I am seeking input on how many lights and what kind should be used in my project. My biggest concern is the right amount of light and the fact I will have kids running around constantly and worrying about the lights being damaged. 1. I do not know if the nano lights are sufficient in some areas or if the well/spot/flood lights should be used. 2. Is there a way to mock up sample lights so I can determine placement before install? I have to put conduit in some places before my pavers are installed but don’t know which light and exact location yet.
Hi, Hi, Kyle. It wasn't clear to me from the perspective of your photos what your house and yard look like currently but I diagrammed one of your pics to suggest one possible lighting plan. The right amount of lighting is largely a subjective thing and will depend on what your goals are ultimately. Usually when I'm advising people on their lighting projects I like to walk the property both during daytime and nighttime to get a literal lay of the land. What is it that you hope to accomplish? Is your goal security or curb appeal or some combination of these. What is your nighttime sky like? Do you have streetlights or do you have a fairly dark night sky where you are? Will your sconces and portico light be part of your plan? Without knowing these things, it's difficult to opine on what's enough or too much. You asked about the nano lights which aren't remarkably bright but if your property is very dark at night, it's conceivable they could work in certain places. To novices, it can be hard to quantify the difference between 100 lumens and 300 lumens (at least that was the case for me initially). I'm guessing you're considering the nanos because they are described as "low profile". But if you don't have a good sense of how bright they are, an MR11 or MR8 spotlight might be a better choice for your needs. In fact, I think in general it might be a good idea for you to go with lamp ready fixtures. Unlike the nano (which has a the lamp/bulb pre-installed), lamp ready fixtures are a lot more versatile and configurable. You can then choose your bulb brightness or choose a color changeable lamp which is also dimmable, btw. I'm not aware of an online tool (either on VOLT or online in general) that allows the consumer to do mock ups of a lighting plan but that doesn't mean there's not a page or app out there somewhere that might allow you to do that. My own recommendation is that you look at some of the gallery photos of different lighting projects here on VOLT. By looking at the photos, you can get at least a general idea of light output and what the output will look like in certain situations. I also encourage you to look at some of the previous threads on lighting placement. Finally, you can always contact VOLT customer service and ask for additional guidance wrt planning and fixture choice. HTH
