Good landscape lighting does three things: it makes your home look like it costs more than it did, it makes your yard usable after dark, and it keeps people from tripping on your front walk. Bad landscape lighting does one thing: it makes your house look like a used car lot.
Here's what actually works, what to skip, and what it costs to do it right in Central Ohio.
Low Voltage vs. Line Voltage: Start Here
Almost all residential landscape lighting installed today is low voltage (12V), and for good reason:
- Safety. 12 volts won't shock you, your kids, or your dog if a wire gets nicked. Line voltage (120V) can.
- Installation. Low voltage wire can be buried just 6 inches deep (or even run on the surface under mulch). Line voltage requires conduit and an 18-inch trench, meaning permits and often an electrician.
- Cost. A low voltage transformer plugs into an existing outdoor outlet. No new electrical runs needed in most cases.
- LED efficiency. Modern low voltage LED fixtures use 2 to 5 watts each. You can light an entire yard on a single 300-watt transformer.
Solar landscape lights are fine for a casual path border, but they don't produce enough light for anything serious... uplighting, security, or entertaining. If you want it to actually look good, go low voltage LED.
The Five Landscape Lighting Techniques That Matter
1. Path Lighting
The most common and most often done wrong. Path lights should be staggered (not in a straight line), spaced 8 to 10 feet apart, and positioned to light the path surface, not shine in your eyes as you walk.
Where to use: Front walkways, garden paths, driveway borders, steps.
Fixtures: $30 to $80 each installed. Budget $400 to $800 for a typical front walkway.
2. Uplighting (Tree and Architectural)
This is the one that transforms your property. A single well-placed uplight at the base of a mature tree creates more visual impact than 20 path lights. Aim the light up into the canopy and let the branches create natural shadow patterns.
Where to use: Large trees, architectural columns, textured walls (stone, brick), specimen plants.
Fixtures: $75 to $200 each installed. 3 to 5 strategically placed uplights can light the entire front of a home.
3. Downlighting (Moonlighting)
Mount fixtures high in trees or under eaves, pointing down. This mimics natural moonlight and creates soft, even illumination without visible light sources. It's the most natural-looking technique and the hardest to get right.
Where to use: Outdoor dining areas, patios, large canopy trees over seating areas.
Fixtures: $100 to $250 each installed (higher cost due to mounting at height).
4. Wash Lighting
A wide-beam fixture placed close to a wall or fence to create an even "wash" of light across the surface. Works especially well on retaining walls, privacy fences, and garden walls.
Where to use: Retaining walls, fences, garage doors, wide garden beds.
Fixtures: $50 to $150 each installed.
5. Deck and Step Lights
Small, recessed fixtures built into step risers, deck posts, or railings. They're subtle, functional, and prevent the "I can't see the stairs" problem that sends someone to the ER every summer.
Where to use: Deck stairs, patio steps, retaining wall caps, railings.
Fixtures: $40 to $100 each installed.
What Landscape Lighting Costs in Central Ohio
Here's what we're quoting in the Dublin, Powell, and New Albany area for professionally designed and installed low voltage LED systems:
- Basic package (8 to 12 fixtures, front yard only): $2,000 to $4,000
- Mid-range (15 to 25 fixtures, front + backyard): $4,000 to $8,000
- Full property (30+ fixtures, hardscape integration, smart controls): $8,000 to $15,000+
That includes the transformer, wiring, fixtures, design, and installation. The transformer alone runs $150 to $500 depending on wattage.
DIY cost: Cut those numbers roughly in half. A quality DIY kit with 8 to 10 fixtures, transformer, and wire runs $500 to $1,200 from brands like Volt, WAC, or Kichler. The fixtures themselves are the same... you're saving on labor and design.
5 Mistakes That Ruin Landscape Lighting
1. Too many path lights. A line of 15 path lights down your walkway looks like a runway. Less is more. Use 6 to 8 and supplement with uplighting on nearby features.
2. Fixtures too bright. Warm white (2700K) at low wattage. This isn't stadium lighting. You want ambiance, not an interrogation room. If you can clearly read a book by your landscape lights, they're too bright.
3. Ignoring the back of the house. Everyone lights the front. The back, where you actually spend time, gets forgotten. Light your patio, your favorite tree, the path to the fire pit.
4. Visible wires and transformers. Tuck the transformer behind a shrub or inside a utility box. Bury wires under mulch at minimum. Exposed wiring kills the aesthetic instantly.
5. No timer or smart control. Manual switches mean you'll forget to turn them on half the time and leave them on until noon the next day. A timer or smart plug costs $30 and pays for itself in the first month of electricity savings.
Best Time to Install Landscape Lighting in Ohio
Anytime the ground isn't frozen. Low voltage installation is minimally invasive. The wire goes just under the mulch or a few inches into the soil. Spring and fall are ideal because you can see your landscaping taking shape and plan the lighting around it.
February is actually a great time to plan. With the leaves off the trees, you can see the architectural bones of your property... the branch structure, the sight lines, the features worth highlighting. That clarity disappears once everything leafs out in May.
Ready to Light It Up?
We design and install low voltage LED landscape lighting systems for homes across Dublin, Powell, New Albany, Galena, Westerville, Delaware, Sunbury, Upper Arlington, and Lewis Center. Every system is custom-designed for your property. No cookie-cutter packages.
Request a free lighting consultation or call Clay at (740) 602-5507.