Our Fool Proof System For Outdoor Landscape Lighting In Houston Part I

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An Easy 5-Step System For Houston Landscape Lighting Part I

If you are looking for a way to make your home’s exterior more beautiful and dramatic after dark, installing landscape lighting is an excellent option. The five steps outlined below will help you create an outdoor space that is not only functional but also attractive, even after the sun has set.

Step 1: Choose Several Key Focal Point

Evaluate your outdoor area during daylight hours, searching for features that you want to highlight. For instance, maybe you have a large tree or a small group of shrubs on your property that you would like to draw attention to. Perhaps you have a beautifully designed wall made of stone. Maybe the exterior of your home has a unique texture thanks to the fact that it is made out of brick or stucco. Other characteristics that could be worth highlighting include water features, flowering shrubs, or garden gates. The features you choose to highlight will be the first things that people notice after dark, so make sure to choose them wisely. After planning your focal points, you can then move on to designing lighting for other areas like your decks, sidewalks, or walkways.

Step 2: Draw Your Outdoor Space

Making a sketch of your outdoor space is extremely beneficial during the planning process. Start by drawing lines that indicate the outer edge of your property. Next, add in key features like your house, outbuildings, decks, trees, outdoor furniture, or other large elements that you are planning on keeping in their current place. In your drawing, identify the focal points that you decided to highlight in the first step. Write down the general measurements of each feature, including its height and length. If you already have landscape lighting installed, note where your current lighting fixtures are placed. This information will make it easier to decide whether you can get by with 12 V landscape lighting or whether you need to install a 120 V system.

Step 3: Choose Your Light Fixtures

To get the best results, you need to make sure that the light fixtures that you choose for each area of your outdoor space are appropriate. Depending on your space, you may need a combination of floodlights, accent lights, and in-ground fixtures. Thanks to today’s technology, the color, and brightness of the light emitted by all of these different types of fixtures can easily be controlled.

Whether you have a 12V system or a 120 V system, you typically have a couple of different options when it comes to materials. These include k-alloy aluminum and solid die cast brass. Although both of these types of materials have a bronze finish, solid die cast brass is a better choice if you live near the coast or in an area where there is a lot of moisture. Some of the factors that influence whether you can get by with a 12 V system or whether you need to install a 120 V system include the following:

  • Whether or not you already have outdoor lighting installed.
  • The overall size, shape, and layout of your space.

120 V systems can be quite costly and labor-intensive to install. Typically, the wiring for these systems is required to be buried deep underground. Because of that, most experts recommend only opting for 120 V lighting if the wiring is already installed in your outdoor space or if there is a nearby electrical outlet that you can use to power the system. If neither of those situations applies, installing a 12 V system is a much easier and more affordable choice.

The section that follows describes some of the most commonly used outdoor light fixtures along with information on the specific situations that they are designed for.

  • Path Lights. These lights are designed to light up sidewalks or pathways, making it easier for people to see where they are going when they arrive at your home after dark.
  • Accent Lights. These lights can be used to create a number of different effects, depending on how they are installed. If you point them in a downward direction, they tend to add a sense of moodiness to the space. On the other hand, if you point them up at different objects, they can add a lot of drama to your landscape. They are perfect for illuminating focal points like trees or architectural features in your outdoor space.
  • Wash Lights. If you have a wall, fence, or another relatively wide surface that you want to light, a wall wash light is a great choice.
  • In-Ground Lighting. With these lights, the body of the light is buried in the ground. They are an excellent choice for lighting driveways or pathways. They can also be used to light features in your yard like trees or shrubs.
  • Hardscape lights. If you have structural features in your yard like walls, benches, columns, decks, or outdoor cooking surfaces, hardscape fixtures are the best choice for providing light. The unique low-profile design of these fixtures makes them easy to hide when installed on or near architectural features.
  • LED Tape Lights. For a subtle lighting effect, consider installing LED tape lighting around objects that are difficult to light in any other way. For instance, you can place a strip of LED lighting around your porch roof or in an outdoor kitchen. Some types of tape lighting can be used underwater, as well, making them perfect for installing in backyard water features.
  • Step lights. If you have stairs in your backyard or if you need to mark the edge of a deck or patio, step lights are a great way to keep your outdoor space safely illuminated.
  • Indicator lights. These lights are often used around the outer perimeter of a property in order to indicate where the property ends.

