer so they can go to the next irrigation or pond project and probably do not care about your lighting like a Lighting designer who does 100% lighting only. In some cases, they occur because the service provider just chose the easiest or simplest or even the cheapest way to install light fixtures. If we consider those jobs that are rushed or those which are simple and easy, then we will generally find the lighting installer is performing in a “production-oriented” environment. This seems to happen a lot with outdoor lighting franchises.They see most every job as the same—to get in and out of the job quickly, because time is money. They tend to provide ‘cookie-cutter’ projects (ones that look the same), because that’s what they know with cheap fixtures and lamps. Lighting should never be installed under windows that shine into an occupied part of the home and we see this alot on franchise lighting installs. The other reason in understanding why these combined flaws occur is Only because the lighting installer truly is ineffective and lacks knowledge.Some of the franchises run ads on a regular basis for installers. This is very unfortunate because it hurts everyone—the professional, the industry, and the consumer. This type of behavior is part of the profession and how this profession is viewed. There is No governing authority to correct Poor Practice and these Poor Techniques from being provided. We at Lite Visions attend several continuing education seminars and are a member of the Association of outdoor lighting professionals. We also have a lengthy history in the live music industry as a lighting technician and lighting designer.
The only way to prevent this from becoming more prevalent is through Education and Understanding what is right and wrong. Poor Techniques include poor practices & standards, as well as the use of poor products. Landscape lighting products are another area of concern because there are so many available on the market. We can only try to educate the public ,but sometimes the consumer simply does not know. The best way to ensure this quality is to do research and to make the best selection of your Lighting Designer as you can—and choose those with lighting design and installation experience as well as troubleshooting skills. Believe it or not we have heard horror stories about a lighting installer who a week after the install when 1/2 of the lights were out could not troubleshoot his own installation.
Avoid a poorly installed outdoor lighting installation
I have taken out more outdoor lighting systems than I can count,from poorly wired lights a lot to lights strung on a way too long cable with horrible voltage drop,the customer said his lights were browning out. What most people do not understand is how outdoor lighting systems are designed. Here are a few reasons why your outdoor lights don’t look like mine.
Transformers
Most professional grade transformers have the availability to use taps from 12-15 volts depending on length of wiring runs to get proper voltage to the light fixtures
Wiring
Wiring size along with length of wire is critical. While we might do a long run of wire to a certain area,we will use a higher gauge of wire and possibly a 13/14 volt tap to make sure the lights at the end of the long run are getting a minimum of 12 volts
Lamps
LED lamps come in many wattage sizes,beam spreads and lumen output. Just the other day someone showed me a lamp they bought at a big box store that was only 200 lumens, that is a very low light output. Beam spreads start at a narrow 15 degrees and go up to 120 degrees very wide. For example I might light a tall tall tree with 3, 7 watt 60 degree lamps but a small crepe myrtle I might light with only 2 30 degree 4 watt lamps.
Kelvin
Kelvin is a lamps color temperature, in our industry we use 2700 kelvin lamps to 5700 kelvin lamps depending on what type surface we are lighting.
As a lighting designer we know what lamps look best in certain places,while one lamp type might be good for a homes facade,we will probably use a different lamp on certain plants.
Dimmers
With LED lamps there are dimmers available,some integrated fixtures even have a dimming capability right on the fixtures.
Fixtures
We have many fixtures at our disposal,I might prefer a certain integrated fixture in a hardscape wall due to it creating a soft illumination of the stone.
I might use several different uplighting fixtures on a job due to being able to control light output and the actual spread of the light.
Filters
I might use many tools to create a soft light with no hot spots such as a spread lens filter to diffuse the light as well as a hex louver near an entry so you can’t see the light source when walking past it.
Call Lite Visions today and let us show you how to make your outdoor lighting stand out from the crowd.
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Lite Visions Outdoor Lighting is now installing WiFi color changing LED lamps.
Imagine turning your favorite teams color on your home when they win that big game or simply turning the house red white and blue on July 4th and Red Blue Green and Amber at Christmas time along with your plants and trees multi colored.
