Outdoor Lighting Yesterday and Garden Lighting Today

We've been lighting up the outdoors ever since the first caveman grabbed a piece of wood that had been hit by lightning and touched it to his head. The first outdoor lights were simple wooden torches and bundles of grass dipped in animal fat. These were of course replaced in time by more sophisticated techniques such as wax candles and metal containers containing whale oil and other organic substances.

The next big advancement was a creation of lanterns. Hundreds of kinds have been made from everything from wood to bone to metal and are still used for decorative purposes (we'll be talking about this in later articles) as outdoor patio lights and in rural and Third World areas.

But most modern lighting technology has been created within the last couple of hundred years. Once humans figured out how to get gas from coal, cities around the world were alive around the clock. This gaslight technology was with us for decades until replaced with electricity by Thomas Edison.

It is electric light that has created the beautiful nighttime landscapes that we enjoy today. Since the most primitive light bulbs were manufactured, we have been using them to create artificial nighttime landscapes as a backdrop to family celebrations, weddings and other joyful events. In the last few decades however, we have seen the advent of a lot of new technology, which enables even smaller gardens and smaller budgets to create beautiful nighttime scenery.

Professionals in a number of related -- and sometimes completely unrelated -- disciplines have created new developments in outdoor lighting. Everyone from landscape designers to architects to mechanical engineers have been involved in creating innovative products that we all used to light our gardens at night in the 21st century.

I am going to give you all the information you're going to need to design your own outdoor lighting system or to have someone else do it and make sure that you're getting a good deal. It is important to understand the basics of outdoor lighting, and why it should be installed in a certain way and in certain places. You may find that your electrical contractor is primarily concerned with indoor lighting and while he would do the best job he can you may deliver something that looks more like a night game at Wrigley Field than it does the serene relaxing evening scenery you had hoped for.

You may also find yourself working with a professional who is very well versed in this area. If you can find someone like this, it will make everything a lot easier. This person will understand local building codes what kinds of wiring would be acceptable whether or not solar patio lighting will work for your installation and how difficult it will be to transform your idea into a beautiful reality. Nevertheless, just because this person is well versed in installing your outdoor garden lighting does not mean that you should not also be knowledgeable. The more you know the easier it will be a work which are lighting designer to achieve a result that you will find aesthetically pleasing and affordable.

Working With a Contractor

If you intend to use a lighting designer, use him or her from the very beginning. You will find advice his invaluable and will help you to prevent some costly mistakes. As in any endeavor, it is much easier to do the job right than it is to do it over.

If you are lighting installation is going to be technically complex you may also find yourself using a contractor. For instance, maybe your installation includes a combination of low voltage wire gliding and standalone solar lighting panels. On the other hand, perhaps you are going to be using much of motion sensing devices were complicated three or four way switch set up. In these cases, you definitely want to be using a licensed electrical contractor. Even if you intend to do most of the wiring yourself, you'll need to have one at hand to inspect it and make sure it's up to code before you can consider your project complete

In fact, since you are going to have to have a professional electrician inspector garden lighting project at the finish you may as well have them check your plans at the beginning. He will more than likely be able to make suggestions with regard to proper outdoor lighting wattage and wire runs that you may not have thought of on your own.

This is the end of part two in our series on outdoor garden lighting. I hope that I've given you plenty to think about and awarded your appetite for more specific information regarding outdoor lighting installation and design. Hope you come back and read the rest of the articles in the series.