Tag: LED Garden Lights Raleigh

Good Outdoor Landscape Lighting Isn’t Cheap, Cheap Outdoor Landscape Lighting Isn’t Good

Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting

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

What makes Lite Visions an outdoor lighting expert

Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting

Please read our educational outdoor lighting blogs and ask us about a LED night lighting demo. Lite Visions is an outdoor lighting expert due to our years in the concert lighting industry. We give the best warranty available and also include a free annual service contract with each new lighting system. We also specialize in repair and maintenance of older non working lighting systems. We are so confident in our lighting design skills, materials, and lighting fixtures, we back our systems with the Best Warranty in the outdoor lighting business! It’s not all about the initial sale, it’s about providing a beautiful outdoor lighting design for our clients for years to come. We want you to tell your friends & neighbors about us! Read our 5 star Google reviews on our website link.

www.litevisions.com

Why you should hire a lighting designer to design and install your outdoor lighting.

Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting



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

Call us today

Lite Visions

919-518-9950



Why your outdoor lights don’t look like mine.

Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting

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.

919-518-9950

New Color Changing LED Outdoor Lighting

Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting

Be the first on your block to have the latest in new LED outdoor lighting technology.

Color brand your business with LED color changing outdoor lighting.

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

BUILDING A NEW HOME? MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE THE LED LIGHTING OPTION

Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting

I did a home and garden show recently and spoke to a lot of couples who were building homes. When we started talking about things they were doing I was surprised to find out LED lighting isn’t a standard in every home built today.

I can’t imagine installing landscape lighting today with the old, not efficient halogen light bulbs that do not last. With most LED manufactures giving a warranty of 5 years or 50,000 hours I can’t imagine why LED lamps are not required and why the old very un-efficient halogen can lights used in most homes are still installed in this day. If you are building or remodeling a home, please do yourself a favor and ask the builder or electrician about the many LED options available from can lights to very nice track lighting and wall sconces.

Visit a professional lighting showroom and have them go over the options with you. Most LED sources are also able to work with dimmers and if you are installing a beautiful stone fireplace, do yourself a favor and have them install some LED track lighting just above the stone with the lights focused down along the stone. There are also many nice outdoor LED fixtures for garages and floodlights. There is even a very interesting LED candle flame effect that looks really nice in the outdoor lantern type fixtures. Do yourself a favor and use energy-saving green friendly LED lights in your home and watch the power bill go down.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/led-lighting

    Integrated LED vs drop in LED lamps

    Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting
    Integrated LED fixtures worked perfect to light the peaks of this Cary residence

    Integrated LED outdoor lights have been around for a few years now. The great thing about LED integrated fixtures is most have a minimum 10 year warranty and up to a 20 year warranty. Integrated LED light fixtures are meant to operate cooler for longer chip life as well as giving a better light.Some are even adjustible with the color temperature of the fixture as well as the focus of the light on the one fixture making it easy to adjust them and not have to go thru several lamps. Some are specificially built for mounting into hardscaping or for use at down lighting in trees. They are very energy efficent and green friendly. Integrated fixtures due to having these great fixtures are a bit more pricey. Integrated LED fixtures are the Lexus of the low voltage lighting industry.

    American made cast aluminum fixtures with drop in LED lamps highlight this crepe myrtle

    LED drop in lamps have gotten better better and better and keep getting better.Gone are the days several years ago when you had only cheap chinese LEDs with lots of bubbles that would slowly burn out one bubble at a time. The best LED lamps come with a 3/5 year warranty and are easy to replace in most low voltage fixtures. They are built to run in totally enclosed fixtures so as to not get any moisture into the chip and run extremely cool and are very energy efficent and green friendly. Drop in LEDs are a great cost effective option for alot of outdoor lighting jobs.

    Lite Visions provides an installation warranty on both type LED fixtures as well as an annual maintenance of our installed systems.

    Outdoor Pool Lighting in the Raleigh area

    Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

    Homeowners in Raleigh NC take advantage of sunny days with outdoor living spaces. When you create an outdoor living space around your pool, you will be able to encourage your family and friends to spend time outdoors and enjoy some fresh air. With today’s busy lifestyles, families want to be able to enjoy their outdoor living spaces every minute of the day—even after dusk.  Lite Visions Outdoor and Landscape Lighting offers several techniques can achieve a dramatic look while providing a safe, cozy, people-friendly environment.

