Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does outdoor lighting cost?
2. Are the design consultation and evening preview really totally free?
3. Is LED lighting or low-voltage halogen lighting a better choice?
4. Why should I get my outdoor lighting from you rather than my landscaper?
5. Do you install indoor lighting?
6. Are LED lights the most energy efficient light available?
7. What about fluorescent light?
8. What trade associations and professional organizations do you belong to?

Outdoor lighting installations are priced both by the fixture and the complexity of installation, so it?s impossible to answer exactly. However, outdoor lighting is probably more affordable than you think. Architectural lighting installations for typical homes start at around $2,000.

Yes!

It depends on many factors. LED lighting has finally gotten to the point where it performs very well in outdoor lighting applications. The energy savings and long life of the LED "bulbs" are tremendous. However, LED lights have a much higher purchase cost. If you can afford the initial cost and plan to own your home long enough to recoup the initial investment in energy/bulb replacement savings, it?s definitely the most earth-friendly option–especially with our advanced LED fixtures that allow "bulb" changes. (Most other fixtures require you to swap out the entire fixture when the LED "bulb" needs replacement.)

Landscapers install outdoor lighting as a sideline. Outdoor lighting is our only business. We are experts at it. A good number of landscapers don?t fully understand the science of light–or offer a maintenance plan. (And you get a free year of maintenance with us.) Plus, few, if any, landscapers offer the high-quality, American-made fixtures that we do. (They might if they offered a maintenance plan–since they?d understand the long-term value.) So when you choose us over a landscaper, you?re getting better expertise, better quality fixtures, a free evening preview and that free year of service. Landscapers do a great job at landscaping, but we believe we do the better job at outdoor lighting.

No, but we can wire our lighting automation controls to your indoor lights. That allows you to turn entire zones on and off from a central location (such as your bedroom) and gives you great flexibility in programming your indoor lights to make it look like someone is always home.

High-pressure sodium lights are actually the most energy efficient. That?s why you find these in most street lights. Unfortunately, the light they produce has a highly unattractive orange cast. That?s why LEDs are considered the most energy efficient for residential use.

Fluorescent lights aren?t yet suitable for most outdoor applications. It is interesting to note that today?s energy-saving compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are not necessarily a wise choice in some specific situations including outdoors and areas where the light is frequently switched on and off (such as residential bathrooms). The CFLs lose a little of their ballast each time they are switched on. Frequent switching shortens their life substantially. Since the CFLs contain toxic mercury, their earth-friendly energy-saving benefits may be considered negated when they are changed more frequently.

Many of our local offices belong to a variety of associations and local business organizations. Nationally, we are active members of:
Community Association Institute (CAI)
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
PLANET Professional Landcare Network
Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD)