More often than not, people come to landscape lighting designers with one central question in mind: How much will this landscape lighting cost? One may not realize all the variables that must come into play to provide the customer with an accurate quote. For homeowner’s specific needs, everyone has different tastes and concepts for what they are trying to achieve. When it comes to landscape lighting, sometimes the old verbiage “you get what you pay for” really is the case.
A few reasons that the costs vary so much start with the more obvious factors, such as quality of fixtures, white-glove work, and features of the system. When it comes to the quality of work, much like any other type of job in construction, the installation is critical. You trust that the person installing your landscape lighting is skilled and confident in their abilities. Having an expert installer will guarantee longer satisfaction and extend the life of the system. Materials are also an essential factor. If the installer has less than stellar materials to work with, then the system may not hold up as long. When quality fixtures and materials are used from the start, it only enhances the expert installation. Quality fixtures may have a slightly higher price point at the time of installation. Still, you will ultimately have less maintenance and repair costs to your system in the long run.
With NiteLites, your system will be completely different from any other lighting system out there. That is because each customer has various features, or areas of interest, that they would like to highlight. A broader landscape with a pool, lanai, and several trees may have more areas to accentuate compared to just illuminating the front arches and columns of the home. More features will result in a higher range of lighting costs, comparatively.
At NiteLites, our outdoor lighting professionals use various styles of fixtures and lighting techniques; downlighting, uplighting, automatic timers, and even a Bluetooth® transformer that allows you to control your lights from your phone. All of these options will inevitably affect the range of any landscape lighting cost. Big box stores may offer cheaper options that a landscaper can install for you, but the results and value will quickly diminish within a season or two. Lifetime warranties on fixtures, expert installation, and maintenance will keep your system looking brand new for many years to come. That only comes with a professional landscape lighting company.
In the end, landscape lighting costs should definitely be taken into consideration when choosing a system; however, it should never be the main factor. There are ways to get quality landscape lighting while staying at a reasonable cost. Try reducing the scope of work, if need be, and add on as you are able. Once you place all the weight of the decision on the cost, you set yourself up for more service calls and maintenance in the long run. Invest in a quality system that you love rather than the cheapest option on the market.
