Making the Most Out of Your Solar Lighting

One of the fastest, easiest ways to increase your property value is install landscape lighting, and the quickest way that you can install landscape lighting is by installing solar lighting. Solar lights are completely self-contained so you won't need to run any of the wires or install any transformers like you do if you are installing low voltage lighting. However, you still need to correctly design these lights to make the most out of them. Here are a few ways that you can do that quickly and easily.

The first thing that you should do is focus on your paths, driveways, and stairs. Solar walkway lighting will not only make your property more beautiful, but it will also make it safer and even make it appear more welcoming. Try installing small solar lights to the sides of your stairs and paths in a staggered formation to provide adequate lighting while avoiding making your property look like an airport runway.

After you've lit your pathways around your home, move on to installing lighting on your deck, patio, or carport if you have one. These areas are like second rooms to your home and you should light them so that you can truly make the most out of them. Patio lighting is a little more difficult than path lighting and you will need a variety of different fixtures on your patio. You will need bright lights for areas where you will be doing light-intensive tasks, like reading or cooking, but you will also need dimmer accent lights that you can use to set the right atmosphere. Try to strike a balance between these two types of lights.

Once you are done with your patio lights, you can move on to installing accent lights in different areas of your landscape. Solar lights work great here because accent lights should be relatively dim and highly focused on a few important areas of your landscape that you want to show off. This can include, but should not be limited to, tree, flowerbeds, shrubs, statues, and ponds or pools. Remember they should only accent your features, not define them so make sure the lights are dim and don't become the main attraction.

Don't forget about security lighting either! While solar lights are a little dimmer and in most cases standard voltage lights will be your best option for security lighting, you can still use quality solar lights attached to a motion sensor for easy-to-install security lighting.

Solar walkway lighting, patio lighting, and accent lighting are all essential pieces of a successful solar lighting plan for your landscape. Intertwine them with each other for professional results.