I think one of the most neglected areas of your average home is outdoor lighting. We spend thousands of dollars on landscaping in some cases and countless hours grooming lawns, trimming hedges, moving giant rocks, and sometimes even doing things like installing ponds. Then, at night, it is like it all goes away.
For a long time, pretty much all there was as an option for outdoor lighting was the good old flood light. Sure, they serve a purpose and they are appropriate for a lot of situations, but accenting shapes and forms is not exactly a strong suit for your basic flood light that blasts the entire yard with light. There are times that a more subtle approach is needed. Those are the times that you would go for outdoor string lights or some other kind of accent lighting.
photo credit: Martijn Nijenhuis
One of the major downsides of lighting the outside of the house has always been the installation of the lights themselves and getting the required electricity to the fixtures. Both of these chores could be a serious pain in the neck and wallet. I personally do not like working on ladders, so I guess that is just something I'll have to overcome or pay someone to handle for me, but things have gotten better as far as the running electricity part goes.
Solar outdoor lighting really used to be pretty bad. People stuck those goofy looking little lamps along their sidewalk and they usually did little more than trip people who didn't notice them in time. I never bought those old lights. I didn't have to. My neighbors put some in and I really hated the way they looked. To be honest, I thought they looked pretty cheesy and, even worse, you had to sort of squint at night to be able to see if there actually was a light there. They were very dim. They did not even look good as an accent, let alone do their job of safely lighting the way for people to make their way up a sidewalk. I remember one Halloween when my neighbor actually moved his base of operations out to the curb because so many people were tripping on the lights that lined his sidewalk.
One of the more useful recent advances in technology has been the improvements to LED light technology. You have probably used them yourself. One of my favorite household "toys" is my flashlight with a wind up crank and LED lights. No one is going to mistake it for a deer spotting light, but it puts out a pretty good bit of light. You might also have been given one of those little promotional key chain lights that uses similar technology but runs off of a battery. Manufacturers have combined these LEDs with improved solar lighting options to produce solar outdoor lights that actually serve a useful purpose and do their job like you would expect them to do.
So now that outdoor lighting has been improved and solar lighting is a viable option, what can you do beyond putting in solar flood lights? Well, many people with an interest in showcasing their landscape use outdoor garden lights or a variety of string lights to show things off. It really isn't an exact science. Since it is dark out, showing off shapes and forms is usually a good way to start. Unless the idea is to light things up like a stadium, you probably want to go with a more subtle approach.
Outdoor lighting does not have to be permanent either. If you only entertain occasionally, outdoor party lights can be put up and taken down with a minimum of effort and you can even find them in a huge variety of colors, shapes and designs. Lantern lights are one of the more popular options in this area and they are usually made as string lights that can be hung around patios or temporary tents that might be set up for an evening event. Outdoor Christmas lights are another temporary lighting situation that most people know well. Yes, there are even solar options for these.
The cost of outdoor lighting can vary a lot depending on what you are looking to accomplish. Not all retailers have stayed current in their supply. That is why it is always a good idea to check out what type of outdoor lights are available for sale online. Not having to stock a storefront allows many online sellers to offer a better variety of lights at a lower price. The prices are often surprisingly reasonable. If you are going to shop at retail outlets, watch for seasonal sales and realize that you will probably not see quite as many different lights for sale.
As home improvements go, the cost of lighting really is not that bad. Compared with other home projects, you can get a lot of bang for your buck. The difference in the appearance of your house at night and the increased security of not being the darkest house on the block is a relatively quick, easy and not too expensive project with immediate results.
