I live in North Jersey and interested in low voltage lighting in my front yard and back yard. I've spent quite a bit of time researching and started a design but still confused when to use well vs. spot. vs bullet, how many fixture would be adequate to light a particular tree/object, LED wattage, etc. It is very easy to want to add lights everywhere and go overboard. I was planning to have 2 transformers as I don't need to light the pool during the colder months when it is not used much. I've attached several pictures of the front yard and the backyard and put a few flags up for reference. I appreciate all input and ideas. Thanks! Front Yard Front Tree - 2 Bullet Japanese Cyprus Tree (Left Corner) - 2 Bullet Front Door Tree - 3 Well Left Corner - 2 Bullet Right Corner - 2 Bullet Right Corner Tree - 1 Bullet Front Door Walkway - 3 Path Backyard Cherry Tree (Left Corner) - 2 Well Left Side of Left Stairs - 1 Bullet Left Stairs - 2 Path Right Side of Left Stairs - 1 Bullet Left side of SPA spillover - 3 Bullet SPA Spill Over - 3 small puck Right side of SPA spillover - 1 Bullet Right Stairs - 2 Path Spa Area - 3 Path Right Rear 3 Trees - 2 Well Left Rear Tree - 1 Well
Beautiful house! Overall, it seems like you have an excellent plan in place. I'd be happy to answer some of the general questions you had! As far as when to use a spot/flood or an in-ground light, it mainly comes down to personal preference. In-ground lights would be ideal if you wanted the light source to be mostly hidden or if you wanted the light recessed to avoid issues with yard work. Spotlights and floodslights would offer more adjustability typically having adjustable knuckles, glare guards and different mounting options. Essentially, you can get the same up-lighting effect and customization of the light output (beam spread and color temp) with any of those lights in a lamp-ready version - all capable of producing beautiful illumination. How many fixtures to use on a tree or object depends on the design and size of the object really. For the smaller more narrow trees with smaller canopies on your property, you could consider using a single spotlight with a moderate beam spread. Larger trees you will either want to consider larger/brighter fixtures (ex:120V) or a combination of multiple 12V fixtures - ex: a single spotlight with a higher lumen count(brightness) illuminating the trunk of a large tree with (2) other moderate bright spotlights illuminating each side of the canopy. The clusters of plants or stones in the gardens could be illuminated with subtle floodlights - for these garden areas/stones in close proximity to a walkway or outdoor living space you could consider path & area lights to illuminate both the usable space and highlight the garden/rocks. (2) transformers is definitely beneficial in multiple ways: simplifies installation, allows for easier customization in different areas, and can simplify troubleshooting down the road. Pro Junction Hubs are also ideal for areas where a number of lights may be installed.
Thank you for the help. I guess I am having difficulty understanding why one would pay for the more expensive Lusitano vs. the much cheaper Fat Boy Brass spot? Are the floods beam adjustable? The only way to do this right is to view at night and make adjustments such as change beam spread, add/subtract fixtures, etc. If more/less light is needed, wouldn't I need to replace the entire integrated fixture? What if I had MR11 Lusitano and need the MR16? It can be lots of replacement and back-n-forth. What is glare guard? And, how would one determine color temp? Also, can you recommend a possible design for front and pool area? I'd like to compare what's in my head with yours.
It boils down to a matter of preference - the Fat Boy out of the gate is obviously the more budget-friendly option with classic styling whereas the Lusitano is much beefier consisting of more brass with more modern, linear styling. Both are lamp-ready spotlights (accept a bulb) so, you can customize the beam spread, wattage, and color temperature of either spotlight. Depending on the spotlight, some may not offer an adjustable glare guard whereas another may offer a full range of adjustability. Lamp-ready fixtures are generally more popular than integrated and I would certainly recommend considering them over integrated lights for a number of reasons: easier to adjust wattage, spread, color temp with bulbs, easier to replace bulb if necessary (our bulbs have lifetime warranties separately) so, the entire fixture wouldn't typically need to ever come back really (unless deemed necessary of course). Unless it's a smaller object or niche application, MR16 would be the bulk of what you wanted to use. Fixture placement could look something like this (attached photo). Essentially, a number of pathlights spread around the patio for beauty and function, highlight some of the larger trees in back if you wanted, and for highlighting the stones and gardens you could consider directional path lights such as the Elevator Path & Flood Light , Mini All-Star™ Innovator Path Light, or even the Mini All-Star™ Twinnovator Path & Area Light which would allow for directing light on a walkway/the pool deck and an area of the garden/stones simultaneously.
Since it is impossible to know what this will look like until after install and viewed at night, should we expect that we might have to swap out for different beams and/or stronger bulbs? Or would I have to switch the entire fixture such as MR11 Lusitano to the MR16 Lusitano? Where specifically do you recommend the directional lights? There's no walk way against the backwall to the left/right of the spa either in front of the plants shining through towards the rocks. I was thinking of using floods to highlight the plants/rocks right where you have highlighted. What's the benefit of the guard? Would you recommend lighting for the front of the house?
