By Sarah Jimenez
Fresno Bee
Summer heat makes being outside an early morning or evening affair for many Americans. But not everyone's an early bird, and if you save your outside time until the relative cool of the evening, it's dark. So why not shed a little light on the subject? Some homeowners say landscape lighting extends their hours to enjoy such pleasures as swimming, gardening, entertaining, reading or relaxing. Landscape lights also are attractive safety and security devices that don't use a lot of power. High-voltage, low-voltage and solar are the three types of landscape lighting systems available, but there are tons of options when it comes to layouts, fixtures and techniques you can create on your own or with help from a contractor. And almost anybody can find a way to incorporate lights that meet their yard and budget needs, say the experts. Where do you start? Before you just jump in the car and head out to buy light fixtures and wire, there are some key questions you need to answer, says Larry Holley of Lighting Resources of Fresno, California: How do you use the area?
What paths do you travel through the yard?
What steps or areas are dangerous?
Are you going for close and intimate or trying to make the area seem larger? Holley tells customers to sit out in their yards and really think about the area: "Our objective is to make it a very comfortable space at night, when it cools off." Gene O'Brien of Lamps Plus in Fresno says you also should consider the role of your lighting system in your yard: to provide security, highlight bushes and trees or accent the architectural style of your house. Deciding which function the lights will perform will help you choose the best fixtures for the job and where to install them, O'Brien says. Next, measure the perimeter of the yard and the distance from your house to the property line and other objects, then sketch your yard on a piece of paper. You don't have to be a professional designer or cartographer to do this, but be sure to include all trees, bushes and flowerbeds and to draw their shapes accurately. You'll also want to locate your home's circuit breakers or fuse box and any outside sockets. What's best for your yard? If you want to install a lighting system on your own, low-voltage or solar-powered lights are probably the best and safest way to go. Low-voltage lights run along a wire from a transformer plugged into an electrical socket. Solar lights don't require any wire. Instead, individual fixtures are just stuck in the ground where needed. High-voltage lighting requires a separate circuit in your house's electrical system, which means hiring a licensed electrician. Many light landscapers and contractors don't charge to help you design a system that satisfies your needs. Some light displays in home-improvement stores offer layout grids, and box sets come with instructions. You can also visit the Websites of companies such as California Landscape Lighting and Lowe's that provide step-by-step guides. What about my power bill? You may want to light your yard, but you worry about how energy-efficient systems are, especially in the midst of the nation's power woes. Christy Dennis, the Fresno public-affairs representative for Pacific Gas and Electric in California, says low-voltage systems use very little electricity. Besides, outdoor lighting and staying outdoors at night may actually cut your power use. "If you turn off the air conditioner and go out outside at night, you're helping yourself," Dennis says, adding that outdoor lights are usually on when energy demand is lowest. What will you need? Light fixtures come in a variety of styles that will satisfy just about anyone's taste. You can find fixtures shaped like flowers, lanterns and mushrooms. Fixtures usually come in colors that blend into the yard well so that you can hide the source of light and are made of materials such as plastic, glass, copper, bronze or ceramic. If you're using professional services, you also need to talk to your contractor before you purchase fixtures to make sure they can be installed in their assigned places, Holley says. The next thing to buy is wire and conduit. Since you've laid out your plan and have measurements written down, this part won't be too hard. The final item to purchase is a transformer, but only if you're going with a low-voltage system or if your high-voltage line can't reach the house power panel. What about building time and cost? Both vary depending on the size of your yard, the types of lights you buy and if you install them on your own or hire someone. Solar-powered lights cost $20-$80 and are sold individually or in sets of two, four or eight at most home-improvement stores. Setup time is pretty quick, since all you have to do is assemble the fixtures and stick them in the ground. Stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot and Target offer prepackaged low-voltage light systems that come with four to 20 lights in a box and cost $20 to $250. A transformer and wire are usually included. Setup should take a few hours. If you purchase individual light fixtures, installation will take a little longer because you have to string them together and hook them up to the transformer. Individual fixtures sold in home-improvement stores range from $8 to $70. Custom-made light fixtures can be hundreds of dollars each. Lighting plans that require lighting architects or contractors may take a couple of weeks to install and set up. Extensive plans and high-voltage systems take longer due to all the trenching that must be done to bury wires. The total cost will include fees for installation and designing a plan, plus materials. Transformer prices depend on how many watts the transformer supports. A 121-watt transformer costs around $30; a 600-watt transformer would be about $120. Wire and conduit are usually a couple of dollars per foot. (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)
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