Outdoor lighting is both practical and pretty. It illuminates the street number and trip hazards like steps, statuary and retaining walls. Creative placement gives a home street appeal and turns a backyard from dull to an after-dark destination.

As the single largest investment for most people, “lighting is a great way to accent it” suggests Lindsay Harvey of Defender Electric. She adds that “people feel most safe walking up to a well-lit home”.

She recommends pot-lights in soffits and coach lights to highlight garage doors at the front of the house. Motion lights activated when someone walks toward the house are also a safely consideration, she explains.

“This year a giant trend is toward entertaining outdoors. People are starting to move their living spaces outdoors and you are seeing an increase in the quality of outdoor furniture. You are seeing a lot of people putting in outdoor kitchens, cabanas and gazebos,” notes Harvey. Instead of vacationing, homeowners are spending time enjoying the features of their property, she remarks.

These are all areas that require specialized and strategically placed lighting. Features like the pool area and gardens should be accented with lighting. Harvey recommends flood lights to draw attention to large trees in the landscape as well.

It would be ideal for the electrical contractor to come in at the start of a landscaping project to provide advice on lighting and to install the wiring. Since this “seamless’’ process is not usually possible, Defender is able to come up with a plan that will cause as little disruption in an established landscape as possible.

To control the lighting, Harvey puts forward many options. The first is the simple photocell like those used in streetlights. The lights turn on automatically as natural light dims. Timers can also be installed or the outdoor lights could be connected to an automated system. The simplest solution is a switch or dimmer. These can be “cleverly hidden”.

When the pool is closed and the patio furniture is stored for the season, outdoor lighting still has a role to play, especially at Christmas. Defender Electric offers a Christmas light service that is especially helpful for homes with a tall roofline of a large tree that would look amazing draped in lights. Harvey suggests that an outlet could be installed near the tree where the lights can be plugged in. The service also includes taking down the lights after the season.

To contact Defender Electric, visit the website at www.defenderelectric.com.