Well now, that’s a good one. And like so many other things in the realm of outdoor lighting design – it depends.
There are many things to consider when determining how long it will take for a custom landscape lighting design to be fully installed on the property. The most obvious factor to be considered would be the number of fixtures. More fixtures would naturally take more time. But don’t forget the things that pop up that can steal time away from the completion deadline: unforeseen delays by the irrigation company or landscaper before we can get started, unanticipated electrical problems on the property, and even the weather.
But more importantly, and complicating the equation quite a bit, is actually the location of each fixture. Will the fixtures be placed in the ground? Is the ground rocky or is there good soil? Are there sidewalks and driveways to get under for proper wiring? Are there moon lighting fixtures up in trees and if so, how many? How big is the property? Where are the transformers going to be located? Of course, a project with 100 fixtures is going to take a lot longer to install than a 10 fixture project; I like to figure on about 20 fixtures a day for a three-man crew in the greater Austin and hill country area. The biggest reason for this estimation is that our ground here is pretty darn hard – drought-dried land, granite and limestone are rather unforgiving. Hand-cutting the dirt to lay in wires (we don’t trench) can be a long process under local soil conditions. (I’ve heard that it takes half the time to do the same thing in Florida since their ground is very sandy and soft.) So, a 10 fixture project can be done in about half a day in my area of Texas, with a return trip at night for adjustments.
There are some central Texas lighting companies that install 20- or 30- fixture systems in a day, and I wonder how they are able to do that. They usually have 3 man crews, just like us. Our team has worked well together for over 5 years, but it takes us twice as long to do the job. Our team is highly trained to install every aspect of the system according to the National Electrical Code, and by the standards set by the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals. Doing it right isn’t the shortest way to get the job done, but it is definitely the best way – and the only way we’ll do it.
We have designed and installed projects of all sizes: from just 3 fixtures to a few hundred on residential and commercial properties. Each project is unique with its own timeline, but our average project is around 60 fixtures and takes about 3 days to install. How long do you think it will take to install a beautiful lighting design on your property? Contact us here to set up a consultation.
