When it comes to projects that create a big impact without breaking the bank, lighting may be one of the best results-costs ratios available for homeowners looking to make an immediate change to their homes.
If you’ve ever been to an indoor event that utilized uplighting to create a sense of atmosphere, you know how strategically-placed lights can transform a space and turn it into an attraction. The same can be done with your home, too—using lights to accentuate the finer points of your dwelling’s architecture can increase your curb appeal and draw the eyes of passersby, making your home the must-see property on the block. Lighting can also be used to accentuate paths and highlight decorations like plants or signage.
Last—but certainly not least—lighting makes a great theft deterrent. Angling light onto easily accessible entryways or otherwise obscured windows adds a layer of protection to those otherwise potentially vulnerable locations around the home.
Pathways, driveways, walls, front doors, and outdoor lighting options come with multiple benefits, and utilizing them in fun, unique ways can help you show off your home, as well as your own individuality. This can be achieved through the use of different lighting fixtures, including bollard lights, wall lights, flood lights and lights made to be fixed into paths.
Choose the Right Light for the Job
To start, any light you’re considering for your porch needs to be rated for such a location. UL Solutions, a global independent safety science company provides a UL rating for lights sold in the United States. This rating can be found on the light’s label and tells the buyer what kind of environment the light is suited to operate in.
Exterior house lights rated for dry use must be used indoors or in another area safe from precipitation or secured against dampness. Damp happens to be the next rating, too, and those lights can be used in areas protected from precipitation but still subject to residual dampness—think covered, but still exposed to open air.
If you want to use lights in damp areas, the fixtures rated for such an environment feature their own moisture mitigation methods, like gaskets, holes and seals that keep water from lying stagnant on live wires. This water can originate from a number of different sources, including air, fog, rain or snow—in other words, if a light source is going to be outside and won’t be buffered by substantial covering, it’ll need to be rated for wet areas by UL. Due to their ability to defend themselves against water, lights rated for damp environments are probably the best ones to consider when shopping for exterior house lights.
Exterior House Lights: Door and Front Porch Ideas
If you’re one to believe that people’s first impressions upon meeting define the way they look at one another from that moment forward, you’re going to want to focus on your main exterior front door and porch areas. Often, your home’s first impression will be made based on this area—it’s usually the first visitors see up close and, because it’s probably the most visually busy area of your front façade, it’s what the eyes of most passersby are drawn to, too.
The front porch and main entry door are also what you and your family will see when you return home from a day of work, school, chores or other tasks that take you away from the house. You want it to remind you why you love your home, and well-placed lighting can make a porch’s finer points pop. It can also make doing things like finding your keys and safely carrying a lot of items safer than if lighting was poor near your front door.
Adding lighting in the form of wall sconces is a classic move that harkens back to the art deco aesthetic, but sconces can be designed to look sleek as part of any type of architectural style. Any sconces placed around a door should be hung at a height of approximately 5-to-6 feet. As a general design rule, sconces should be hung in pairs. However, if a door is asymmetrical, one may not look out of place by itself.
Flushmount lighting is made to be functional and stay out of the way. Choose this option if you want your porch or door to be the focal point and don’t want any interference from ornate lights. These are also great options if you don’t have a lot of space to work with or you’re worried a wet porch will cause problems with more elaborate fixtures. Place flushmount lighting at approximately 6-to-7 feet.
Pendant lighting hangs from a porch’s ceiling and can be as simple or elaborate as the space calls for. Choose this option if you want lighting to be a focal point of the entryway and your porch is safe from wind. Hang approximately 7-8 feet from the porch floor.
Sometimes, adding in fixtures may not be the best way to add more light or more flare to your front porch. Doorlites are pieces of glass that can be installed around your front door that allow for light from the inside to be seen on the outside and, in some cases, light to be reflected off the doorlite’s glass. In the daytime, these doorlites can allow more natural light to enter the home than a door could alone.
Glass inserts for an entry door function in a similar way—they add unique design features to the door itself while improving the overall look of an entryway, they allow natural light to enter a space while doing the same for any indoor light that may make its way outside, and they’re functionally adaptable to a number of different door styles. All types of doors can accommodate glass inserts, including modern designs as well as doors like those from Plastpro’s Nova Series that feature glass directly and seamlessly glazed into the door.
