The child in all of us loves to admire the homes we pass in the midst of winter that emulate the joy of the Holidays with their bright colorful lights, Holiday symbolism and winter themes. The adult part of us wishfully thinks “next year”. Well guess what? Next year is here!
Late fall is a great time for planning, researching and acquiring all that you need to turn your home into the fantasy winter landscape you’ve been dreaming about with that “WOW” curb appeal factor. For those in New England, the mantra “the sooner, the better” definitely holds true too as cold fingers and thumbs tend to make hanging lights just that bit harder and this year, remember, there are no excuses!
What To Consider
- Power Outlets: Newer homes tend to have several on the property’s exterior and with today’s low voltage lights, these can usually be put to good use with the addition of grounded multiple outlet strips and extension cords. If however you live in an older home, check out your options and if you’re out of luck, get in touch with a licensed electrician. It’s pretty easy to add a socket or two and shouldn’t break the bank but your electrician will be much happier doing this before the snow flies!
- Scope: Decide on the extent of your outside lighting project and any budget constraints that may exist. Sometimes it’s simpler to start small and build on your vision over a couple of years but for others, the “big picture” is everything – Think of “Home Alone”!
- House Scapes: Decorating the home’s immediate exterior. Ideas include –
- Front Porch decoration
- Lighted wreaths to highlight windows, doors or natural high points of your home’s exterior,
- Lights strung from the eaves, around windows and doors.
- Yardscapes: These tend to fall into three categories
- Religious displays – a lighted nativity scene for example
- Highlighting of your yard’s natural features – seasonal lighting of trees, shrubs, pathways and small structures. In addition the natural features may be embellished with Holiday motives – for example a lighted sleigh mounted on a gazebo.
- Standalone yard displays: lighted snowmen, symbolic signage “Believe”, “Joy”, “‘Tis the Season”, Santa and His Sleigh, Chanukiah, etc.
Once you have a broad plan in mind come and talk to us. We’ll walk you through the logistics from extension cords to the best lighting options to achieve just the right look for your home and neighborhood. With today’s low voltage lighting and LED’s, it has never been easier to install a breathtaking landscape and recycle the same lights and decorative features year after year. We will also help you with products to automate everything so that lights and displays come on at dusk and turn off automatically without creating a rift with your neighbors!