Outdoor Lighting Inspiration

If you’ve been thinking about installing an outdoor lighting system, this video will inspire you!  I have been using FX outdoor lighting fixtures for residential and commercial landscape designs for over 10 year now and have never been disappointed.  After you watch the video, follow these 5 simplified steps to develop your own landscape lighting layout plan.

1. Start by drawing up a layout of your property (property lines, buildings, driveways, etc.).  Then identity the areas you want lit up for safe access routes, outdoor evening activities and artistic ambiance. 
2. Check out FX Luminaire’s website at http://www.fxl.com/ and click on products.  Be sure to look at the photometric chart for each fixture for illumination coverage.
3. Go back to your layout plan and determine how many light fixtures you need and add up the total wattage of all the bulbs you will be using.  You will need to know the total wattage to select the transformer size.  For every 240 bulb watts, you need a 300 watt transformer. If you have more than 240 bulb watts, you may use a larger transformer, however, it’s better to use two smaller transformers. 
4. Group your lighting areas into zones.  Each group with have a cable run to the transformer.  For most medium sized residential landscapes, it is common to have 3 cable lines of approximately 80 watts for a 300 watt transformer.
5. Always plan to order additional cable line and a couple extra path lights.    

I hope those 5 simplified steps get you started in the right direction.  However, if you prefer to hire a lighting design professional, BauerCombs Landscape Architect’s would be glad to help!  www.bauercombs.com

“Outdoor Lighting Inspiration” author: Susan Combs Bauer, landscape architect and president of BauerCombs & Associates, Inc. “Connecting People to Nature by Design”.  www.bauercombs.com