For more on this topic, read on to the next article. If you would like to discover more tips and tricks, visit our blog. Call or contact us today for more information!

Our Fool Proof System For Outdoor Landscape Lighting In Houston Part II

Posted by Robert Huff on

An Easy 5-Step System For Houston Landscape Lighting Part II

Step 4: Spacing Outdoor Fixtures

How far apart landscape lights should be set is a subjective, situational decision. Most lights come with six feet of lead wire, but lights can be spaced closer or further apart as necessary.

Here are some basic spacing suggestions for different landscape lighting situations:

  • Path & Area Lights: Path and area lights can be set 10 feet apart. Remember, the goal here is to guide people down a path, not illuminate it completely.
  • Accent & In-Ground Lights: Small objects can be lit with one or two fixtures. Larger objects, like large-canopy trees, may need three or four. As a rule of thumb, use more lights when you anticipate multiple viewing angles. Most in-ground light fixtures allow you to adjust their angle and overall light output. Order a few extra and make adjustments based on the way the lights actually work on your property.
  • Wall Washers: You can get even illumination on walls by placing your lights one to two feet away from the base of the wall. Space the fixtures out with six to eight feet in between them.
  • Hardscape Fixtures: Use three-inch light strips in tight spaces. Six-inch strips are standard for illuminating deck handrails, steps, and retaining walls. Order larger sizes if you have need of more illumination.
  • Tape Lights: Tape lights have certain built-in maximums. Runs can be no longer than 40 feet, and each run can carry no more than five amps. Tape lighting is typically sold in one, five, and 10-foot lengths.
  • Step Indicators: Light outdoor entertainment areas (e.g. patios and decks) wherever you expect foot traffic.
  • General Indicators: Marky out the edges of spaces you want to define with lights spaced at least two feet apart.

Step 5: Running Wires, Powering Lights, Final Adjustments

Your last step is to move from your layout sketches to real life. If you’re building a 12V system, you’re probably running all of your fixtures off one transformer. This is feasible even if your setup includes both dry and wet (i.e. underwater) fixtures. Most 12V transformers can be plugged directly into a standard power outlet. These transformers are available in different wattage capacities; you can cover anything from 75 to 600 watts with a standard transformer. Size your transformer according to the number of fixtures and runs in your layout.

It’s a good idea to leave a little additional capacity in your system. This allows you to add on new fixtures later, if, for instance, you install a new feature you want to light. A little foresight can save you the expense of revising your entire setup.

Don’t forget to add a timer or a photocell to switch your lights on and off automatically.

A smart landscape lighting setup will use the latest and greatest technologies (like high-efficiency LEDs) to bring your property to life. Make your outdoor areas safe and beautiful after dark with our cutting-edge LED landscape lighting.

For more information, feel free to contact us or call today! Visit our blog for more outdoor lighting tips!

two story house with moonlighting

How To Optimize Your Houston Exterior Lighting Pt. 2

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Great Tips For Enhancing Your Outdoor Environment – Houston Landscape Lighting How To Pt. 2

What Exactly Is Color Temperature? When you look at the light quality you will notice that it is important just like the quantity, but what about color temperature? This is a temperature that is measured on the Kelvin scale. You are going to notice that the light temperature for the bulb is on the packaging. You will see that the temperatures over 3500K are considered to be cooler and will often going to be a bluer in color going to a noon sun with the higher temperature. You will find that the temperatures under 3000K are often thought to be warmer. The amber tone will be seen as the number goes lower. These are the details we at Robert Huff Illuminations keep in mind with every job.

You will want to try to stay away from the cooler numbers when you are doing the lighting for the landscape. The bluish tones that are seen can make the area look a little bit unnatural or even as being on edge. Instead, you will want to consider the warmer colors that are going to have 2700K for the ideal temperature and 3000K is only considered okay. The 2700K is going to have a soothing feel that can be seen as a campfire type of glow. This will make it a comfortable environment that you can enjoy outdoors, especially in Houston.

You need to remember that one thing that you will see is temperature is going to be the appearance of the white light, which is different than the LED lighting. While still newer, the RGB LED fixtures are going to give you the chance to add in LEDs into the design. You will want to use these sparingly outside and allow them to give you the party feel.

