Outdoor Lighting Installation

Morning Arrival and Site Preparation

Our installation crew arrives at your property in the morning with all fixtures, transformers, wiring, and tools loaded and ready. Before any ground is broken, we walk the entire property with your approved lighting design plan in hand, confirming every fixture location and identifying any changes since the design consultation. We mark underground utility lines, irrigation zones, and sprinkler heads with landscape flags so our trenching avoids every buried system. This careful site preparation is what separates a professional outdoor lighting installation from a DIY project that risks cutting through irrigation pipes or cable lines.

Trenching, Wiring, and Transformer Setup

With the site marked and confirmed, our crew begins trenching shallow channels for the low voltage wiring. We use specialized cable-laying tools that create a narrow slit in the turf, typically 4-6 inches deep, just enough to protect the wire while leaving your lawn intact. The turf is carefully folded back and replaced once wiring is in place. In planting beds, wire is buried beneath mulch and will be completely invisible within days. The transformer is mounted in a discreet location, usually on an exterior wall near a GFCI-protected outlet, a garage wall, or inside a utility closet. We size the transformer to handle your fixture load with headroom for future expansion, because many homeowners decide to add more landscape lighting once they see how their property looks at night.

Fixture Placement and Connection

Each fixture is positioned exactly according to the design plan. Path lights are spaced for even light coverage without hot spots. Uplights are placed at the base of trees and architectural features, angled precisely to highlight texture and form without creating glare. Hardscape wash lights are installed along retaining walls and stone facades. Every connection is made using waterproof, corrosion-resistant connectors and sealed with silicone-filled wire nuts to prevent moisture intrusion. This level of detail during the outdoor lighting installation process is what keeps your system running reliably for years without flickering, dimming, or connection failures that plague budget installations.

Testing, Aiming, and Final Walkthrough

Once every fixture is connected, we power on the entire system and test each zone independently. We check voltage readings at the transformer and at the farthest fixture in each run to ensure consistent brightness across the property. Then comes the artistic part: aiming. Our technicians adjust every spotlight, wash light, and downlight to achieve the exact effect shown in your design. We fine-tune beam angles, adjust fixture heights, and reposition any light that creates unwanted glare toward windows or neighboring properties. After programming timers, photocells, or smart controls, we do a complete walkthrough with you at dusk so you can see every fixture performing as designed. We clean up every scrap of wire, packaging, and soil, leaving your property exactly as we found it, except for the stunning new lighting.