I'm hoping to get some feedback on a lighting plan for the front of my house. My general preference is for lighting on the subtle end of the spectrum. See blank picture and marked up picture attached. Excuse the Halloween decorations, it was the only picture I had handy.
Lovely home, Colin. This is a very intelligent plan. Other than perhaps illuminating the second floor section of siding above the garage (which I think would be the one patch of darkness on your facade), I really can't think of anything I would add or change. I think your beam spread and lumens choices are spot on (no pun intended). The 5 watters for the trees are a sensible choice.
Thanks Mesodude. Much appreciated. What are your thoughts on the Gentle Splash's vs. G2 Fat Boy's for highlighting the landscaping in the front? Is one fixture "lower profile" or less visible during the day? Any other major distinguishers?
I was not at my sharpest yesterday. While they are used for different purposes, these fixtures have some aspects in common. I've diagrammed one of your photos to give you approximation of the effect each of these fixtures produces. The Gentle Splash is a floodlight that produces a broad, wide beam. The fixture head swivels so you can aim it up and down but the glare guard is fixed. This fixture comes in a customizable version but there's also a version with an integrated 250 lumens lamp. The Fatboy is spotlight and that produces a narrower beam. This allows you to focus light more tightly onto surfaces than you can with a floodlight. As with the Gentle Splash, the glare guard is fixed. Other than the difference in coverage, the main difference between these two lights is that the Fatboy accepts filters and lenses that the Gentle Splash doesn't. If the overall effect the Gentle Splash is what you had in mind, you might find that a single Wide Splash works there. If the effect of the Fatboy is closer to the effect you want, bear in mind that the All Star and the TopDog spotlights (with their adjustable glare guards) allow even greater control of light output. Bottom line: The Gentle Splash gives you more bang for your buck in terms of coverage but if you want to be able to control how much light is projected onto the wall behind those plants, the Fatboy (or more versatile spotlights like the ones I mentioned above) would be your best option. Hope this helps. PS The Gentle Splash is much smaller than the Fatboy.
