Lighting up your Memphis, TN or Oxford, MS landscape is a great choice for a lot of different reasons. In the front yard, lighting can enhance the curb appeal and beauty of the property and in the backyard, it makes everything more functional.
But if you’re thinking about adding lights, you might be wondering if you can just do it yourself.
Is it really worth paying a professional for landscape lighting installation?
The short answer is, it depends. If you’re just looking for a simple spotlight or some basic path lights, maybe you don’t need a pro. But we’ve found that even for smaller jobs, homeowners find tremendous value in having it professionally designed and installed.
In this article, we’ll compare your landscape lighting options so that you can make the right decision for your property. At the end of the day, the best way to install landscape lights is any way that meets your expectations and leaves you with the results you desired.
Jump to:
When DIY Landscape Lighting Installation Makes Sense
As with any project that you think about taking on yourself, it’s important to evaluate your expectations going in. If you’re looking at a spotlight on your driveway or a few solar path lights along a short walkway, you can obviously do this yourself.
In addition, low-voltage landscape lighting systems are designed for DIY installation. But proper transformer sizing, cable selection, weather-proofing, and voltage-drop calculations do come into play.
Generally speaking, a small and straightforward project may be manageable for a homeowner who is comfortable with planning a layout, selecting and installing fixtures, and troubleshooting the finished system.
What You Get with Professional Landscape Lighting Installation
While we know that there are homeowners who are certainly capable of DIY landscape lighting installation, it’s important to understand that hiring a pro isn’t just about paying someone to do the manual labor for you. There’s quite a bit of expertise that goes into a landscape lighting project, starting with the design.
With a professional design, there is going to be a lot of thought put into details like:
- Strategic placement
- Brightness
- The goals of your lighting design
- What areas require light and for what purpose
- Size of the space
And that’s just naming some of the considerations. It’s often more in-depth than a homeowner is going to get when making decisions on their own.
A good way to look at it is you’re not just investing in the lights and the manual labor. You’re investing in thoughtful design, reliable performance (including someone who can provide maintenance and service later on), and a finished result that you’re proud of.
DIY or Pro Landscape Lighting: What’s Right for Me?
If you’re still not sure whether tackling your landscape lighting ideas on your own makes sense, here’s a few questions to ask yourself.
How comfortable am I with the installation process?
Before getting any DIY project started, it’s important to make an honest assessment about how comfortable you are with tackling it. We know that there are low-voltage kits out there that are intentionally designed for homeowner installation.
But if you’re looking for a more extensive system that involves wiring, transformer capacity, connections, fixture placement, and more, then you might be more comfortable consulting with a pro.
How much time do I have to spend on this?
If you’ve ever got started with what you thought would be a quick weekend DIY project and it dragged on much longer, then you know that it’s often easy to underestimate the time commitment. It’s pretty common for homeowners to think they can get a project done faster than they really can.
Remember, there’s time on the front-end with researching products, planning the layout, prepping the site, and shopping for supplies. Then there’s the installation itself, which hopefully will go smoothly. Running into unexpected problems can be a frustration that’s compounded by not having an expert to turn to.
How extensive is this project?
Whether or not you can successfully tackle a DIY landscape lighting installation project will largely come down to how extensive your project is. That’s why it’s important to make an honest evaluation of this from the start.
To sum it up, DIY landscape lighting installation might be right for you if…
- You have a smaller or simple project
- You are experienced and capable of doing DIY projects
- You are comfortable trouble-shooting if things go wrong, or you have future maintenance needs
- You just want affordable, basic illumination
Professional landscape lighting installation might be right for you if…
- You have a more extensive design in mind, with multiple areas
- You want a customized solution that is designed around your Memphis home’s specific needs
- There will be complex wiring or electrical work and you’re not comfortable with this
- You want the future support of a pro in trouble-shooting and maintenance
Landscape Lighting Cost Comparison
There’s no doubt that a key reason why homeowners would turn to DIY lighting is to save money. Most people tackle projects on their own when they’re trying to keep the cost down.
We can only really tell you what Mid South Outdoor Lighting & Audio charges. Every project is unique and there are many variables, but here’s a starting point to go off of:
- A minimum starting price for landscape installation is $2,500. That would be for a small project that takes less than a day.
- If you’re talking about a larger project with multiple lights that takes a full day, outdoor lighting installation could be upwards of $5,000.
- For a substantial project with different areas of the property lit, that takes two days, landscape lighting installation could be upwards of $10,000.
A DIY low-voltage kit with a couple of fixtures, a transformer, and some connecting cable might only be a few hundred dollars. If that’s truly all you’re looking for, such as lighting a small walkway, it’s possible that could work for you.
FAQs
What are some common DIY landscape lighting mistakes?
Many of the common DIY landscape lighting mistakes have to do with failing to work from a design. This might include placing fixtures too close together, too much (or too little) light in an area, and creating glare.
Does professional landscape lighting increase home value?
Yes, professionally landscape lighting can potentially increase home value. It will definitely improve curb appeal, make your outdoor areas more functional, and also enhance safety and security.
Can I upgrade my DIY landscape lighting later?
You can often update a DIY job later on. But it does often require replacing a lot of parts. Compatibility with fixtures, the transformer, wiring capacity, and the control system is essential.
When should I consider hiring a landscape lighting professional?
If you have a more complex project or if you feel over your head with tackling a DIY job, it might make sense to just call in a pro from the very start.
How do I choose a professional outdoor lighting company?
Do your research and choose a company that truly specializes in lighting. Having an expert on your side can make all the difference.
Choosing Professional Outdoor Lighting Services in Memphis TN and Oxford MS
Ultimately, the best way to install landscape lights is going to boil down to what you’re comfortable with.
If you’re thinking about going the professional route, then your wise choice in professional services is going to be important. When it comes to getting the best possible outdoor lighting for your Memphis, TN or Oxford, MS property, it’s important that you take some time to research your options.
We recommend choosing a company that is committed to keeping up with what’s new in the latest lighting techniques and products so that you know you’re getting the best.
At Mid South Outdoor Lighting & Audio, we’re passionate about lighting.
When you choose us for your outdoor lighting project, you can count on us to help you maximize the enjoyment and use of your outdoor areas with a lighting design that is customized for you. With just the right lighting, you’ll be enjoying your property more than ever.
Are you ready to create a secure, functional, and beautiful property at any hour of the day? If so, let’s meet and discuss some bright ideas.