Don’t wait for your neighbors to be the first with this beautiful new LED lighting.
Ask us how to retrofit this color changing lighting into your outdoor lighting system today.
Solid color lights also available in Red Green Blue and Amber colors
Joe is the REAL DEAL. I am a new Raleigh area home owner, and I was clueless about outdoor lighting. I had other companies give us quotes and ideas on where to put lights, but it was extremely overpriced and lackluster. They had their best interest only and not mine whatsoever. Do Not use an outdoor lighting franchise.
But THIS company on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Joe was the one who helped me create a vision and make it come to life. He had my best interest and communicated that very well. He is very professional, yet incredibly humble and genuine. He is passionate about what he does and respects his craft.
Joe got the job done surprisingly fast, and when I wanted to add some lights after he had installed them, Joe immediately added them.
This company is very affordable and the quality of the lights are incredible, and their customer service is 100%. Definitely a lifetime customer! You won’t be disappointed with Joe and Lite Visions outdoor lightingLike
We had 5 estimates and decided on Joe with Lite Visions because of his meticulous presentation to us during our initial meeting. Joe is incredible to work with and has transformed out backyard into a beautiful oasis!! He is a lighting expert and super professional from start to finish! We are now saving up to have him do the front of our home as soon as possible. He is highly recommended!!
Great experience. Clear pride in his work and followed up to make sure I was happy. Lights look great and are much better quality than the big box store options. Hoping my outdoor light trouble shooting is behind me.
Joe replaced our old lighting and has made a great improvement with good quality fixtures and great detail in fixture placement that made our house look fabulous. Thank you Joe!
Joe made a great transformation to our house. The outdoor lighting he installed looks absolutely wonderful. It was a pleasure working with him. I’d recommend Lite Visions to anyone needing outdoor lighting.
Joe from Lite Visions outdoor lighting created a magical look for my backyard garden and pool areas. We got Joe’s info from a neighbor who recently had outdoor lighting installed and could not be happier. After looking through his information about his concert lighting background ,we did not need to talk to anyone else. We definatly recommend Joe and Lite Visions outdoor lighting.
Joe from Lite Visions is passionate about what he does with decades of experience. His patience is probably his other greatest asset. He’ll walk you through recommendations and listen to your ideas. He has a great guarantee, extras, and warm personality. It is clear the cost of his services are secondary to his primary goal of helping you.
Joe was super friendly and amazing to work with. Very professional and the work was done so fast! He came over and did a demonstration to make sure we liked everything and we are in love with our uplighting on the front of our home. We would highly recommend him to anyone!
I am so pleased with my new lighting, installed last week by Joe after laying out the demo and design. The fixtures are beautiful, high quality, and the outdoor lights look amazing at night! Joe and Lite Visions installed 34 LED lights (pathway, up-lights, and down-lights), replacing a semi working old halogen system and even installed 2 bbq lights on a switch for me. Joe is very knowledgeable abut outdoor lighting from his concert lighting background. I highly recommend Joe and Lite Visions of Raleigh for your outdoor lighting . A truly great experience!
Joe is extremely knowledgeable and a real lighting professional. He installed lights in our front yard and turned a dull looking yard into something very interesting and appealing. He will create a plan and communicate that plan, and then execute it in a dependable, professional way. We have some other areas we are planning to ask Joe to assess for us, due to such a great experience with him.4
Decided to go to NC home show at State Fair Grounds and met Joe. He is very professional and extremely creative. He setup a demo system for one night and it looked stunning. Few of my neighbors were impressed as well. So we decided to get the lights installed. He made our home look great in the evening and we love it.