Driveway and Pathway Lighting Ideas
You should be able to safely and efficiently move about your property, even while outdoors at night. Providing proper lighting for yourself and your visitors is as much a question of style as it is functionality, but when it comes to each important point, modern technology offers options for outdoor lighting ideas that serve both.
Pathways can be lit by artificial stones with built-in lighting, in-ground LED lights, or easy-to-install lamps that feature long-lasting LED technology. If you don’t want your paths illuminated all night, timers and motion detection allow for these options to turn on or off when needed.
In addition to pathways, these options can also be used to shine some light on outdoor features you’re proud of, like gardens, landscaping and topiary features, installed art, and more.
Driveway lighting can also take advantage of the same motion technology, with lights on the border of the driveway and the yard turning on to give drivers a better visual while parking. Built-in lights above a garage can help drivers navigate their vehicles into the space, while a more powerful lighting option can keep work or play going in the driveway after it becomes dark outside.
Wall Lighting Ideas
In addition to the safety that comes with lighting up the walls of your home during dark nights, wall lighting can be used to achieve an air of ambiance, complement outdoor house lighting ideas already put into action, and more.
Use string lighting—particularly over fences near outdoor living spaces—to both set a mood and provide complementary lighting to any fixtures already in use.
Around the outside of a home, sconces can also be a great option for any lighting that needs to be affixed to a wall. The ability to direct light both up and down from a sconce can help you light paths, provide uplighting for roof eaves, or bring light into other outdoor areas.
It’s a good idea to utilize a home’s existing outdoor features as a guide to place lighting, and wall lighting on columns, in recesses or attached to other distinct architectural features will serve double duty as accompaniment to the feature and lighting for the home.
If you don’t want your wall lighting to be physically located on the wall, flood lights may be the most efficient exterior lighting option since they distribute a lot of light with one source. However, they cover such a large space that they’re usually only functional in certain situations: if signs need to be illuminated, if large and open areas require light, or if anti-theft measures are being taken.
Backyard and Lawn Outdoor Lighting Ideas
Lighting a dark backyard or lawn can be simple and functional or complex and ornate—it depends on the space and its available features.
Using LED lanterns or in-ground lighting here is certainly an option, too, but with spaces like this, it’s possible to get creative and do something really special. String solar-powered lighting through backyard trees to create a dreamy atmosphere, or hang a statement lantern off a particularly strong tree branch. This string lighting can be hung across any tall structures that are already there or features can be installed for this purpose.
Faux fireplaces give off a rustic feel without the smoke and space commitment of a true fire pit. Other, cheaper options include large candles or lights inside mason jars that can be placed upon tables.
On the more functional side, bollard lights are the heavy-duty version of pathway lighting and are great for enhancing nighttime visibility from the darker corners of your backyard. Flood lights can also be of use here, especially if you have large, open spaces you’d like to light.
Outdoor Lighting Ideas and Tips
The best outdoor lighting options either accentuate your home’s already impressive features or blend seamlessly into what’s already there. Use lighting strategically to create focal points or raise the safety factor of your home, but be sure to consult professionals if you feel a lighting fixture’s location—new or already installed—may cause issues down the road.
Exterior and Curb Appeal Upgrades with Plastpro
Entryway lighting needs something to illuminate, and Plastpro’s fiberglass doors are a great option for your future focal point. They can be customized to fit a wide range of sizes or architectural styles, and with the durable nature of fiberglass, they’ll remain eye-catching longer than their wooden or steel counterparts.
Plus, with a wide range of options when it comes to doorlite decorative glass as well as door models that incorporate natural lighting, there’s no shortage of solutions for creating a light and sun-soaked entryway.
Find a Plastpro dealer near you to begin your door replacement process. Installing a fiberglass door is a home improvement project that requires a relatively small budget and can achieve a number of different homeowner-friendly goals at once. Add the usually low cost of outdoor lighting to the mix and a new illuminated entryway is an easy addition to your summer project list.
