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<\/a>WHY?\u00a0 The first thing that will help to determine the cost of your outdoor lighting system is the answer to the question, \u201cWhy do you want lighting?\u201d\u00a0 The answer will help to establish the depth of the design of the lighting plan.\u00a0 For example: If you only want to light the walkway from the driveway to the front door because it\u2019s dark, or you just want a few lights for security reasons, then the cost is not going to be as much as someone who wants much more. An individual who has an extensive landscape, a large beautiful home, an outdoor living\/entertaining area where they love to have guests, and knows how outdoor lighting can enhance the ambiance of all these areas, then that outdoor lighting system is going to cost a LOT more.<\/p>\n
The next question in determining the price for landscape lighting is, WHAT? \u00a0The next consideration is the quality of the products you may choose.\u00a0 Many folks see solar lights and DIY lighting kits available at the local home improvement store.\u00a0 These represent the very low end of the outdoor lighting goods on the market today.\u00a0 You can buy a small solar or LED do-it-yourself kit at one of these stores for about $100.\u00a0 The solar lights won\u2019t last very long at all and will probably be in the trash quickly, while the LED do-it- yourself kit might last a year or so.\u00a0 On the other hand, a professional grade LED outdoor lighting fixture – just one fixture – could cost anywhere from $125 to $450 — or more depending on the type of fixture (its function) and the construction materials. Brass, copper, aluminum and nickel are some options out there contributing to the variance in cost. But these fixtures will also last anywhere from 5 years to a lifetime.\u00a0 Do you want high voltage or low voltage lighting?\u00a0 High voltage lighting products (which operate at 120 volts or more) can cost quite a bit more than low voltage lighting products.<\/p>\n
HOW? \u00a0How about the installation price for landscape lighting?\u00a0 If you install the home improvement kit yourself, the cost is whatever your time is worth to you.\u00a0 High voltage lighting must be installed by a licensed electrician, and must be installed according to the National Electrical Code and any local codes.\u00a0 Permits need to be issued and inspections made along the way as the system is being installed.\u00a0 Wire must be buried to at least 18\u201d deep which means trenches have to be dug in your yard.\u00a0 All this add up to a lot of money for the contractor.\u00a0 Low voltage lighting that operates at less than 30 volts, in most parts of the United States, do not require permits, inspections, trenching or licensing. This can mean cost savings in installation, even when using a professional. It must, however, also be installed according to the National Electrical Code.<\/p>\n
DESIGN?\u00a0 Have you considered the actual design or plan for your lighting?\u00a0 Once again, if you are designing the system yourself, the cost is free, as long as you know enough about the products you use and the way light operates.\u00a0 Some green industry companies offer a \u201cfree\u201d design or \u201cfree\u201d demo, but the cost of the time taken here is actually hidden – rolled into the price of the finished project because everyone must recoup the costs for their time and materials used for these services. (See our blog post on this topic here<\/a>.) Some companies, like ours, may charge a design fee because we are actually a lighting design company.\u00a0 Think about it this way: You can\u2019t get an architect to design your home for free because designing homes is what he does to earn a living. And naturally the builder can\u2019t determine the cost of building that home without a full architectural plan from which they can calculate the cost of the project.\u00a0 As I have mentioned before in previous blogs, the expense of education required to learn the skill of lighting design is quite high compared to an afternoon at the irrigation supply house learning how to \u201csell\u201d outdoor lighting to increase profits. So a well-thought out design is necessary to assess the cost for landscape lighting systems.<\/p>\n HOW MUCH?\u00a0\u00a0 Last, but far from least, is profit.\u00a0 This is the down and dirty part of any business these days; but personally, I think it\u2019s the part of business that makes our country (the United States of America) the envy of the world.\u00a0 Obviously, if you are doing the project yourself there are no profits to be determined.\u00a0 But there are contractors who really have no idea about the costs of doing business.\u00a0 They just say to themselves that they want to make a certain amount per hour and that\u2019s it \u2013 so they may offer to do this work for you at a bargain price.\u00a0 (We have covered this more extensively in a previous blog here<\/a>.) Company profits don\u2019t come until all of those overhead expenses are deducted. Payroll is the single greatest expense for any employer; honest, reliable, well-trained technicians don\u2019t come cheap \u2013 and no homeowner would be comfortable with an unscrupulous laborer with a questionable background walking around their home or poking around on their property. My point is that it costs a lot of money to conduct a reputable and profitable business which can stay around long enough to back up the work that they do.\u00a0 Also figured into the cost of doing business is warranty work.\u00a0 Our company provides three years of service with each new residential installation project.\u00a0 No matter how good the product or installation is, things go wrong.\u00a0 Lights go out, timers fail — and we have to come back and take care of it at no additional charge to the client.\u00a0 These expenses still need to be calculated into each and every job in order to be cost-effective enough to keep the doors open.\u00a0 Those companies who suffer a lot of failures will eventually also fail themselves as they try to recover expenses by charging too much, or by simply letting go of the drowning albatross (the company). \u00a0A company, who is mindful of good business practices, uses quality products, installs them well, and charges a fair price will do just fine.<\/p>\n There are several other things that go into the price for landscape\u00a0lighting systems, but these are the obvious biggies that must be considered.\u00a0 So here is the answer to the question:\u00a0 Our company, NightScenes Landscape Lighting Professionals<\/a>, has completed a very wide range of projects since we began about 16 years ago in this industry.\u00a0 Prices have gone up over the years, both due to normal increases in manufacturing and labor, as well as the giant leap from incandescent, halogen and high intensity discharge (HID like mercury vapor and metal halide) to LED. Over 70% of our installation projects come to us by client and industry referrals, and are usually large estate properties. \u00a0We have installed small projects for about $1000, and projects upwards of $100,000.\u00a0 Our average residential project is in the neighborhood of $7,000 for approximately 21 fixtures or so; and we don\u2019t do very many commercial projects, but we do some.<\/p>\n Learning and honing a craft by attending schools around the country; gaining and maintaining industry certifications; researching and using high quality products; hiring and training employees of integrity and treating them well; paying for and controlling overhead expenses; and making a fair profit to continually improve our business all go into the pricing of a superior outdoor lighting system.\u00a0 Those who don\u2019t cover everything outlined here will, of course, be able to charge less – while those who share our business profile may charge more.\u00a0 Potential clients who have very limited budgets may have to trade some value features for price; while others demand the highest available quality and will gladly pay what they feel is a reasonable price for excellence in product and company reliability.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n