Lighting the parts of the garden you actually use
The most effective schemes are usually restrained. A lit path, a washed wall, a couple of uplights in planting and something warm over the seating area will do more than a floodlight aimed across the lawn.
We will walk the garden with you, look at it from inside the house as well as outside, and plan circuits and switching around that.
Patios, entertaining and garden design
Seating areas want low-level, warm light — recessed deck lights, wall-mounted downlighters or discreet strip under a bench or step edge.
If you are having landscaping done, get the cable ducting in before the paving goes down. It costs very little at that stage and saves lifting slabs later.
Pathways, driveways and entrances
Steps, level changes and dark side passages are where lighting genuinely matters. Bollards, recessed ground lights or wall lights at a sensible spacing make a route obvious without glare.
At the front of the house, a well-placed light at the door and along the drive is usually enough. Sensor-controlled fittings work well here, set so they trigger for people rather than every passing cat.
Security lighting — realistically
Lighting can make a property easier to see around and less appealing to approach unnoticed, and it makes CCTV footage far more useful. We would not claim more than that.
What we would say is that badly aimed floodlights annoy neighbours and create deep shadows. Lower-output fittings, aimed properly, are almost always the better choice.
Outdoor sockets, garages and outbuildings
An external weatherproof socket saves running leads through windows for mowers, pressure washers and Christmas lighting, and it is protected properly at the consumer unit.
Where a garage, shed or outbuilding needs its own supply, that is a separate armoured circuit with its own small distribution board — the same approach we take for garden rooms.
Frequently asked questions
- Can an electrician install outdoor lighting?
- Yes. Outdoor lighting and sockets are notifiable work in most cases and must use fittings and cable rated for external use, with suitable protection at the consumer unit.
- Can lighting be added to an existing garden without digging it up?
- Often, yes. Cables can frequently be routed along fence lines, walls or borders. Where a run has to cross a lawn or paving, we will explain what is involved before starting.
- Will outdoor lighting increase my electricity bill much?
- LED outdoor fittings draw very little power. Timers, photocells and sensors keep running costs down further by only lighting when needed.
- Do outdoor sockets need special protection?
- Yes. External sockets need a weatherproof enclosure and RCD protection, and the circuit should be designed for outdoor use rather than extended from an indoor one.
Where we work
We cover homes across east Birmingham and the surrounding towns. See the areas we cover, including Castle Bromwich, Shard End, Hodge Hill, Kitts Green, Stechford and Chelmsley Wood.