How Is Layered Lighting Going To Impact my Houston residential outdoor lighting space? In this form, you will notice that the lights are going to be designed to create a different type of high and low that you will want to have in your space. You will notice that this is one important tool that you do not want to overlook. This is also the way that a lot of outdoor theaters set the mood.

You will notice that it can be as easy as putting the lights onto different breakers. You may find that the pathway lighting is on its own circuit, but the deck lighting is on another one. You will find that the layered lighting will allow you to have more control over the lighting in the area for the purpose you want it to serve. You will notice that you have dimmers and other controls that are available if you want to use these on the same circuit. You may even notice that you will be able to set up preset levels for the patio lights based on what is going on from eating to cleaning up.

You will find the layered lighting is an amazing way to show off your artistic ability. You will find that you can even have step lights that are connected to motion sensors. This will allow the stairs to be lighted when people start to climb them. You may even find that you can get these lights timed up with music!

Don’t hesitate to contact us or call us for any questions you have about lighting up your life!
We also have amazing Commercial Outdoor Lighting Designs, and don’t forget our blog for design ideas!

Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting: The Ultimate Guide To Color Temperature Part 2

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Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting: A Color, Light, And Temperature Guide Part 2

Choosing Your Measured CCT

When choosing your desired CCT, it is best to keep in mind that all the objects, as well as the colors within a designated space, are brought out with that of warmer CCTs. As a result, designers suggest temperatures of 2700K and 3000K to highlight the reds and yellows of wood grain flooring. From a commercial or industrial standpoint, they generally tend to lean to those sources which can provide 4000K to 5000K since it readily matches that of outdoor lighting and creates a productive feeling. As far as cooler light is concerned, an advantage is that it has always been seen as being brighter than those of warm sources. As such, numerous businesses are bending toward cooler temperatures which can, in turn, save them some money. This is achieved as a result of saving energy since less light would be used when compared to warmer sources.

The Pros And Cons Of Residential Outdoor Lighting In Houston

There are several pros and cons with respect to the warmer temperatures of outdoor lighting for residential use. This is as a result of the environment that the lights are being placed into, as such, warm colors are generally thought of as being not bright enough when they are placed into areas where people want to work with white light that is crisp. Some areas present cool colors which occur naturally and when they enter, they can be seen as being more yellow or even pink, this then causes individuals to think that the lights are not working properly. Cool colors are typically viewed as being institutional or even sterile and this is a huge downside.

Warm Color Temperatures

With all said, numerous individuals wouldn’t prefer the change from a warm color since they may feel that it is too bright for their liking. In order to choose the proper outdoor lighting, it is best to assess your environmental needs beforehand and inform your supplier of the type of environment as well as the ambiance that you intend to create. It should also be noted that if you’re interested in changing your initial light sources, such as in the case of fluorescent to LED or even CCT, you should definitely ensure that your entire room has been completed since come differences are not distinguishable to others.

If you are looking to further learn about the temperatures of colors and how they can affect the colors within your backyard outdoor lighting projects, be sure to contact Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting or call us at 713.861.2000. Or simply visit our blog.

Outdoor Lighting Tips For Your Landscape Part II

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Landscape Outdoor Lighting Tips To Help You Improve Your Yard Part II

Tip 3: Broaden Your Outdoor Lighting Cost Definition

Initial price only provides you with a narrow view of what a home improvement project’s true cost is over the entire lifetime of your house. A low price might translate into a great deal, or it could be a sign of low durability or quality. It could also mean that the price doesn’t include some of the building, material, or design costs. In the long run, a more expensive purchase price might actually be a better deal. When resource-efficient quality fixtures are selected it can help you reduce your home’s overall living cost. The only thing that is guaranteed when you make your decision based just on bid price is that you won’t ever be operating on the basis of lowest total cost. When the lower or lowest bid is viewed as the winner, it is safe to conclude that you have seriously misguided builders and companies that you are dealing with. When it comes to the real home building, remodeling and improvement world, there are no commodities. Everyday experience provides this over and over again, so it is a mystery why the lower-bid or low-bid approach is still in existence. Hiring someone just on the basis of price is the best way to sabotage your project’s budget and quality. Robert Huff is the #1 outdoor lighting company in Houston so consider hiring the best.

