Hello, Looking for advice on suggested lights and mounts to light upper facade of house. Thinking 3 or 4 spots? Gutter mount vs wall mount? Placement? Also any advice you can offer on running wire to fixtures. Have hub under left side of porch. Also advice on lighting the 6 porch columns. Do I need 6 individual narrow spots or can work with 4 spots with 60 degree spread placed in between? Columns about 6ft apart. Ground to deck 2ft. Products suggestions? Already have 2 path lights on left garden bed and 1 path and 1 all star spot on right garden bed. Thanks in advance
Hey Mike, For any second story lighting, I would typically recommend using gutter mounted spotlights if possible. While surface mounting is possible for second story lighting, it generally leads to more work in regards to making sure your attic is protected against leaks after drilling and takes more effort to stealthily run wires. I took the liberty of attaching a photo to illustrate where you could place the spotlights. The best method for running the wires for these lights would be to run them through/along the gutter system to the ground so that the wires are protected and hidden from sight. For columns, a fixture is typically used for each individual column. My personal preference with your layout would be an inground fixture such as the Articulator Well Light or the Salty Dog Well Light. Many homeowners also, in fact, employ stealthy tactics such as using recessed lights when it comes to lighting columns. Of course, if you didn't want to go this route, you could very well in fact use spotlights to illuminate the columns as they would likely be eventually hidden by those small bushes. For a spotlight I would suggest the All-Star™ for a lamp-ready option (Fat Boy as the budget-friendly alternative), or an Infiniti 30 for an integrated spotlight. Be sure to use narrow beam spreads for those narrow columns.
Hi Evan Thanks for advice! The bottom of the porch is out about 6" from the bottom of the columns. Would a well light still hit this ok? For the 2nd story, if I do gutter mount, any recommendations for spots? Was thinking infinity 30 or all star mini. Other?
My apologies Mike, I neglected to mention that the well-lights that I referenced are actually slightly adjustable as well. The housings for the light sources actually sit on gimbals so, they can pivot up & down in the canisters with some minor angular adjustment (the Articulator more so). So, as long as there wasn't an overhang over the edge of the deck from the bottom of the column (basically flush with the edge as they appear in the photos), then a well light could certainly be used. Both of the lights that you mentioned for the gutter mounting are actually ideal choices for subtle lighting on the second story; I would've recommended the same.
So did a lot of research on the site. Thinking the G4 30 for 2nd story since smallest size. Assume 350 lumens is fine? Think changing all optics to 17 degree works or would you do 24? Or combination-17,17,24,17 left to right? For columns, going with spots. Probably all star w 15 degree. Think 3 watt or 5 watt MR16? What's the main difference b/t all star and fat boy?
The G4 Infiniti 30 is an excellent choice and would look beautiful. For symmetry when fixtures are linear to one another, I would say always try to use the same universal beam spread. Of course, every house is different. With the different angles and different spaces between windows on your home, using the different beams like that may work wonderfully. For the MOST narrow areas, you could use the 17-degrees. For those columns, I would think that the 3W LED bulbs would be plenty bright enough to illuminate the columns without being overkill on the patio. Out of the box, you will notice more weight to the All-Star™; it is made of solid brass and has a beefier knuckle. Both can use the same LED bulbs and are backed by lifetime warranties. Overall, the Fat Boy is a more budget-friendly fixture; it's made of sheet brass and offers toolless adjustability.
