We have been designing and installing outdoor lighting systems here in the greater Austin area and central Texas hill country for almost 10 years now. In each system that we install we make sure to include an infrastructure that can handle additions as the landscape matures. Why is this important?
Although most people don’t think about it, a landscape is a living growing thing. It changes every day and evolves over time. Trees are planted while they are small and will generally end up being at least 10 times as large eventually. This means that eventually they will either need more lights to accent them, or the lighting that is there will need to be intensified to accommodate height. Bushes grow, flowers die and get replaced, and the landscape may go through a complete change within a five year period.
By using a transformer large enough to accommodate this evolution from the beginning, and putting in the wiring during the initial installation, we insure that when it’s time to make these changes it can be fairly inexpensive and quick. Placing an additional transformer, adding wiring and fixtures several years later can be quite costly, especially if it includes having to go under sidewalks or driveways.
We like to install a system which has the capacity to grow by 50% over time. It really doesn’t add much to the initial installation, but it can save a lot of money over time as it’s very rare that a system doesn’t undergo change and growth just like the living landscape.
Has your landscape outgrown the original outdoor lighting system? Contact us here and I’m sure we can help.
