When it comes to landscape lighting there is no standard cost structure – it is not a One Size Fits All world. Pricing of lighting can and does vary from State to State, City to City, and Provider to Provider – everyone uses something different and designs very differently than another. So when looking at landscape lighting and what you think the system of your dreams is going to cost take these 5 tips into consideration.

1) Quality of Materials

First and foremost – Quality of the materials being used by a certified lighting designer over a landscaper or handyman are going to be substantially higher and of higher and the warranties will meet the demands of these designers. Lighting designers have taken the time to increase their education in lighting and the differences in fixtures and their proper uses, LED options, quality installation methods, and have mastered the fine art of tricky installs. All of this training has taught designers how to spot a quality fixture over a cheap one and they prefer to use the best quality they can get to give their customers the experience they expect, and demand. Remember fixtures are NOT all the same – many are made of plastic or powder coated aluminum, and depending on the climate where you live those materials will crumble in a few years. For example, if you are in Houston, we have salt in the air from the Bay and that salt will eat away aluminum before you know it. You should be looking for fixtures made of SOLID brass or copper – those will withstand any climate and…..yardcrew!

2) Design

Are you looking for something straight forward or something with more detail? Depending on the difficulty of the design and installation your cost will vary. If you are looking just to up light the front of your house and there are only flower beds in front, well for most certified lighting designers that would be considered a straightforward installation. Now on the other hand, if you are looking to up light the front of your house, driveway with concrete, backyard with waterfall lighting in your pool and fence lights around the whole perimeter, and then add some lights into your fire pit that would be trickier and take a true expert to install so expect the cost of that to be substantially more than the straightforward up lights.

3) Special Features

Do you have a Fire Pit? Waterfall? Fountain? Putting Green? If you do and you want to highlight them to be able to enjoy them at night that takes extra time, special lighting, and special installation techniques. The end result is beautiful, but does cost more than just placing a light in the ground as a fair amount of labor goes into making these lights look like they have been there all along.

4) Concrete?

Do you have concrete in the way of where lights need to go to up light your house, along your pathway, do you want lights on your garage? Many think that because there is concrete present a light can’t go there….NOT TRUE! Now, is it easy – for a real professional lighting designer and their crew – YES! It does take a little more time but with the use of proper tools and experience, getting a light into already existing concrete is doable. Of course if you are in the process of pouring concrete and know you want lighting where it will be poured have your lighting expert get the prep work for your lights in before the pour happens, that will save you money and your lighting team time. NOTE: Not all lighting companies can do this – if you are quoted a “core” ask to see examples that company has done if they did not show you one at the time of your onsite meeting.

5) Scale

How large of an area are you looking to add lighting too? Do you just want the front of the house for security? Looking to have soft lighting in the front and back? Do you have a pool, putting green, dog run? Is your yard on a small plot or are you on acreage? The size of your home, property, and your end goals will really give you a better idea of what your lighting system cost will be. If you are acreage you should expect to spend more than someone in a master planned community. If you go into your onsite meeting thinking OK for my 5000 sq foot house on 1 acre with a pool I should expect a quote for $2500 you are going to be very surprised and sticker shocked when your quote comes in. Now if you go into your meeting thinking I will be looking at about $10,000 then you will be close to the ballpark. But, if you are only looking for certain areas to be done let your designer know this up front so that they do not provide you a quote for everything – you may want to see everything quoted, but don’t do this because you will just be hurting yourself in the long run and wasting the designers time as you will then decline their quote since it was more than you wanted to spend – even though they did exactly as you asked, showed you EVERYTHING when you really only wanted the front yard.

Landscape lighting can cost you $2500 or it can cost you $200,000, it is all up to you and what you want done and want to spend. Keep these 5 tips in mind when you start searching for your lighting designer. Remember hire a certified lighting designer and you will get the best product, design, and service for the right price – this is an investment, not something you should be redoing every few years (read this article to learn how to find the right expert). Nothing is apples to apples and professionals are not going to compete with your landscaper or handy man on price or materials, and there is a reason why, we know what we are doing and it is all we do.

