Enjoy Your Outdoors with Improved Lighting

As the weather continues to warm up this spring, we will all spend more time outdoors. A well-lit outside environment can create an ambience that is hard to beat. With that being said, backyard and pool area lighting is an area that is often overlooked by designers.

If your backyard and pool area lighting is something that could be improved, following are some steps to help you improve your backyard and pool area lighting:

• Take a tour of your backyard and determine what you would like to illuminate.
• Stand inside at the back of your house and determine what you would like to see when viewing the backyard and pool area at
• Determine what type of fixtures would best serve your needs
• Select the proper method of controlling your lights (switch, time clock, or photoelectric).

Types of lighting techniques

Uplighting

As the name implies, lights are aimed upward to illuminate. This is a particularly good method of illuminating trees.

Downlighting

This method works very well to create a light over outdoor activity areas, such as patios.

Spotlighting

This method tends to work well when trying to light waterfalls, statues, and occasionally plants or small trees.

Pathlighting

This is often done for safety as well as aesthetics.

Moonlighting

It is most often done by mounting the lights in mature trees, with the fixture pointing downward. It tends to create the same shadowing effect as a full moon, creating a natural effect.

Types of fixtures

Decorative fixtures

typically add to the landscaping during the day as décor.

Lanterns

This illumination is typically a soft light.

Path fixtures

This type of lighting creates lighting for pathways during the nighttime and decoration during the daytime.

Mounted or hanging fixtures

The main purpose of these types of fixtures is decoration, but they also provide some light benefit. The mounted variety are usually mounted n a post or an exterior wall. Hanging fixtures are less common, but are also used occasionally.

Functional fixtures

typically hidden from view and provide lighting benefits only.

Ground mounted fixtures

These are very common and are used to highlight structures, objects, or plants.

Surface mounted fixtures

Typically mounted on a building or tree to provide general lighting or accent lighting.

Ground-recessed fixtures

These lights are mounted below grade (flush with the ground) and typically used for highlight trees, statues, etc.

There are many resources for outdoor lighting information, including the following books:

• The Landscape Lighting Book—by Janet Lennox Moyer
• The Art of Outdoor Lighting—by Randall Whitehead
• How to Design & Install Outdoor Lighting— by William H.W. Wilson
• Garden Lighting—by John Raine
• Garden Lighting: Contemporary Exterior Lighting—by James Davison

Clearly, there are many different considerations when planning and implementing backyard and pool area lighting, therefore it might be helpful to consult a lighting expert to help determine the best solution for your backyard and pool area lighting needs. An exterior lighting expert that we have recently worked with is Majestic Lighting. If you contact them and mention Gohlke Pools, you will receive a $300 discount. Their contact information is attached.