Creating art and shadows and light to create unique art makes a true lighting designer. I work in many subdivisions and drive out in the late evenings after doing a nighttime adjustment of a landscape lighting system I just installed and I see many BAD lighting jobs.
So many people who install outdoor landscape lighting are not lighting designers but instead fixture salespeople who do not understand certain objects should not be lit flat with just one light.Your eyes see things in the daytime with the sun coming thru them and creating shadows on the ground and on your home and other objects.
You see things in 3d,not flat. I understand that and design your lighting system to make things beautiful and to create works of art at night with your lighting and property. Some of the photos below are examples of that. Call us Today to see your home and property in a whole new light.
Lite Visions,we do one thing and do it right. When Lite Visions Landscape Lighting’s owner Joe decided to go from lighting up the stars to lighting under the stars in Raleigh NC ,he knew lighting would be his only focus.
As a former lighting designer and lighting technician for bands since he turned 18, Joe searched out the best professional grade landscape lighting fixtures to install at his clients homes and gardens.
I wanted to give my clients the best possible value for their money. Landscape lighting, when designed properly has the ability to change and enhance your outdoor landscaping completely.
Lite Visions landscape lighting is an artistically based design company and we might take more time and perhaps a few visits to make certain to visualize all the options for each clients unique situation. We do this by choosing a few fixtures which we can control the lumen output on as well as the optics for each specific lighting need to turn your home and outdoor area’s into your own personal resort oasis. Contact us today and see why Lite Visions Landscape Lighting in Raleigh outshines the competition.
Exceptional! That is the quality and level of our professionally installed outdoor lights! Joe did a phenomenal job! He came out and listened to our needs, provided options, set up demos on two nights to ensure we were pleased then installed our lights. We now have people drive by the house at night to look at our beautiful home! We’ve had people inquire about our lights and have commented on how awesome they are. All I can say is don’t fool yourself with any lighting group. Joe at Lite Visions truly understands how color, intensity, angle and type of lighting creates the ambiance needed for the effect that is needed for an outdoor masterpiece! You will not go wrong with him doing your work of art! Harry and Carla Silver
a month ago-Our home is about 100 yards off the road and our driveway winds through the woods. Joe visited with us about 10 days ago and listened intently to what my wife and I wanted to achieve. From the outset it was obvious that Joe is a lighting artist and we trusted his knowledge and creativity in designing and implementing an intriguing lighting plan.
We are delighted with the results! Joe has taken a personal interest in our project and has been a delight to work with- our project has really enhanced our property and we enjoyed our first “lit up” night yesterday.
Joe is a real pro and we are very pleased to have been introduced to him.
We were working with a designer on renovations and she recommended Joe and Lite Visions and we could not be happier with our resort style outdoor lighting. Joe actually suggested not doing the front of our home and instead spending our money in the back yard that we spend most of our our time in. We are so grateful and love spending time in our backyard now and it also takes your eyes away from the other homes behind us now as Joe said it would. Joe comes from a concert lighting background and his eye for design as well as his attention to detail is amazing,he explained why he does not normally use path lights and prefers to instead create moonlight effects with down lighting in trees. We have already given Joe and Lite Visions name to several of our neighbors and could not be more pleased.
Rick1 reviewa month ago-We recently redid our whole backyard. The final piece was the lighting. We found Joe through an online search, he came out and met with us, heard what we wanted, refined that based on his experience, pulled together a demo for us so we could see what it looked like before we decided, and then, once we gave the go ahead, he did the install. We could not be happier! It looks amazing! On top of doing great work, Joe is also super nice, completely dependable (shows up when he says he will, returns phone calls and texts), listens to what you want (when I didn’t like one of the fixtures he proposed, he found a fixture exactly like what I told him I wanted even though it wasn’t one he normally installed), honest (no surprise charges), fast, and completely committed to giving you a great experience as well as great lighting. We would recommend him to anyone and would definitely use him again if we decide to do more outdoor lighting.
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!!
Joe from Lite Visions recently came up with a outdoor landscape lighting design for my backyard and pool area at my home in Las Vegas.He installed a new WiFi color changing lighting system and I could not be happier with the results. While there are many outdoor lighting companies out there,Joe is a former concert lighting designer and technician. I could not be happier with my new outdoor lighting design .My backyard is like a tropical oasis in the evenings.
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 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!2
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.
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.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.6
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!
Joe did an amazing job with the lansdcape 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.6
Has your outdoor lighting designer worked on concert tours as a lighting designer or lighting technician? Lite Visions founder Joe has toured with Alan Jackson Whitney Houston, Tim Mcgraw, 3 Doors Down,Joan Jett,Dan Fogelburg and the Christmas sensation The Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Lite Visions was founded after Joe decided to install outdoor lighting at his personal home and could not find anyone in the area who knew what he knew about lighting design.
Lite Visions is the area’s leader with innovative outdoor lighting design, the best long life LED lighting fixtures and easy to operate lighting systems add FREE maintenance on top of their installation warranty and Lite Visions simply OUTSHINES the competion.
Durable & Long-Lasting Outdoor Lighting The Lighting fixtures we install are long lasting with the best warranties in the industry,engineered to let the LED lamps run as cool as possible to extend lamp life.
Integrated LED fixtures are warrantied for a minimum of 10 years
LED Lamps are warrantied for a minimum of 5 years
Transformers have a lifetime warranty.
Customization
We differ from most other outdoor lighting companies who have a cookie cutter lighting system they use. we customize your outdoor lighting system to your home and yard.
Superior Outdoor Lighting System Design
With a wide variety across multiple product lines, We have alot of different tools available for our custom lighting design from different lamp wattages, beam spreads,lamp color temperatures along with filters and different shrouds and even colored lights .We figure out what is the best fit for your home, landscaping and your personal style.
Let Lite Visions Create Some Nighttime Magic At Your Home Today
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.
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
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
We started talking with Tree Runner Adventure Park in Raleigh last year about a energy efficent low voltage LED outdoor lighting system to replace the rope lighting they had been using to have the park open at night. Here is a look at some of zone 1 of three zones we are lighting in the park so they can climb at night. This low voltage lighting is a combination of different lamps and fixtures along with colors. We are working in conjunction with the parks climbers who are installing the lighting that we specified and are consulting with the design along with installation and night focusing.
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.