We Fix Outdoor Lighting Installed By Landscapers or Homeowners

Posted on April 9, 2019April 2, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

One of the sad things in this industry is how many outdoor lighting manufacturers trying to push their products by giving a short class to landscape industry companies who stick lights in the ground and never come back to focus them properly and do not use good installation methods. Here are a few recent examples of what we fixed.

VOLTAGE PROBLEMS Outdoor lights getting 16 volts to a 12 volt light fixture and blowing bulbs on an old halogen system, we corrected the voltage and then installed all new LED lamps.

BAD WIRING Outdoor older halogen system browning out due to getting only 8 volts to some of the lights, there was corrosion in many wire splices and poorly done wire connections. We fixed the voltage and now they have an energy efficient LED system.

NO MAINTENANCE, system not working due to tree roots damaging cables and lights actually growing into tree roots. We ran some new wires replaced fixtures and re-lamped with new LED lamps.

DIFFERENT LAMP TEMPERATURES, lamps had been purchased at several different chains and were not all the same color temperature or beam spreads. We took out and reinstalled all new same color temperature LED lamps and the system looks brand new.

WHITE LIGHTS ON CREPE MYRTLES : There are several different color temperatures of LED lamps, some DO NOT look right on certain trees. We installed correct color temperature lamps along with a filter and now the Crepe Myrtles look natural lit up at night.

A Lighting Designer is someone who understands the science of working with light and shadow,using a pallate of many different outdoor lighting fixtures,lamp types,different color temperature lamps for different purposes as well as different lamp beams and shields, filters or louvers to shield light from peoples eyes so they can see only the effect, not the source. He might only use one fixture from a certain manufacturer that does one thing better for the specific outdoor lighting job.

A customer recently called and asked if I could look at updating their older lighting system and that they were getting a quote from their landscaper also after telling him about their lighting interest, I said No Problem I can guarantee my quote won’t be as low as his but feel free to call me to fix the landscapers work as I do it all the time.

A lighting designer installs the outdoor lighting system correctly the first time, with the bulletproof waterproof connections that will not be a problem down the road. He also checks to make sure all the light fixtures are getting the correct voltage and comes back the evening after the lighting install to properly focus the outdoor lighting system.

As a Lighting Designer who only installs outdoor lighting , we stand behind our outdoor lighting installs and use the best-LED lamps available to the professional outdoor lighting designer,I have overheard pond people and landscapers talking about once they pickup their check they simply do not care how long the lights last.

We are a member of the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals, we are one of only a small handful of professional lighting designers in the NC area.

Please read our 5 star reviews on Google and give us a call about seeing your home in a new light

https://www.google.com/search?q=lite+visions+raleigh&oq=lite+visions+raleigh&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3.7727j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x89ac596758afaaab:0xe909f0828895089b,1,,,

919-581-9950

Creating a private escape in your own backyard

Magical Outdoor Lighting In Raleigh NC

Posted on April 8, 2019April 2, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor landscape lighting offers Raleigh NC homeowners an incredible chance to expand their useable outdoor living space well into the evening hours. Outdoor lighting can also add a magical view into the the landscape from the interior spaces. After working in the Live concert lighting industry as a lighting technician and lighting designer for most of my life,my transition into outdoor lighting design and installation was a very simple one. Painting the landscape at night with different outdoor lighting effects is not only something I enjoy but I also feel like I am leaving some of my creative visions for people to enjoy for many years to come. I love what I do and enjoy creating emotional responses from the people who appreciate my visions for their property at night.

Raleigh NC Outdoor Lighting Designer Lights The Way

Posted on April 7, 2019April 2, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

Anyone can stick a light fixture in the ground, however, it takes someone with an artistic vision to Paint with Light.

It takes not only somone who has a creative vision,but someone who has knowledge of the best outdoor lighting products along with proper installation techniques and installation skills to deliver truly stunning results.

Joe, Lite Visions owner is a dedicated professional Outdoor Lighting Designer/Installer who stays up to date thru continuing education and training which in turn helps him to create amazing results along with providing the best outdoor lighting products the professional outdoor lighting industry currently has to offer.