A neighbor had recommended Joe and Lite Visions Landscape Lighting in Raleigh to us. Joe spoke with me on the phone,came by one afternoon looked around the property,he then came back and absolutely convinced me he was the only person for the job with not only his concert lighting experience,but his nighttime demo at our property sold me on his being a lighting designer. Joe and Lite Visions did a great job on our home and will soon also be doing a job for us at our beach home. Thanks Joe for your creativity and working with us around a rainy few days.3
Lite visions landscape lighting of Raleigh just finished a beautiful lighting job at my residence in Raleigh. I got Joe’s info from a neighbor whose house he had just lit and I am loving our new outdoor lighting. I was impressed with Joe’s professionalism as well as his night time demo of the entire lighting system for us and his explaining and showing us different effects. I would highly recommend Joe and Lite Visions landscape lighting.5
I typically don’t write reviews but I couldn’t be more pleased with the professionalism, design and great work that Joe did for me, hence the exception here. He is a true pro who has provided lighting set-design for many major touring acts and he showed the same level of attention to detail in designing an architectural lighting plan for my home. I can’t recommend Joe and Lite Visions highly enough. His work brought the exterior of my home to life. Really happy I responded to his direct mailer and contacted him.
My wife and myself are fairly new to the area. We met Joe from Lite Visions thru a referral from another contractor we were using. Joe cane out and did a nigtime outdoor lighting demo for us and we had our lighting installed recently and could not be more pleased. Joe has the best guarantee in the area and has been doing lighting for concerts so long that there was no other choice for us. If you are thinking about outdoor lighting in or near Raleigh,we highly recommend you do not consider anyone but Joe and Lite Visions.
Love our new outdoor landscape lighting, Joe and Lite Visions are the best you will ever find. I have never dealt with a more precise person. Joe went out of his way to do a full night lighting demonstration for us and explain everything along the way. Including having us check to make sure there was no light in our sleeping area.His working with concerts along with his warranty and 3 year FREE maintenance contract took him over the top. Joe not only stands behind what he tells you. He takes extreme pride in his work to ensure customer satisfaction. Need outside landscape lighting, I guarantee you will be satisfied. Give Lite Visions of Raleigh a call!4Response from the ownera year agoThanks Pat for allowing me do your lighting,I enjoyed meeting and speaking with you and your wife at the home show and can’t wait to do the back water feature.
Joe did an amazing job with the lanscape lighting in our backyard. He is an expert at what he does and offered lighting ideas that completely changed the look and feel of our yard.
Joe does the best Landscape lighting in the area! From his music touring days and professional lighting experience he knows the ins and outs of the lighting systems he is installing. I had several quotes from other companies which were more expensive and not as detail oriented as Joe. Joe knows how to add just the right amount of light for the project and has the artistic eye for the best placement. He is honest and will not try to “sell” you on more fixtures. He did a Demo light set up which was invaluable!!!! (Other companies not wanting to do this because they “know where the lights need to go”) If you are spending the money on landscape lighting it is helpful to be a part of the process and see the placement of the lights. We may extend our lighting system in the future and will not use anyone else other than Joe (owner) of Lite Visions!
Lite Visions Landscape Lighting of Raleigh recently did our homes outdoor lighting and we could not be more pleased with the outcome. Joe is a true lighting designer and a lighting artist and made our home and landscaping look great in the evening.We loved the fact that Joe had been working in the concert lighting industry and we love our home and patio area in the evening hours.5
If you want landscape lighting you can be the envy of your neighbors call Joe, he will make it happen. I don’t think there is anything he can’t do with accent and lighting, very professional.
As a lighting designer I hate to ride thru and see plants that have outgrown their outdoor lighting.
I hate seeing this,plants have way outgrown their outdoor lighting
Lite Visions specializes in maintenance and repair as well as upgradesfor outdoor lighting,don’t let your beautiful subdivision entrance look like this one. Call us today for a free consultation 919-581-9950
Prevention is better than a cure, and landscape lighting is no exception. If you have quality outdoor lighting, you’ll want to pair it with quality outdoor lighting maintenance and repair as well.
While there is no substitute for professional outdoor lighting maintenance and inspections, there are many things you can do to prevent landscape lighting problems from occurring.
