I am looking to add some lights to the shrub bed against my house to provide ambient light to two very dark areas of my yard. My exterior doorway lights don't currently reach these areas and the lighting is now concentrated just at the doorways. I'm not interested in uplighting the house. I just would like to add about 4 or 5 area lights to fill-in these dark areas in the shrub beds along the foundation. There are no pathways in these dark areas, just shrubs and lawn. My home is a two-story colonial on a small 1/4-acre lot with narrow shrub beds that are about 4 - 5 feet deep against the foundation. What is the simplest way to select light fixtures and bulb wattages to light these areas to balance the intensity of the new fixtures with the current lighting? Is there a way to use a flashlight, work light, temporary spotlight or some other temporary lighting to mimic the desired intensity, then translate that brightness into the selection of fixtures and bulbs? I realize that there are professionals that have the equipment and software to accurately measure the existing ambient lighting and design a lighting system, but I'm just a DIY'er looking for an easy way to buy and install a few fixtures without making a big mistake. Thank you in advance!
Hey Rich, Excellent question - most decisions come down to some personal preferences and best practices really. One best practice would be to match the color temperature of whatever new lights you plan to buy with the front door lights you already have. This info may be listed on the fixtures or packaging, or if you remember what bulbs were used that would also be a good point of reference. 2700K is common for most residential 12V landscape lighting, but many 120V wall lanterns nowadays do use 3000K; definitely worth double-checking before you commit to anything. Brightness is largely preferential, but the color temperatures matching is more important - different colors in a pattern are far more easily noticeable (and unsightly) compared to differing lumen outputs. A dynamic design often uses different strengths of light outputs (lumens) depending on the goal or object being illuminated as well. It sounds like you're just looking for some subtle path lights in spots that are a bit too dark; not for illuminating a walk way or outdoor area. With that in mind, I'd recommend going no higher than a 3W G4 BiPin for your path lights. Style wise, we offer a variety of different sizes and designs. I'd recommend our Classic Path Lights for your home style. Our standard 24" versions will provide ample illumination - we do have some mini versions (12") if you desired a more low profile option with smaller diameters of light output. Also, if you wanted to attach a picture to your posts, this can help with recommendations as well.
Evan, Thank you very much for your reply. I was leaning toward classic path lights 24" with a warm bulb (to match door lights). The brightness/diameter was really the issue that I was stumped on. I appreciate your suggestion on the wattage and low profile/small diameter output. I think I have enough to do some more research and make a decision. I'll let you know if I need more help. Thanks again!
Sorry, I should've mentioned; the diameter of illumination will be determined by the diameter of the hat/shade. This should be listed in the specs tab on the product page online as well as the downloadable spec sheet.
