This is the ground level work rather than the roofline: path lights along walks and drives, uplighting on palms and the front of the house, and lighting over a patio, outdoor kitchen, or pool deck so the space is actually usable at night.
Low voltage
Most landscape lighting runs on twelve volts through a small transformer. That makes it safer to work around and easier to move or add to later as plants fill in and the yard changes.
What holds up here
Brass, copper, and stainless hardware with sealed waterproof connectors. Salt air eats cheap aluminum fixtures and bargain connectors, and sprinkler water finds every joint that was not sealed properly.
Aiming
Good aiming keeps glare out of windows, out of the neighbor's yard, and out of drivers' eyes. It is also worth having someone come back and re aim after the plants grow in, because a yard does not stay the same size.
- Runs at low voltage through a transformer, so it is safe to work around
- Brass, copper, and stainless resist the salt air that eats cheap fixtures
- Direct burial wire and sealed connectors keep joints alive through rain and sprinklers
- Aiming and shielding matter as much as the fixtures
Questions people ask about Landscape and Patio Lighting
Warm white or color for landscape lighting?
Warm white for every day, color when you want it. Around here the everyday look in most neighborhoods stays conservative, warm and architectural, and the color shows up for holidays and game days. Modern systems do both from the same fixtures, so you are not choosing at purchase time.
Do patio lights draw bugs?
Warmer color temperatures attract noticeably fewer insects than cool white light, which matters on a Gulf Coast patio in summer. Placement helps too: light the space from the edges rather than one bright fixture over the seating, and you keep both the glare and the bug cloud away from where people sit.
Can landscape zones tie into the roofline system?
Usually, and it is the better way to do it. One controller running roofline, patio, and landscape as separate zones means one app, scenes that coordinate the whole property, and one schedule. Bolting on a second standalone system later is how people end up with three apps and none of it matching.
New to this? The plain-English guide to ordering walks through what to decide first.