Tip 4: Have Your Outdoor Lighting Contractor Buy The Materials

If you purchase products online you can save some money. However, most homeowners aren’t sure of what they need to buy, and what fits or goes together or how much or what exactly to purchase. When you make product procurement mistakes it takes a lot of the responsibility away from the outdoor lighting contractor and can invariably lead to the blame game when something goes wrong. You don’t have to keep going back and forth to exchange the wrong items for the right ones.

Tip 5: Hire The Real Deal

When you hire someone who specializes in and has experience with your specific kind of project, it results in you having a higher quality project, and one that is more timely and efficient, and with increased levels of design and product knowledge. Whenever you are looking for an outdoor lighting contractor to hire, be sure they have 10 years of hands-on, proven experienced at least. Experience working on actual jobs and not just somebody who does the selling or manages from behind their desk. The very best outdoor lighting contractors are the ones who continue actually doing transformer balancing, wire connecting, and fixture installation work, no matter how long they have been in business. Although it is physically demanding work, doing it helps to keep them up-to-date. Those are the kinds of outdoor lighting contractors who truly know and understand their business since they are doing it physically every day – and they aren’t simply pushing a pencil and know exactly what they’re talking about.

Tip 6: Hire An Experienced Outdoor Lighting Company

One of the biggest investments you can possibly make in your home and life is a home improvement project. You can also earn some of the highest possible returns on investment with home outdoor lighting. For example, a remodel or home improvement job that is done properly can return more than its investment value. Having a well designed and built home improvement project can return more than you invest in the project. By contrast, a poorly designed and construction project may cause a lot of damage that is far in excess of the amount of money you thought you were saving when you hiring a guy that your friend had paint his house. Experienced outdoor lighting contractors who have decades of hands-on work experience are the only ones who are thoroughly familiar with the construction process and know exactly what to do. The best way to keep your personal belongings and assets protected is to make sure you hire an insured, licensed, and experienced contractor for your home improvement project. Make sure you have a written contract that describes and lists exactly everything you are receiving. Your contractor should deliver high-quality, pain-free, and consistent results.

For more information please make sure to contact a professional outdoor lighting expert today by calling us at 713.861.2000. If you are interested in reading more related content be sure to visit the outdoor lighting blog.

Outdoor Lighting Tips For Your Landscape Part I

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Landscape Outdoor Lighting Tips To Help You Improve Your Yard Part I

Home improvement projects are among the most stressful tasks that you can take on. A significant investment of money and time is required by these projects. Despite all that, every year, millions of individuals need and want to improve their properties and homes. Quite often it simply isn’t feasible or cost effective for them to move. The answer is remodeling to improve their homes. However, the last thing you want is to end up with a home improvement nightmare. I’m sure relatives and friends have told you that you need to expect a nightmare. Often home outdoor lighting projects will take three times or longer to complete and cost at least twice of what you are were expecting. It doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to find a dependable and honest home improvement professionals if you follow the steps that we have outlined below. The following are the top tips by Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting for succeeding with your home improvement project. I am very confident that if you simply follow these tips that you will more than double your chances of succeeding with your landscape outdoor lighting project.

Tip 1: Make A Plan For Your Outdoor Lighting

You wouldn’t go on an expensive long vacation without planning your trip and be having a roadmap, would you? Of course, you wouldn’t! That would be disastrous. Your trip would end up being full of expensive changes and unwelcome surprises. The same thing is true with home improvement projects. I have always believed that anything that is planned carefully and executed properly has a great chance of succeeding. An excellent design-build partner can help you determine what you need and want before you begin to put everything down on paper and create your plan. Professional design work that pays great attention to detail will help to ensure that your project ends up being beautiful, on a budget, and on time.

Tip 2: Don’t Get Started Until You Get Everything You Need

Imagine this – your yard is demolished by your landscape outdoor lighting contractor. It is only supposed to take one month to finish the job. Then three weeks later you still are attempting to get a hold of him. When you finally answers his cell phone he says that he won’t be able to return for a couple of weeks because he is busy on a different project. He also tells you that the trees that he wants to use in your project are not available so your job is delayed for 4 to 6 weeks now. This means your landscape outdoor lighting contractor will need to be told that the schedule for the project has been delayed. This is not a good situation and everyone is affected that is involved in the project and especially you. Unfortunately, this happens all too often, and you need and want an outdoor lighting contractor who can get all of the necessary products ordered, get them in, and then make sure that they are not broken, are the right color, and fit together correctly before your job is scheduled. Don’t let anyone tear your property up until you have everything that you need to keep your project running smoothly and on time and everything is delivered to your site. Make sure your outdoor lighting contractor shows you want work is going to be done, by whom, and on what dates. You don’t want to have any surprises. It is important for you to know exactly what is happening on a daily basis.

