Outdoor Security Lighting Tips For Your Home

For those of you planning your landscape lighting in Sarasota, there are some important things you need to consider in order to ensure that you have the most effective set up possible. Good outdoor lighting has many purposes, it should provide safety first as it illuminates the property so you can see in the dark and, more importantly, deter any intruders who may think the home is unoccupied.

Good landscape lighting should also beautify your home for guests who might be arriving after dark. If you plan this form of lighting correctly, you can improve the curb appeal of the home and increase its resale value should you decide to put it on the market sometime in the future.

So here are some simple landscape lighting tips to consider as you begin to design the right outdoor lighting system for your property.

Explore the Area

Take a walk around the exterior of your home and jot down some observations about how dark it can get in certain regions of the property. Consider which of these need lighting for both safety and comfort. Some areas will need more illumination than others as those locations might be suitable living and entertaining spots that you’ll want to use at night.

Therefore, you need to ensure those areas have plenty of lighting so you and your family and guests are comfortable and able to see in the dark.

Electrical Sources

Lighting requires electricity and when you are planning your outdoor security lighting scheme you should do so armed with the knowledge of where your available outlets are located. Some homes have more than others and the locations of these outlets may present a problem for the type of lighting plan you have in mind.

For those of you who find that available exterior outlets are a little harder to come by than you first anticipated, a landscape transformer may be just what you need to help ensure that your lighting array has plenty of capacity to handle the full power load. Transformers are pretty easy to use with many of them suitable for plugging into a normal everyday outlet. No messy installation or risky electrical work is necessary.

Selecting Your Lighting

Of course, the fun part is picking out the lights you want to install around the house. You have many types to choose from, so choose wisely. You don’t want to go with a style of light that clashes with the overall aesthetic of the home.

You also want your lighting to do all of the things it’s intended to do, so be sure it illuminates well enough to let you see your way through the dark and ward off criminals but also beautifies the exterior of the home.

Another thing to keep in mind is the effect it will have on your neighbors. You should avoid putting in any kind of lighting that will disturb other homes in the area with a bright, blinding glare aimed directly at their windows or front yards. You might be hearing from them about the matter otherwise.