Landscape Lighting
Professional Landscape Lighting adds beauty, character and safety to your home. Path lights, accent lights and deck lights enhance the unique styling of your home, while offering the functionality and peace of mind of a well-lit outdoor space or hardscape design.
As well, Landscape lighting is one of the most practical and effective ways to prevent crime in or around your home or office. In fact, statistics show that a well-lit property cannot prevent malicious activity or guarantee personal safety, but crimes are less likely to occur because lighting is an excellent deterrent.
Our philosophy
SAS’s philosophy when it comes to lighting is to create a portrait of your landscape and your home using light.
In effect, your home becomes a canvas and the light is the brush which we use to create a nighttime portrait. The end result is like a movie set that you will appreciate and admire every night.
The essence of a lighting portrait is the effect the light has on whatever it hits. As such, the bulb produces the portrait effect, not the fixture.
This philosophy means we are not just a contractor, but a lighting designer. Each portrait we create is one of a kind!
Lighting techniques
Up-Lighting
Up-lighting is the most common and widely used type of outdoor landscape lighting. Up-lighting involves using a light fixture mounted in or on the ground at the bottom of the object you intend to light, beaming upward. This method is especially useful for lighting up trees, shrubs, walls, houses, fences and pillars.
Down-Lighting
Down-lighting involves placing a lighting fixture above an object and aiming light down on it, or at an angle. It isn’t simply the opposite of up-lighting since an entirely different effect is created. Down-lighting can consist of lights placed under roof eaves that shine on plant material below, or fixtures on the wall, garage, or sides of the home, or placed up in trees to cast light on dry stream beds or waterfalls.
Silhouette-Lighting
Silhouette-lighting creates a dramatic effect and is typically very effective on bushes or trees with interesting trunk or branch structure. It’s a very useful lighting technique because it allows to accomplish two things at once: lighting up the home or building, and providing sharp contrast between the lighted object.
Shadow-Lighting
Shadowing, like silhouette-lighting, is a specialized form of lighting and is most effective with features aspects of the landscape that are near to walls or flat-surface structures. Features such as statues or Japanese maple trees are often great candidates for shadow-lighting.
Cross-Lighting
Cross-lighting usually involves installing lights on either side of the lighted object, so that the light beams cross each other at an angle creating texture and character. This is pretty much the rule for statues or fountains. Cross-lighting trees has a great effect on the trunk and branches.
Moon-Lighting
Moon-lighting involves placing fixtures up in large mature trees, usually higher than 20 feet. By aiming the light down through the branches and leaves onto the ground, moon-lighting produces a spectacular soft shadowing effect that simulates natural moon light.
Mirror-Lighting
This technique is used to create a mirror reflection of the landscape or structure on still water by placing fixtures in front of the objects between the objects and the water.
Graze-Lighting
Graze-lighting reveals the surface and texture of anything. Typical applications would be to highlight flagstone, brick or other rough surface material.
Benefits of a lighting portrait
- Creates an inviting, resort-like outdoor environment.
- Offers security and safety.
- Enhances the value of the property.
- Extends living space.
Demonstration available!
At SAS, we think seeing is believing! With that in mind, a portable demonstration kit is available to install at your property free of charge. It allows you, the homeowner, to see first-hand what landscape lighting can do to enhance your property.
Call us today to schedule your free landscape lighting demonstration at 450-202-1160.
A PROFESSIONAL'S GAME
Always remember that Landscape Lighting is an art, and just like an irrigation system, it requires a professional to plan, install, and maintain. In order to achieve safe, optimal, and long life from a lighting plan, a qualified installer should always be consulted to create the functions that an end user is looking to get from a lighting plan.