Landscape Lighting Preventative Maintenance
Plants and Trees
Too often, an outdoor fixture gets blocked or disrupted by plants and trees. Whenever you are planting new trees, shrubs, and plants around your property, make sure they are not too close to any of your lighting fixtures. What is now a small seedling could soon grow to block, obscure, or envelop any nearby light fixtures.
If you have a landscaper or gardener, make sure they know where all of the lights are located. Communicate to them that plants should not be planted in front of or too close to any fixtures. Wrong plant placement can easily enshroud a once-bright area in darkness.
Additionally, if you are removing any trees, double-check that there are no wires or fixtures mounted in the tree. If so, call you professional landscape lighting specialist to remove the lights and relocate them for you.
Remember, plants grow. Take this this into account whenever planting or gardening. Consider flagging or marking all of your fixtures whenever embarking on a large landscaping project.
Mulch and Ground Covering
In addition to plants and trees, you also want to be careful where you put down mulch and other ground coverings. It can be incredibly easy to accidentally bury in-ground lights, such as well lights.
As we suggested earlier, it’s a good idea to flag or mark all of your outdoor lights whenever tackling any large landscaping project.
Careful Garden and Yard Maintenance
It’s a good practice to remove weeds, snow, and leaves from your property, but you want to be extra careful around any outdoor lights. When mowing the lawn, weeding, shoveling snow, or raking leaves, pay attention to where your tool is going.
Hitting a cord or light with a shovel, weed whacker, or some other instrument can damage or break your light fixture.
While outdoor lights tend to be very durable, most are not built to withstand heavy or repeated impacts. If your lights keep getting damaged by regular garden and yard maintenance, speak with a professional about upgrading your lights to a tougher type.
Signs of Moisture
Moisture and electricity do not go together. The job of your light fixture is to protect the bulb, socket, and wires from moisture. That’s why it’s important to be on the lookout for any signs of moisture infiltration.
Sometimes, you can see water droplets build up on the inside of a fixture. If you notice any signs of moisture inside or entering your fixtures, contact a professional as soon as you can. Halogen buld outdoor lights are particularly susceptible to moisture. The longer, you wait, the worse the damage will be.
Make sure you contact a professional outdoor lighting technician at the first sign of moisture problems around any fixtures.
Switch to LEDs
LEDs are safer, sturdier, and much longer lasting than any other light bulb type. One great way to avoid burnt-out bulbs and keep maintenance to a minimum is by replacing all of your lights with LEDs.
Compared with traditional incandescent lighting, LED lights use “at least 75% less energy, and last 25 times longer” (U.S. EPA).
Since LED lights cost more upfront and are more prone to moisture-related problems, consult a professional landscape lighting technician about watertight fixtures that can protect your LED lamps.
Annual Professional Maintenance
In addition to the landscape lighting prevention tips above, it’s important to schedule a professional outdoor lighting inspection every year. In addition to basic prevention, a qualified technician will also check the following:
GFCI and AFCI outlets and/or circuits
Light timers and motion sensors
Photocells
Terminal blocks
Line balances
Fixtures
Mineral deposits and other staining
Overgrown plants and vegetation
Wiring and connections
Burnt out, dimming, or flickering bulbs
If your landscape lighting needs professional maintenance or service, don’t hesitate to contact us. We service and maintain most outdoor landscape lighting systems even if we did not install them.During your annual visit, our team of lighting specialists will make sure everything is safe, clean, and up-to-code. Contact Lite Visions to schedule your landscape lighting consultation.
As a lighting designer , I work with homeowners in and around the Raleigh NC area to determine how you enjoy your outdoor space, particular features or a structure that you would like to highlight with outdoor lighting. What you like most about your homes architecture, specific trees or plant you like. A walkway or path you would enjoy or use more if it was illuminated. A favorite pond or water feature. Features you love most in your outdoor kitchen or along your hardscaping that would look great with outdoor lighting.
