Landscape Lighting Design & Installation in Corpus Christi, TX

Design comes first

Landscape lighting is as much about where light is not as where it is. A good design picks a few things worth seeing, lights them well and lets the rest fall into shadow, so the property has depth instead of looking flood-lit.

We look at the property from the street and from inside the house, and ask how you use the space: where you park, where you walk, where you sit in the evening. The plan comes from that.

Techniques we use

• Uplighting: fixtures at the base of a palm, live oak or wall that wash light upward and show texture and height
• Downlighting: fixtures mounted high in a tree or under an eave that cast a soft, moonlit effect over a lawn, patio or drive
• Path and step lighting: low fixtures that mark walkways, stairs and changes in grade
• Wall and facade washing: even light across stone, brick or stucco that brings the architecture forward
• Accent lighting: a tighter beam on a specimen tree, a fountain, a sculpture or the entry
• Water and dock lighting: underwater, dock and fishing lights for pools, canals and bayfront properties

Lighting Coastal Bend landscapes

The plants here are made for lighting. A palm takes an uplight beautifully, with the trunk glowing and the fronds catching light at the top. Live oaks, with their low, spreading limbs, are best lit from more than one point so the canopy reads as a whole.

The climate is less forgiving. Salt air, humidity and wind are hard on outdoor fixtures and connections, so product choice and installation quality matter more here than they do inland. We recommend fixtures and placements with that in mind.

Waterfront homes on the canals, the Laguna Madre and the bays get special attention. The view from the water matters as much as the view from the street, and dock, step and fishing lights can be part of the same plan.

LED and low voltage

Modern landscape lighting is low-voltage LED. A transformer steps household power down to low voltage, and LED fixtures use far less electricity and last far longer than the halogen lamps older systems relied on. Systems are typically set to come on at dusk and turn off on a schedule, so they run themselves.

Safety and security

Lighting the route from the driveway to the door, the steps and the dark side of the house makes a property easier to move around and less inviting to anyone who should not be there. It does this without the glare of a flood light, which tends to create deeper shadows than it removes.

Adding color and outdoor living

If you want your landscape lighting to change color for holidays or events, ask about RGB lighting and permanent app-controlled lighting. For patios, decks and courtyards, bistro and string lighting overhead completes the space.

What we light

• Palms, live oaks and specimen trees
• The front of the house: entry, columns, stone and brick
• Walks, steps and driveways
• Planting beds and garden features
• Patios, pergolas and outdoor kitchens
• Pools, fountains and water features
• Docks, bulkheads and the waterside of the property
• Gates, entry columns and address markers

Mistakes a good design avoids

Most disappointing landscape lighting fails in one of a few predictable ways. Path lights are lined up in rows like a runway. Fixtures are aimed so they shine into the eyes of someone walking up the drive or into a bedroom window. Everything is lit to the same brightness, so nothing stands out. Or the design looks fine from the street and ignores the view from the living room, which is where the owners see it most.

We place fewer fixtures and place them with more care. Fixtures are shielded and aimed so you see the effect and not the source.

Landscape lighting for businesses and communities

For a business, landscape lighting makes the entrance and the sign easy to find, makes customers and staff more comfortable walking to their cars and keeps the property looking kept after closing. For an HOA, it gives the neighborhood entrance the same presence at night that it has in daylight. Hotels, restaurants, churches and offices are all good candidates.

How a project runs

• We walk the property with you and talk about how you use it
• We design the lighting and prepare a written quote
• Our crew installs the fixtures, wiring and transformer
• Fixtures are aimed and adjusted so light falls where it should
• Timers are set so the system runs itself

A system can be installed all at once or in phases. Starting with the front of the house and adding the backyard or the dock later is common.

What affects the price

• The number and type of fixtures
• The size of the property and how far wire has to run
• Trees that call for fixtures mounted up in the canopy
• Water, dock and pool features

A landscape lighting system can also be installed in phases: the front of the house this year, the backyard or the waterfront next. Call (361) 687-2763 or request a free quote, and we will respond within 48 hours.