To speak with a professional, please make sure to contact an outdoor lighting expert today by calling us at 713.861.2000. If you are interested in reading more related content be sure to visit the outdoor lighting blog.

Enhance The Curb Appeal Of Your Home With The Top Houston Outdoor Lighting Tips

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Houston Outdoor Lighting Techniques For Enhancing The Curb Appeal Of Your Home      

Outdoor lighting plays a critical role in helping to increase the curb appeal of your home. Unfortunately, it can also be targeted by thieves. Having a comprehensive Houston outdoor lighting design will enhance your property’s beauty and boost its curb appeal and deter potential intruders at the same time. Outdoor lighting is not something you should ever take lightly. Having high-quality illumination will mean the difference between having an appealing and inviting home at all times to one that isn’t noticed by anyone after it gets dark. Exterior Houston outdoor lighting is critical for safety to prevent falling, tripping, and other types of accidents. Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting is an experienced lighting company with years of ongoing expertise. The tips below were given by our professionals and will help you maximize the curb appeal of your home, increase its value, all while minimizing risks:

Tree Lighting Methods

Trees provide valuable focal points which help visitors find their bearings and allow you to safely mount in high places to large areas of your yard. Therefore, take complete advantage of all of the trees that you have, no matter how large or small they are. Begin by placing a couple of lights on the base of the tree facing up, so that it illuminates it from all angles. With taller trees, search for areas where side bulbs can be installed close to the top and with few branches; that will help to project light over a large area of your yard.   

Variable Vantage Points

Trees can help to light up your hard, but most houses don’t have enough trees for them to do the entire job.  Therefore, you should use standing lights to supplement them, with lights mounted on small plants, path lights, and standing lights. Tho effectively do this, the key to this is to vary the scope and height of the lights according to the characteristics of your yard.  

Bright Tall Outdoor Lights

Place bright, tail lights in your yard’s outer area or other spots that are difficult to see. Closer to your door, have lights arranged at waist and chest height, either linked with smaller trees and bushes or freestanding lights. Also, add path lights that lead up to your door. That will complement the light in the interior of your home, to guide visitors and invite them inside. This is why Houston outdoor lighting is important for your home. Home residential lighting is important to have.

Best Practices For Porch Lighting  

Patios and porches offer a transition space between the outside and the interior of your home and invite visitors into your house when they arrive and then ease them back outdoors when they depart. The area’s importance to the remainder of your property should be highlighted by your lighting designs. If you have an overhang, powerful porch lights should be installed, with one being placed about every five feet. For open patios and porches, place lights on each corner, every major architectural feature, and anyplace else with limited visibility. If you are using gas lamps or torches, be sure that electric lights are close by just in case they don’t provide enough light. To check out our work be sure to look at past projects completed by Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting.

Houston Outdoor Lighting Tips

Along with the position of the lights, the following should also be considered:

  • Type: Generally speaking, you should choose LED lights since they use the least energy and provide the most light. They last longer as well.
  • Trigger: Rather than using a switch, you might want to program the lights to come on and turn off at specific times or respond to your motion sensor.
  • Fixtures: Be sure your light fixtures don’t block light, protect against weather, and hold bulbs steady.

For more related content check out our blog. Be sure to contact us today by giving us a call. (713)-861-2000

Intensify & Create A Beautiful Atmosphere For Your Living Space With Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting Designs In Houston

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Enhancing Your Outdoor Living Space With Beautiful Houston Outdoor Lighting Designs

Enjoying your backyard after dark can come down to the right Houston outdoor lighting design. When you are ready to unwind on the back patio after a hard day’s work, there are certain things that make your experience more enjoyable. Some of these things include feeling the warm summer breeze on your skin, taking up your position over the grill in order to serve some serious summertime barbecue, and kick up your feet with a cold beer in hand. While your satisfaction could be attributed to many things – including the above – the moment is quite enjoyable because you got the chance of escaping from the rest of the world. In fact, your outdoor space is where you unwind forgetting about all the madness that goes on during the day. The outdoor lighting can play a big part in enhancing your outdoor experience during the warm summer months. The Houston outdoor lighting should be tailored to meet your specific needs and enjoyment. In fact, you have worked very hard to build an escape – and the evening is the time you really get to enjoy the day. Houston outdoor lighting can either enhance or deflate your evening experience. That is why you need to pay close attention to Houston outdoor lighting at all times.

