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Landscaping lights aren't just about highlighting a rock garden with a cascading water fountain, a bed of prize-winning roses or a multi-tiered deck.
According to experts, the reasons for adding landscape lighting extend beyond beauty and include safety and security issues.
Safety
Pathway lights aim light down to the ground to light the path. They can be used to highlight any outdoor area that could, in addition to beautifying the home, be a safety hazard. Among the areas best suited for pathway lights:
the borders of driveways
along walkways
at the base of steps
near benches and statues and
along flowerbeds, trees and gardens
Security
Lights also can be an effective way of deterring would be burglars and vandals from attacking your home. This can achieved by adding lights under the eaves of a house and pointing the light toward the second story or an otherwise "secluded" area of the house. Lights also can be added to focus attention on a back door and an adjacent flowerbed.
If you have a picture window in front of the house and a tree outside, you can put the light on the tree from the street side and it also lights up the window.
Another option is to add lighting with motion detectors. These features are popular for providing added security near doorways and in back yards. They can be programmed to turn on with motion or can be left on by flipping a switch.
How to Decide?
There are a number of questions to ask when considering outdoor lighting:
Are the lights being added to enhance aesthetics?
Are the lights being added for functional reasons (safety, security, etc.)
Will the lights be seen, or are they meant to dramatize elements of the landscaping and house?
There are as many different looks as there are furniture styles for your house -- modern, contemporary, country.
Landscaping lights that are installed by lighting companies typically are left outside all year and require little maintenance. Those that home owners can install themselves can be left outdoors all year or moved inside during the winter.
Costs
There is a wide range in costs for landscaping lights. Sets of 10 or 12 that are purchased at home improvement centers and installed by the homeowner can range from as little as $50 to as much as several hundred dollars.
The cost typically is higher through a lighting distributor, as they carry different types of products. A distributor might sell a set of 16 aluminum landscaping lights in black, white, red or Verde for about $3,000, which includes installation.
The High End
For those with upscale tastes, there are "pop up" lights that recede into an 18-inch hole when not in use. When the lights are not in use, all that can be seen is a 4-inch circle on the edge of the pathway. When illuminated, the lights stand approximately 12" tall.
