subject: Installing Outdoor Lighting into New Driveways [print this page] Installing Outdoor Lighting into New Driveways
Outdoor lighting can add beauty and atmosphere to your garden. When installed along new driveways lighting also plays an important role in safety and added value. Recessed, pillar, lanterns and solar lighting are all making appearances alongside driveways that are curving or straight, short or long, wide or narrow. No matter the shape or size these products are lighting up the exterior of homes across the UK.
Why Install Outdoor Lighting By the Drive?
Often it's a matter of safety. When the streetlights don't shed enough illumination on the area there is a need for supplemental lighting to be sure you can see when getting in and out of your vehicle. Lighting can help you navigate the edge of a driveway for parking and walking purposes. It can also be used to accent a perennial garden, interesting statuary or beautiful shrubs.
Remember that outdoor lighting provides low level light with very little glare and power when compared to the styles in your home. The voltage is much lower and the goal of this lighting is to help create a visual path for travel or for the eye.
What Types of Outdoor Lighting Work Best Along the Driveway?
There is a wide selection of outdoor lighting on the market, with plenty to choose from for any taste. The flush-mounted LED unit is one of the more popular styles available. These models hold up well in any weather, can be driven over and parked on without a problem and will provide a soft, bluish light for years. Other flush units use halogens, but they won't last as long and tend to get warm to the touch.
Post-mounted or pillar lights are also popular outside, although they need to be installed in the landscaping along new driveways as opposed to being set into the area. High pillars similar to lamp stands can be mounted directly into the pavers, concrete or tarmac, but anything lower (or not higher than the height of your vehicle's window) should be set up behind kerbing or edging so it will not get run over or bumped with the vehicle.
Wall-mounted lights can be installed on the garage or the house and directed down onto the driveway for more overall illumination. These units do not have to be low voltage and can be hardwired into the main electrical system.
Who Should Install the Outdoor Lighting?
It depends entirely on the style used, but having this lighting installed by an electrician while or just after the driveway is put in will be a good idea. The cable for these lights should be run underground in well buried conduit and connected either to a transformer or back into the house wiring.
Homeowners can install the less complicated styles, like solar garden lights. As a general rule of thumb, the more permanent the installation is the more necessary the skills of a professional are during that installation.
Outdoor lighting creates a beautiful look in new driveways while also adding safety and a higher level of security. Add this valuable addition to your surrounding landscape for the best finished look.