Designing A Tailored Lighting System

Is your outdoor space used to entertain guests? If so, the designer may consider a different approach when lighting your backyard. In fact, he or she may create some festive lighting designs depending on your specific setting. If pool lighting is an issue, the designer might have the perimeter of the pool deck illuminated by tiki-lighters. These are tall are lights that are very important to offer a functional safety with a tiki torch on top – which can be lit for the right occasion. In fact, pool lighting may create an amazing atmosphere in your backyard- when done the right way. Is security your concern? In fact, steps and elevation changes can always pose a danger in the dark.

Houston Outdoor Lighting Designer

Your designer will take a look at places where there are trip hazards and illuminate such areas in order to improve the safety in your backyard. He or she will look for places in your garden where security lighting is lacking and create a ring of lighting security in such areas such as layers of lights in order to deter trespass. Is tranquility the priority in your backyard? The outdoor living space is your retreat. Hence, you want the place to be relaxing, inviting, and warm. Your designer will use the key elements in the landscape in order to enhance the natural beauty of the area. In fact, water features, statuary, and plant materials will become the focus in this regard.

Putting On Your Night Goggles

Creating a wonderful landscape lighting design includes designing a space that would be enjoyed during the evening and nighttime. This is difficult than most people would think. In fact, envisioning how your space would look at night with the right lighting is not an easy task. That is where a professional Houston outdoor lighting designer comes in handy. In fact, such a designer knows how to use night goggles. A reliable Houston outdoor lighting designer knows how to create the best atmosphere in your backyard.

To learn more about outdoor home lighting Houston TX Services,  check out our website and our blog. For questions or concerns, please Call us now.

Creating Your Lighting Floor Plan For Your Houston Home

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Considerations For Your Houston Lighting Floor Plan

Can you really live with those lights the way they are?

There are not many ways to perfectly design lighting. However, unfortunately, there is almost an infinite number of ways that a bad job can be done. That doesn’t really seem fair, but that is what the reality is.

One of the most obvious signs that disaster is imminent is when somebody says, “hey you know what I think would look great over there?” Although we would all love to equate creativity and spontaneity to artistic flair and talent, the truth of the matter is that it takes planning to achieve the right lighting design. This is true for both Houston residential outdoor lighting as well as indoor lighting.

A clear understanding is needed of the dimensions of the room, sources of natural lights (including daily exposure), the kind of furniture that will be in the room, the actual use of the room, and the various ceiling heights in each location. Living rooms or dining rooms that have vaulted ceils have needs that are completely different to the ones for a home office or den when it comes to lighting needs.

Safety First

However, that’s not all, since the individual who does the design and layout will need to know what type of power is available for sustaining the design, and whether or not there will need to be wiring upgrades. Keep in mind, Robert Huff Illuminations as certified electrical installers on staff. We do not cut corners and ensure that your installation is up to code (or even higher) and is completely safe.

Common Errors

It is difficult to blame customers for making mistakes whenever they purchase LED bulbs randomly in stores. Bulbs that have various Kelvin Temperatures look similar when lit. When you look at a bare bulb, it is practically impossible to differentiate between them other than noticing the differences in brightness.

Each Assignment Is Unique

In reality, they will, of course, be different, compared to when you are looking at them on a monitor screen since it has a bias all its own built-in already. However, the human eye is able to literally see millions of different colors, and when the human eye is trained it can recognize which colors complement one another. So lighting design is actually much more complex than you might have initially thought.

Our Knowledge Protects You

Our designs have the right knowledge to choose the right colors; they also know how to choose the right fixtures so that your lighting goals can be achieved. They know to avoid the huge influx of cheap LED lightbulbs ha recently have flooded the retail marketplace. We use only similarly priced, high-quality bulbs that last 50,000 to 100,000 hours. There are no advantages to using planned-obsolescence, short-life LED bulbs, that have been designed for sustaining the constant replacement market that has been relied on since the 1880s by the bulb manufacturers.

