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Robert Huff Outdoor Lighting: 3 Trends For Residential Landscape Lighting Designs in Houston

1. Fixtures

Earth Tone Coated Fixtures Going Out. Earth tone coated fixtures are losing their popularity. In the past, it was recommended that path lights in earth tones that matched the landscape be used to keep them from seeming intrusive; however, the latest attitudes towards this theory are changing. Designers are now realizing that the beauty of the lighting fixtures can enhance your landscape and add beauty. Brass and copper lighting fixtures continually prove to be a timeless choice for properties during the day and at night. As the metal ages, a beautiful patina develops that enhances the beauty throughout your landscape. The patina’s colors and hues will change from year to year. Much like nature changes through the seasons, metal lighting fixtures will also change over the years to add interest to the landscape. Check out some outdoor lighting tips by clicking here.

2. Lamps

Halogen lighting is not as popular as it once was due to continual lamp burnouts and the energy these lamps consume. Additionally, because of the maintenance required for halogen lighting fixtures, the demand for halogen lights continues to decline. Instead, LED lights are becoming the preferred choice. The technology used in LED lights have changed the lighting industry. While LED lights have been around for awhile, they are just now being embraced by the landscape lighting industry. Houston residential outdoor lighting understands that LED lamps can mimic halogen lighting, making it difficult to spot the difference between the two. In the past, LED lighting was only available in cold blue; however, this is a thing of the past. LED lamps are available in a range of lighting colors and are incredibly energy efficient. These tips are great to consider to avoid landscaping failures for at your residence.

3. Timers

Old school analog timers that use a wheel in a mechanical timer are a thing of the past. Although this type of timer is dependable, newer control systems are making a strong play for the preferred choice of landscape timers. An astronomical timer offers so much more sophisticated control over the timing system than an analog timer. astrometrical timers are effective and are easy to use. All you need to do is enter your property’s GPS location or your zip code for them to work properly. The timers use this information to know when sunrise and sunset is every day of the year. You can also program an astrometrical timer to account for daylight savings. Additionally, these timers allow you to control the days that you want your outdoor lighting to come on and more. Contact your Houston residential outdoor lighting provider for more information on the benefits of an astrometrical timer. The lighting specialist can also help with the installation of your astrometrical timer. Make your home more aesthetically pleasing with these tips.

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.

All You Need To Know About Landscape Lighting Fails In Houston

1. Glare

Glare produced by bright direct lighting and reflection almost always destroys the ambiance needed for landscape lighting. The main idea behind adding lights to the landscape is to illuminate everything and not be a light source in itself. Ambient lighting in the landscape helps bring every aspect of the same without necessarily having to squint to see what’s there. Reducing glare by using ‘eyelids’ (the mantle surrounding the light fixture opening) is one of the best ways to reduce/block glare from the landscape. To better understand this, glare is produced when the lamp illuminates the landscape and other items directly making it impossible to discern what it is exactly. Nevertheless, using a mantle to prevent direct light but rather product passive illumination in the garden, for instance, help highlight everything properly since glare is eliminated. An ‘eyelid’ almost always comes in handy for this purpose.

2. Lack Of A Proper Plan

You need to have the forethought of how the landscape will look like after designing/installing landscape lighting. Proper planning is therefore needed to ensure the focal points are well illuminated without any glare. This means you need to turn your attention more to the lighting effect and not the fixture itself. Among other factors, you need to consider things such as beam spread and light output before buying any accessory off the shelves. Having more than one lighting fixtures to choose from could also improve your chances of picking the right one for that specific purpose. Light spread and effect should be the core factors to consider when choosing a light fixture. Fixtures with a broad light spread spectrum are mostly recommended for this purpose.

3. Abused/Misused Path Lights

Choosing the right fixture but using it for the wrong purpose or application is most definitely a fail. A good example of this is using path light fixtures in turf areas. This is because path lights cause extensive damage to turf over time. Having light fixtures in turf areas isn’t also recommended as the risk of them getting damaged is high. In addition to this, the lawn is home to dangerous equipment such as hedgers, mowers, and such.

4. Too Much Lighting

Using light fixtures too bright for the need isn’t recommended too. The main goal of having these installed is to illuminate the home for security and beauty but not to irritate your neighbors. If you can see your home several streets away, then the lighting is too much. Avoid lighting every architectural feature or tree, but rather only use the right ambiance for the same. Professionals in landscape lighting in Houston recommend less lighting for the best effect.

5. Less Than Enough Budget

Working with an inadequate budget for outdoor lighting will most likely mean low-quality lighting. This is because you will be forced to work with inferior light fixtures, hence a shoddy job. Although you may have a wide assortment of fixtures to choose from, only a few are meant for this sole purpose. Some of the fixtures may seem handy now, but not be able to last for long enough. Some of these are meant for temporary fixtures and not long-term use. Although they may seem cheap, you are more likely to spend much more on repairs as compared to what you would have spent on quality fixtures.