How to Hire a Landscape Lighting Contractor

The best landscape lighting installation contractors in the OC, LA and San Diego do the following….

What to look for in hiring an outdoor lighting contractor. Landscape Lighting can truly set your home apart from the crowd and give you many extra hours of night enjoyment. Landscape lighting can turn your home into a showplace while also creating an inviting atmosphere for your family and friends to enjoy relaxing evenings at home. In my 31 years of Landscape Lighting Design and installation, I have seen many outdoor lighting systems that do not achieve the desired results of homeowners. I have had to totally redo many outdoor lighting systems. This unfortunate waste of money and frustration of a homeowner could be avoided if they asked their lighting contractor a few simple important questions. such as.

20 things an outdoor lighting contractor should have or be in Orange County and Southern CA

  1. Is the Outdoor landscape lighting contractor familiar with the state of the art LED lighting systems?
  2. Does the lighting contractor have landscape lighting experience?. Make sure they have landscape lighting design and installation experience. Not that they installed a Malibu’s system on a few of their other projects. I have seen expensive outdoor lighting systems installed by a licensed electrician that was dangerous and voltage drop so great that it took the electricity 2 seconds to activate fixtures after it was turned on…. Yes, that’s right 2 seconds and this was in a 3 million dollar house.
  3. Make sure that they are Licensed in the right category for outdoor lighting we have a c-10 electrical license.
  4. Do they have references dealing with outdoor lighting?
  5. Do they have all the necessary licenses and insurances and are bonded?
  6. Do they offer fixtures that are durable and will withstand the harsh exterior elements? Many landscape lighting manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty?
  7. Do they use stainless steel transformers and have multiple voltage taps for longer lighting runs?
  8. How to Hire a Landscape Lighting Contractor 1 

    Landscape lighting Installation in Southern California

  9. Do they have photographs of actual projects they have done and not photos of a web site or from a landscape lighting fixture catalog?
  10. Do they understand creative lighting and design?
  11. We sell creative lighting effects, not just landscape lighting fixtures.
  12. Do they have your best interest in mind or are they just trying to sell fixtures to drive up the price? We will even talk clients out of fixtures if we don’t feel it serves a practical or artistic purpose. It’s all about value.
  13. Outdoor lighting installations in OC and LA require attention to detail
  14. Do they understand Ohms law and how it affects voltage drops and lighting effects?
  15. Have they been in business for a while? What is their track record and experience? We have been designing, installing and repairing outdoor lighting systems since 1988.
  16. Do they offer to follow up maintenance or service or do they install the landscape lighting system and leave you in the dark (no pun intended) If there is a problem down the line will they be available to provide service? Maintenance and repairs are a big part of a landscape lighting professional lighting business.
  17. If you have an existing system with quality lighting fixtures and low voltage transformers, will they try to incorporate them into your new outdoor lighting system or just try to sell you everything new (note fixtures and transformers in most existing systems are not adequate but sometimes they are and we are happy to reuse what we can if it doesn’t comprise the quality of the outdoor lighting design and installation.
  18. Do they bury the cable at least 6-8 inches below the surface?
  19. Are the connections at all the lights crimped with copper sleeves and inserted in a waterproof cap?
  20. Is Outdoor lighting and landscape lighting a passion of theirs?

outdoor LED lighting, led landscape lighting, la, oc, landscape lighting newport coast, shady canyo

Moonlighting in this Coto de Caza home

LED Landscape lighting for homes in Orange County and Los Angeles has to be creative and innovative

A true lighting professional will address all these issues. This simple list of questions could of saved many homeowners thousands and thousands of dollars. Don’t proceed with landscape lighting until you have asked these important questions. Knowledge is power.

for any questions about creative outdoor lighting call the professionals at  949-455-9914 and we would be happy to illuminate the possibilities.

 

By Chuck Evans