    Around the pool, you should have both functional lighting and mood lighting. At night, most people spend little time swimming; they’re more likely to be cooking and socializing. You want lighting that’s conducive to all of that and creates a pleasant experience, so we avoid anything that looks like a harsh spotlight across the pool – instead, we use combination lighting effects to illuminate elements around the pool.

    Like the illumination from the sun and the moon, the most natural form of lighting comes from above. If a tree canopy hangs over the pool deck, moonlighting can create a mystical effect. You can put moon lights in tall trees or off the side of the house. Soft, uplighting adds a touch of class to any setting. River Birch, Crepe Myrtles, Japanese Maples and Palms are one of our favorite candidates for uplighting. With complex limb structures, the evening sight of these beauties can be enjoyed year around. As a bonus, If the trees are close by the pool they usually provide a beautiful reflection on the surface of the water as well. Path lighting is a much smaller version of downlighting, this popular fixture treatment displays streams of light along walkways.

     

     

     

     

     

    The landscape surrounding the pool area can act like a backdrop; it can create the perfect lighting canvas…many landscapers now are showcasing beautiful water features or water falls or fences. We will be sure these features are not over lit and that the right color temperatures are used and that you are not competing with the lighting that may already be provided from inside the pool. Finally, a lighting technique that will define the property or boundaries by softly washing the pillars of the walls with a soft warm light is wall washing. This technique can truly refine and finish off the pool area and provide that feeling of balance and composition to your landscape.

     

     

     

     

     

    Exterior lighting not only adds to the ambiance and atmosphere of a pool area; it also adds safety and security. There is no shortage of ideas or possibilities when it comes to exterior lighting. Lite Visions will gladly discuss lighting ideas and possibilities for your Pool,Home and Outdoor spaces

    The best thing about installing low voltage lighting around the pool area is 12 volt lighting is 100% safe around the water

    Call Lite Visions today for your outdoor pool area lighting in the Raleigh NC area 919-518-9950

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    Call us Today 919-518-9950

    Lite Visions Outdoor Lighting and Landscape Lighting Professionals Raleigh NC

    Which lighting contractor would you prefer working with?

    Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

    THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONTRACTORS IN THIS INDUSTRY

    CONTRACTORS WHO BUY THEIR POORLY MADE PRODUCTS ONLINE FROM CHEAP SOURCES WITH NO LOCAL SUPPLIER BACKING AND TRY TO MAKE A CHEAP BUCK.

    THEN THERE ARE LIGHTING DESIGNERS WHO UNDERSTAND THE ART OF LIGHTING AND TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE IN THEIR DESIGN AND INSTALLATION AND WORK AND ARE NOT ONLY USING THE BEST QUALITY LIGHTING SOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM FROM A LOCAL SUPPLY HOUSE,BUT THEY ALSO STAND BEHIND THEIR WORK AND INSTALLATION.

     

    Alot of homeowners do not understand,going to a big box store and buying a LED bulb not made for wet area use or in an enclosed fixture might not last 30 days to six months. I have personally heard another contractor asking a vendor for the cheapest lights he could make the most money on,because after they get the check they are done with the job and walk away from it. I could not believe my ears. No wonder so many people have complaints about different contractors these day.

    We are NOT A OUTDOOR LIGHTING FRANCHISE that anyone can buy into,We have a long history in lighting design and lighting tech work with live concerts.

    At Lite Visions,we design our systems to not only look great,but with longevity in mind,from using the highest quality outdoor lighting fixtures available to us. But also working with a family owned local supply house where they keep a good supply of the lighting supplies we use on a regular basis and where we can get warranty items taken care of locally.

    We are a member of the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals who helps our industry in many ways, there are only a small handful of outdoor lighting designers who are a member of this small group of outdoor lighting professionals.

    We have  5 star reviews on google ,yelp,houzz and facebook.


     

    Creating Magical Outdoor Lighting Effects With Water in Raleigh

    Posted on by admin in Landscape Lighting, Outdoor Lighting

    When outdoor lighting is added to homes, trees and plant materials near any type water feature, pond or pool, as a bonus to the feature itself looking stunning, the outdoor lighting will usually create a beautiful mirrored effect onto the surface of the water.

    Give us a call today 919-518-9950 to see your home in a whole new light with outdoor lighting in the Raleigh NC area.