Accent lighting,which is light gently grazing the surface of the stone, stucco, and brick will add depth and dimension your home’s architecture as well as showing the features. This home is a great example. Accent outdoor lighting such things as an arbor, fence a statue or structure and trees will give you a dramatic and attention-getting visual lighting effect, creating a lighting scene with a backdrop as well as mimicking moonlights natural effects.
Water feature lighting. Illuminating a water feature, pond or pool combines 2 effects, you might have some trees or plantings near the water that will look interesting with up lighting. You also get stunning mirrored images on the water’s surface, creating dreamlike effects rippling across the water’s surface.
Accent and illuminate a bridge over a water feature with outdoor lighting to highlight it’s features and create safety. . Path way outdoor lighting will create a sense of security along stone pathways and lawn walkways as well as adding a hint of intrigue to plant beds and boulders along the way.
Down lighting with lights placed up in trees shining thru the trees creates stunning shadows on the ground below mimicking moonlighting effects. . Patio and deck lighting will feature and accentuate all of the architecture, beauty and detail of your deck, patio, outdoor kitchen, hand railings, steps and more while creating safety. Hardscape outdoor lighting brings out your stone features along with your outdoor kitchen, retaining walls, steps and more.
Call us Today 919-518-9950 Lite Visions Outdoor Lighting and Landscape Lighting Professionals Raleigh NC
Back in 2001 when I was on tour with the rock group 3 Doors Down,I was talking to a fellow passenger on a flight who happened to be a rep for an outdoor lighting company. We were talking about what we both did and after inviting him to see our upcoming concert at San Diego State University he invited me to visit and tour their factory.I did and met people who are still friends to this day. I thought I would be interested in outdoor lighting later on in life as a way to not tour 10 months of the year.
I love Outdoor lighting design due to the fact that no two jobs are ever alike.In one week I might go from lighting only a walkway into a home for safety purposes to lighting up a few specimen trees to creating a resort style look for a beautifully landscaped backyard area. LED lighting has made it possible to paint the landscape with many different looks.
From helping create a distinctive look for a business using colored lighting to helping design and install an outdoor tree adventure park to creating a serene evening enviroment for a lakeside outdoor custom kitchen complete with hottub and firepit.
I love being creative and always have been a creative person with a huge imagination. This is a photo from 1979 of Raleigh beach music band the Embers who I was a roadie and operated the lighting for. I am actually in the photo behind the group with a co2 fire extinguisher. I took a few of our stage lights into the studio that day and with the photographer we helped create what is to this day one of the bands favorite photos. The first band I worked with who allowed me to be creative.
Let Lite Visions Create Some Lighting Magic For You Today
Today’s blog is going to talk about things we have seen driving in the evening from installing a lighting installation. Here is the first example below of good and bad lighting placements, the fixture in the grass will be beaten up by lawn maintenance and equipment and will not last very long in that area. Path lights should be installed in a mulched bed or walkway to not only use them properly for their effect but also to protect them from landscapers and equipment. Also notice you do not see the lamp source only a soft pool of lighting with good lighting.
Bad Design Fixture In Grass
Good Design Fixture Protected
You should never see the bulb or glare in a lighting fixture if the lighting is properly designed with the correct fixtures. Bad Design Fixture In Grass Good Design Fixture Protected Good Design and Path Lights provide safety light DO NOT place lights under windows ever,this not only looks bad but will also cause lighting to spill into windows and cause a glare so you can’t see out of your windows. A lighting designer would never install lights under a window. As a lighting designer we use several filters and know the difference in lamp color temperatures. Waste of money lighting under windows Notice architecture softly lit with no glare from windows. pathway also lit softly .
bad light placement lighting up windows
proper lighting placement
proper lighting placement
Transformer placement, shiny aluminum transformers should be hidden behind plant materials or placed alongside other mechanical equipment,Transformers should never be seen in plain sight in front of a home or building. Ugly transformer job and even lit up at night Transformer well hidden out of sight behind plant materials Do you see the transformer ? Call or contact us today if you want your outdoor lighting design done right the first time. 919-518-9950
