Most people start thinking about landscape lighting in the spring. It makes a lot of sense to do that, after all. The weather is becoming nice again and the yard is becoming green. You’re starting to spend more time outside. But by the time you get around to calling a company, so has everyone else in the neighborhood. Schedules then fill up, timelines start to stretch out, and what you hoped to enjoy by Memorial Day ends up finishing around Independence Day.
Late summer, however, is a different story entirely. There are a lot of very good reasons to consider installing your outdoor lighting in late summer or early autumn, and we’ll discuss them in this article.
Why August and September Are Ideal for Landscape Lighting Installation
By mid-August, the spring rush has thinned out. Outdoor lighting companies near you are still busy, but the backlog from April and May has cleared. You won’t need to wait as long to get started and the schedule will likely be more flexible. You’ll generally feel that you’re competing less for the attention of the crew on your project.
The weather is also cooperative. The ground is warm and the soil is workable. The daylight hours run long, so the installation team has plenty of light to work with during the day. All in all, August and September is a good time to install outdoor lighting, but a lot of homeowners overlook it simply because they associate outdoor projects with spring.
There’s also something to be said for getting the work done before the season changes. A landscape lighting system installed in August will be up and running long before the first short evening catches you off guard.
Be Ready for Earlier Sunsets and Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time runs to early November. But the sunset starts creeping earlier into the day long before then. By the time it’s late September, every day means dropping another couple of minutes of light. By October, it’s fully dark by 7. In November, you’re probably pulling back into your driveway in the dark after work.
When your walkways and driveway are hard to see, it’s an immediate safety issue. The same is true for stairs. And guests to your property have it worse because they don’t have the same familiarity you do.
Installing a system by September means you are ready before the clocks change. It’s much easier to relax that way, in a home that’s beautiful and safe!
Enjoy More Outdoor Entertaining This Fall
There is a stretch from late September through Thanksgiving where the weather is perfect for being outside. It’s cool enough to sit by a fire pit, yet still warm enough to eat dinner on the patio without bundling up.
Patios, decks, and outdoor dining areas all benefit from thoughtful lighting. So do the paths between them. When guests can move comfortably from the back door to the fire pit to the bar area without second-guessing their footing, the entire evening feels more relaxed.
And once the holidays arrive, a home with a well-illuminated landscape already has a head start. The foundation is in place. You won’t need to start from scratch with string lights from the garage.
Why Homeowners Choose a Professional Outdoor Lighting Company
The difference between a DIY setup and professional landscape lighting installation is the design. Anyone can buy a box of path lights and push them into the ground along a walkway. That certainly has its place, in fact. But a professional outdoor lighting company is something different altogether. Professionals look at your property and think about how light moves through it. They think about what is best highlighted and what is best left in shadow. And they know how to balance safety and style.
At Carolina Landscape Lighting, every installation is custom. We design around your property, your landscape, and how you use your outdoor spaces. And because we’re local, not a franchise, you’ll have direct access to the people doing the work. This is the way it will be from the very first conversation to the final walkthrough.
Schedule Your Landscape Lighting Installation Before Fall Arrives
If landscape lighting has been on your list, late summer is the time to move on it. Schedules are open, the weather is cooperating, and you’ll have everything in place before shorter days and holiday gatherings arrive.
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