Outdoor Recessed Lighting
When you have an outdoor area that you want to make use of after the sun goes down, some well placed outdoor recessed lighting can make it come alive.
That's why it's important to have the right kind of outdoor lighting fixtures fitted in the right places to give the maximum light.
It also needs to produces an aesthetically pleasing light effect while being economical and not wasting electricity unnecessarily.
You might, for these reasons want to consider having this type of lighting fitted for illuminating your outdoor area around the house.
This particular type of outdoor lighting is fat less obtrusive than conventional outside lights, which means they are unnoticeable until they are switched on to illuminate your patio and outside area after the sun sets.
A Home's Exterior
Areas such as the patio, a covered walkway, the swimming pool area, any decking, outside stairs and the driveway can all benefit from strategically placed exterior recessed lights.
What's more, from an environmental aspect, this kind of installation is really the way to go. When you take powerful outdoor spotlights and flood lights, plus the many types of exposed porch and patio lights that shine like crazy all over your property and that of your neighbours, you are wasting electricity and causing light pollution in the sky.
This contributes to blotting out the stars from the night sky which ruins this enjoyable pastime for city and town dwellers.
So from an ecological standpoint, fitting recessed outdoor illumination makes sense as you contribute far less light pollution as the light is directed exactly where you want it to point, which is downward at the patio and exterior areas of your home. Additionally and also very importantly, lights housed in a specially crafted recess housing avoids disrupting the life cycle of birds and insects.
Installation of Recessed Lights
When it comes to fitting recessed lighting in outdoor area, there are certain requirements that you need to be aware of.
The lighting fixtures must be installed into a wall's recessed area, a roof's overhang, ceiling or similar surface. This makes them slightly harder to relocate. For this reason, you need to set out a plan of action before choosing your own outdoor lighting options. Remember,location is paramount!
Installing a light fixture beneath a roof overhang may mean the light shining into your windows, so this must be thought of first. Similarly, consider the difficulty of changing light bulbs depending upon where put the lighting fixture, say in a high traffic area or really awkward to get to place.
So when it comes to choosing lights for the outside of your house, select those fixtures that will allow you to move them and aim and direct the light into a variety of areas. It's useful to be able to adjust the light's angle to make the most of your open space.
This is particularly important if you want to highlight a particular area of your garden or patio, for instance a barbecue area, or a fish pond, a waterfall or fountain, maybe a rockery or stone garden or some other special landscaping feature. Being able to fully adjust your patio lighting to suit a special occasion is perfect for when friends or relatives call round, or you hold a party or barbecue or any other type of friendly outdoor gathering.
Outdoor Recessed Lighting Types
There are several types that you can choose from to perfectly suit your own patio area or other outdoor open space that you want some contemporary outdoor lighting to service.
Here are some examples of what you can expect and some of the options there are available.
Perfect candidates for fitting recessed lights include covered porches and patios. By not having any light fixtures that protrude from the ceiling, there is nothing to worry about when it comes to them being accidentally damaged or broken by kids playing with balls or any tall people catching them with their heads, or if you're carrying tall or awkward objects that might catch them in passing.
There are wall mounted lights that you can install on any vertical surfaces. They are not quite as popular as the ceiling or other overhead options, these are very functional in may ways.
Due to their higher visibility, they come in a great variety of colors, designs and special finishes. The are perfect for decking areas or patios where no overhead coverage is available. These lights can be fitted to just about any vertical surfaces such as house walls, outbuildings, garages or garden sheds.
Where there are stairs or steps, concealed illumination can provide the necessary ambiance to enhance their look as well as improve their safety. A set of stairs that perhaps lead from a deck down to the garden an outdoor staircase that leads to the second storey of the home or stairs leading from one level of a patio to another all benefit from this type of lighting.
Well Lit Areas
By having well lit areas especially in places such as under exposed steps can also help to light the way to help people avoid tripping or falling.
Garden paths that meander through the garden or lawn, or a specially landscaped area will also benefit greatly from this type of outdoor landscape lighting by providing you with the option to light up the paths by using well lights. These types of outdoor lights are easily installed down at ground level, by placing them on specially constructed stands or buried within the stone slabs of the path itself.
Water features such as waterfalls, fish ponds or fountains will also gain a great benefit from having these exterior lighting fixtures fitted and there are also waterproofed options that are available specially for this purpose.
However you plan your patio lighting layout, by making the best use of outdoor recessed lighting you can have an outdoor space that you can truly enjoy after dark. So make it count and plan the installation carefully to make the best use of the light fixture positioning and getting the very best from this form of outdoor illumination.
Posted: February 3, 2024
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