From designing and installing outdoor lighting for a Funeral home in North Raleigh ,to designing and installing outdoor lights to illuminate a deck,subdivision entrance or the front of a home and walkway for safety and security. Lite Visions is passionate about helping clients achieve their outdoor lighting goals with Energy efficient LED outdoor lighting solutions in the Raleigh NC area.

Joe and Lite Visions are proud of their outdoor lighting and concert design work.

From working with Whitney Houston, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson to the Christmas Sensation Trans Siberian Orchestra to illuminating your home and landscape, Joe is always the first person you speak to and the last person on site doing the final night-time outdoor lighting adjustments

Outdoor Lighting for safety and beauty in Raleigh NC

Posted on April 6, 2019April 2, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

A lot of us in the Raleigh NC area like to spend as much time as possible outside during the summer months. However, that fun can often be cut short when night falls and you can no longer see or enjoy your outdoor space. Instead of moving indoors or trying to stay outside while blind, consider outdoor lighting as an option. Designed to work with the layout of your outside space, outdoor landscape lighting can make your outside space a more usable and enjoyable living area. You get a larger living space and you get to stay outside as long as you want to–it’s the best of both worlds!

Safety and visibility are the most important practical points to consider when it comes to changing an exterior space like a garden or patio area for outdoor living. If people are moving around in the dark, they can hurt themselves, hurt someone else, or even trample your plants because they can’t see. Especially if you’re moving between the house and your outdoor living area with food and drinks, visibility is extremely important. Nobody wants to be the one who ruins the party by spilling dinner on the floor on the way to the table! An effective way to deal with this issue is to install a few path lights to illuminate paths, walkways, and obstacles. If people can see where a path is, or where the terrain of the garden changes, they can move around in the space with much more ease and confidence. With outdoor lighting in place, both you and your guests can move around your outdoor living area with added safety, no matter how late you stay outdoors.

Looking at the practicalities of lighting is a necessary step when you’re looking to make your yard or garden into a prime living location during the hot months, but there is also the artistic side of the situation to consider as well. Lighting a space is not all that difficult, but no one wants to have bright floodlights hurting their eyes on a summer evening or to have a garden eyesore lit up at night so it becomes the focus of attention.

When you’re in the process of making your outside space into a living space, you can use your lighting to help create a sense of background and space, and to highlight (or hide) specific features. In many ways, your outdoor lighting plan is a way of decorating your garden or yard, much as you’d decorate or furnish a room. Landscape lighting design professionals can advise you regarding where to use solar landscape lighting for a soft glow and where to use wired lights for illumination that you can control more discretely. They can help you decide on the placement of lights that will highlight special garden features and take attention away from spots on your property that still need work! With the right lighting design, you can create an artistic space that you and your friends and family will be able to enjoy all summer long.

Outdoor living spaces are a wonderful addition to any home. Outdoor Landscape Lighting can help to make these spaces both practically and artistically pleasing so that you can eat, drink, and relax outside to your heart’s content, no matter how late it gets.

LED lighting retrofit into older landscape lighting systems

Posted on April 5, 2019April 2, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

Sometimes I will get a phone call from a customer asking if it is possible to come and look at their 15 year old outdoor landscape lighting system and possibly retrofit it to the new LED bulbs. I am always glad to come look at an older existing system as long as it is a professionally installed outdoor lighting system with professional lighting fixtures and not some of the big box store lighting that someone installed themselves. If the fixtures are high grade materials and there is an existing professional transformer in place and the wiring and connectors are still in good shape, it is possible to upgrade an older landscape lighting system to the new energy saving and green friendly LED bulbs. Give me a call today to look at your old landscape lighting system.

5 Star Google reviews

Posted on April 3, 2019April 1, 2019 by admin in Landscape Lighting

https://www.google.com/search?q=lite+visions+raleigh&oq=lite+visions+raleigh&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60j69i61j69i60.9642j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

James Walters3 days ago-

Lite Visions outdoor lighting made our lake home look like a nighttime oasis. Joe came up and took a look at our home and showed me a few ideas.After talking for a few weeks,we decided upon an install date and we could not be happier with how the lighting design turned out. He even suggested adding some down lighting bulbs in our 120 volt outdoor garage area lights to create a non glare look.We feel now we can enjoy our privacy at night as well as having added security without the harsh glare of the old floodlighting we had. I highly recommend Joe and Lite Visions to anyone looking into outdoor lighting in NC.

Frank Couch 1 review2 months ago

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.

Dennis McCarty 2 reviews4 months ago

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

William Harrison 2 reviews3 months ago

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

Joseph Smolenski 7 reviews · 6 photos4 months agoJoe 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.

Kelsey Ferrar Local Guide · 18 reviews · 5 photos5 months ago

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!

Thomas Jones 1 review8 months ago

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.

Kathy Blair 3 reviews10 months ago

‭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.

Ramakanth Kodumagulla 2 reviews11 months ago

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.

Cary Golfer 1 review10 months ago

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.

Phil Walters 1 review11 months ago

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.

Rick French 1 review10 months agoI 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.

RDU Propertyowner 3 reviews5 months ago

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 nightime 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. Ifyou are thinking about outdoor lighting in or near Raleigh,we highly recommend you do not consider anyone but Joe and Lite Visions.

Pat Sullivan 1 review10 months ago

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!

Holly Bishop 3 reviews10 months ago

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.

Matthew Holman 3 reviews10 months ago

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!

Bob Johnson 1 reviewa year ago

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.

Robert Hammond 7 reviews10 months agoIf 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.

FREE Annual Outdoor Lighting Service

Posted on April 1, 2019January 1, 2020 by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

When I started Lite Visions landscape lighting, I decided to take myself over the top by giving a 1year warranty along with the Manufactures warranty.

I also give a 1 year FREE Annual maintenance agreement as well. I do this simply to show my gratitude for my customers and I want to help keep their lighting system looking 100% always. Coming from my music and touring background. I feel confident in my skills as a lighting technician and lighting designer, as well as lighting fixtures and installation methods.

I back our systems with the best warranty and FREE Annual service contract in the Raleigh area! It’s not about the sale, it’s about providing a stunning lighting design for our clients for years to come. I want you to tell your friends & neighbors about us! Most of my landscape lighting business is word of mouth referrals from friends and neighbors who saw your night time demo or lighting system. From cleaning your fixtures, adjusting them due to growth or simply cutting a few small branches that are in front of a light fixture, I always want your lighting to look 100%

How I Got Into Outdoor Lighting Design

Posted on March 29, 2019January 1, 2020 by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

Unlike a lot of companies who simply have added outdoor lighting as a secondary sideline to their other business, or have bought into a cookie cutter outdoor lighting franchise.

Outdoor Lighting is Lite Visions only business and recieves 100% of my attention.

I spent many years travelling in the music industry doing lighting for bands.When I decided to stop travelling 10 months out of the year and was talking to a friend who was in the outdoor lighting industry he convinced me that outdoor lighting design would be a natural transition for me,as I was already lighting up structures only on stages.

Me with some record awards

I started out many years ago working for a neighbor whose kids I grew up with in a beach band called the Embers,that set the stage for working with a local group that had a record out called Nantucket and another Raleigh band who had several records out Glassmoon. I was in Atlanta doing a show and called a friend with a production company to eat lunch and it was a turning point in my career,he offered me a tour with a group called Kool and the Gang,not only would I be a technician setting up themassive concert lighting,but I would get to operate lighting for several opening bands including KC and the Sunshine band. Over the years I was fortunate to work in all generes of music from rock to country to pop and even got to tour with WWF wrestling and the holiday sensation Trans Siberian Orchestra.

I consider myself very fortunate to have had a long career in the music industry,but am glad to be close to home and designing beautiful outdoor lighting that homeowners can enjoy.

Note from Timothy B Schmidt from the Eagles who played on a Dan Fogleburg tour as well as Beth our opening act

I design and install all outdoor lighting systems and am available to personally address your needs if anything should ever come up.

I only use and install the best products available that we believe in and will not install inferior cheap fixtures just to make a profit.

About Joe Yanulevich

Born in Raleigh NC

NC Insured low voltage lighting contractor

Lighting designer and touring electrician for over 35 years.

Graduate of Nightscaping outdoor lighting university

Graduate of Garden Light Design university

Member of the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals