Whether you’re lighting for safety, security or mood, these tips will help you get it right.
Don’t overdo it. If your backyard looks like it’s ready for a twilight double header, you won’t enjoy it and neither will your neighbors. (Before you install, run your lighting plans by your neighbors; they’ll appreciate it.)
Vary the brightness levels, and keep different lights on different switches so you can vary the effect. Dimmer switches are great.
Don’t blind yourself. Keep the lighting indirect when possible. Shield fixtures, hide them in bushes, and bounce light off walls.
The easiest lights to install are low-voltage outdoor lighting available in kits. Because they’re low voltage, the wires don’t need to be protected like regular cable, and they come with transformers which plug directly into outdoor receptacles. You can be set up in a couple hours. This lighting is fairly subdued and is more for atmosphere than illumination.
Some other lighting options:
Overhead lights shining down on an area focus your attention, and can provide enough light to read or play a game. You can soften the light and create effective shadows by mounting a spotlight behind or in a tree.
Light shining from below is something that rarely occurs naturally, and that makes it dramatic. Use “uplighting” for an artistic effect on a tree, a shrub or your house.
You can evoke a sense of the past with old style lamp standards.
Requirements for outdoor wiring include special cable with wires embedded directly in tough plastic (suitable for burying), metal or pvc conduit and treated planking laid over wires buried in fine earth or sand.
But always talk to the electrical inspector and follow the code; you’ll find precisely what you need to do in your particular situation.