However, most importantly, our installers, technicians, and designers know how to ensure that the right power supply is available and can support the design in a manner that will be approved. It is your home, so that is why it must be completely safe, and you need to have real experts who have years worth of practical experience.

The proof is that every year we make sure to invest in Continuing Education hours for our designers, installers, and technicians. We have the most knowledgeable team around. We promise you that.

The Main Takeaway

There are numerous reasons why people may decide to undertake this type of job on their own. On the surface level, it doesn’t appear to be that hard. There is the perception as well that money can be saved.

If there is one thing all of our experience has been able to teach it is that it is more cost-effective and faster to have an expert do a job right the first time than it is trying to repair something that didn’t meet the goals, specifications or didn’t come out the way you wanted it to. Let us prove to you that we are your best option. We guarantee it.

Contact or call us today for further information.

Let Us Take Care of Your Houston Outdoor & Indoor Lighting Issues

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If Light Flickering Issues Are Bringing You Down, Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting Specialists Can Help

Gone Before You Know It

It has been long established that flickering lights can cause people to suffer from nausea, headaches and sometimes even seizures. Because flickering lights work on a subconscious level, sufferers often have no clue what is responsible for these health effects.

When computer monitors were first released back in the old days of personal computing, computer monitors were pretty much just like your average television screen. Like television screens, computer screens had low refresh rates. Images on the screen would appear to be steady when looked at directly, but in actuality, these images would be flickering like crazy, and this could be seen when looking to the side of the image.

While the image appeared steady to your eyes, your brain would pick up what was actually happening, which would often result in stress, headaches, and even nervous breakdowns for some. Eventually, some folks discovered the cause of these health effects and monitor improvements were made that included higher refresh rates to help minimize these issues. Thankfully, this isn’t as big an issue today due to the invention of plasma, LCD, and LED monitors which don’t have this problem.

Even a Little Flicker Is Bad

If you’re having LED lighting installed in your home in the installer tells you your current lighting system is fine, chances are they are probably wrong, at least partially. Your current wiring is most likely sufficient as long as it’s reaching your light sources, but odds are your other lighting hardware isn’t.

A perfect example of a situation that often rears its ugly head for clients is when they have installed fully dimmable LED lighting in their house. Without an upgrade to the current hardware in place, chances are the lights won’t work at all. Or, they may work in a limited fashion, but could flicker, buzz and hum, and may not be adjustable at all.

Houston Outdoor Lighting Quality Tops Everything

If quality is a concern as it is with many homeowners, you should know that bulbs purchased in your local stores are not the best quality bulbs available. Most store-bought bulbs have limited operating lives of approximately 10,000 hours. In rare instances, you can find bulbs with operating lives of up to 50,000 hours, but it is highly unlikely that you will find high standard bulbs with operating lives of 100,000 hours.

If we do the math, a 10,000-hour bulb used around five hours each day has a lifespan of about five years. Using the same math, calculations show that a 100,000-hour bulb has a lifespan of 50 years when used for five hours each day.

Clearly, the bulbs available in stores aren’t the better deal, but to be fair it’s not their fault they don’t have longer life bulbs available to sell. Light bulb manufacturers make more money with bulbs that have shorter lifespans because they have to be replaced more often, so these are the ones they make available for resale in your local store. And you really can’t blame them for doing this because if everyone purchased lightbulbs that last up to 100 years, manufacturers probably wouldn’t stay in business very long.

Stick With The Professionals

After being in business for 40 years, we have accumulated the necessary experience to understand which components work best with one another and which components must never be used together. Sometimes this is due to safety issues, while other times the reason is based on functionality purposes. In addition, it makes financial sense to make sure the job gets done correctly the first time as opposed to going the cheap route initially and having to have someone come in and do the job right afterward.

Making the world a better place for everyone is a goal we should all strive for, but doing it one bulb at a time isn’t the way to go. A properly integrated lighting system combined with a well laid out design can win awards and create a stunning effect for your property LED lighting installation, whether it be new installs or replacements, is our specialty. If given the opportunity, we can set you up with an LED lighting system that won’t disappoint.

Call or contact Robert Huff Illuminations for more information or to get your project started!