The main reason most homeowners would need/want to make edits after installation would either be because the bulbs they selected are too bright or not bright enough essentially. The majority of targets in your landscape could be beautifully illuminated using 3W and 5W LED MR16s (these are also the most popular for residential applications). For larger applications such as the large trees in the back, this is where 7W LEDs would come in handy. As long as you stick to this train of thought, it will help the most with your decision making. The directional lights would likely be most ideal illuminating the rocks/stairs up and away from the pool/house - you typically wouldn't want to be sending any unsightly glare back towards the main living areas. It's impossible to see from the photo where exactly you would have space - anywhere generally around the steps/spaces in the garden beds between the rocks. Glare guards offer adjustability in the field to help minimize glare further mainly but, can also slightly narrow the width of illumination if raised to the max (depends on the fixture of course). Most fixtures will come with a detachable glare guard held on by a small brass thumbscrew but, some fixtures may have the glare guard attached to the main lens/faceplate assembly. Some general recommendations for the front (photos attached) - path lights for the front walkway, uplights for the smaller trees and the large tree upfront. With the close proximity of windows and large lanterns, you may not need or want much illumination on the home - but you could still likely add a spotlight to each corner; one off to the right side and another to the left corner near the garage.
Thanks Kevin. I have a few additional questions. 1) I am thinking of adding 3 bullets to the front yard's tree by the road as it is tall with a large canopy. What wattage/beam spread should I use? My wife doesn't think it is necessary but I think the front tree would add depth to the yard. 2) For the Japanese Cyprus in the left corner, the trunk is really nice and it has a thick canopy. Should I be using a larger watt bulb/bigger beam for the trunk and then use 2 spot lights to highlight the tree? 3) What about the tree directly in front of the front door -- debating 3 of them but unclear what wattage/spread. 4) My house has red brick and like the idea of putting a spot light on the left/right corner of the house and between the windows. Should I go with a narrow beam to ensure the light does not interfere with the window? 5) For the back yard, I have multiple large oak trees behind the pool area that I think will add depth. 2 on the left side and a group of 3 trees on the right side. Should I be using a 7W with a narrow beam? 6) On the right side of the pool area, I have a large weeping cherry tree with a thick canopy. Would 2 spotlights be sufficient? 7) The rocks that span from the surround the pool from the left-side to the right-side are tricky. I was debating using floods to highlight the 2nd level of rocks right behind the plants. But, those plants grow from spring to fall and the light would get covered up and wouldn't highlight the rocks. Instead, I was thinking of using a combination of spot lights on the lower level shining horizontally against the rocks and then the paths sitting within the plans shining down. But, I still debat using a wide flood instead of the spot light. Front Yard Front Tree - 3 Bullet Japanese Cyprus (Left Corner) - 3 Bullet Front Door Tree - 3 Bullet Left Corner - 2 Bullet Right Side - 3 Bullet Right Corner Tree - 1 Bullet Backyard Left Seating Area - 2 Path Main Seating Area - 4 Path Cherry Tree (Left Corner) - 2 Bullet Left Side of Left Stairs - 1 Path Left Stairs - 2 Path Above Pool Walkway - 2 Path Right Side of Left Stairs - 1 Bullet | 1 Path Left side of SPA spillover - 1 Bullet | 2 Path SPA Spill Over - 3 small puck Right side of SPA spillover - 1 Bullet Right Stairs - 2 Path Spa Area - 3 Path Right Rear 3 Trees - 2 Bullet Left Rear Tree (Behind Wooden Bear) - 1 Bullet Left Rear Tree #2 - 2 Bullet
If using (1) fixture, ideally a higher wattage with wider beam spread (3W and 60-deg are the standards essentially so, increasing from there). For trees with wide canopies but shorter overall height, you could even consider a floodlight as well. With (2) fixtures - (1) could be on the trunk with a narrow beam spread and a standard level of output to highlight the trunk, and (1) offset from the light at the base with a wider beam spread and higher output to illuminate the canopy. Narrower beams (lower than standard 60-deg) are typically ideal for any trunks, columns narrow objects. You could very well use (2) fixtures to illuminate a canopy if desired. This is largely preferential based on what effect you're looking for trying to accomplish, budget, and layout (ease and complexity of install) - beautiful uplighting effects on trees can be accomplished with 1 fixture, multiple fixtures, or a variety of methods and different fixtures. The possibilities for design are endless really. Any lights placed directly on home/architecture between windows should ideally use narrow beam spreads to avoid light intrusion into the home. For illuminating the rocks and garden beds around the patio in a balanced and professional manner, I would agree that a combination of path lights and either spotlights or floodlights would likely be most ideal. Most likely path lights and lamp-ready floodlights.
I like the combination of the path and the spotlights but the spotlight's 5W/30W Halogen doesn't have an equivalent path bulb output as they have 3W/20W or 4/35W). Is it bad to have a difference in bulb output? I plan to grave the large stones and have the paths highlight the plants but concerned the difference in output will be bad?
