Home Improvement

Using exterior lighting can add a lot of characteristics to your house. Whether it be lighting up a pathway leading to the front door, or a hanging lamp next to the porch, an exterior lighting fixture can not only make your home look warm and inviting, but also show people where to head in the darkness. Below are listed some various types of exterior lighting fixtures, and the types of places people tend to place them.

• Lantern lights are often inspired from the streetlight of Victorian times, and give great texture to your property. They can either be hanging or free standing, and either way can act as a convenient way to light up your porch, or the beginning of your driveway. Easy to set up and get going yourself, these types of lights can vary in price. For a hanging lantern you should be expecting to pay around $200 for a good quality one, whereas with a free standing one, you could pay anything from $300 up to $1500, depending on what material is used and the overall quality.

• Outdoor ceiling lights are one of the most common types of exterior lighting, and usually sit on the ceiling of your porch. They provide valuable light when entering the house at night, particularly useful for finding your keys and inserting them into the lock. The lights can come using a switch mechanism, or more usefully a motion sensor, so that the light will switch on automatically as soon as it detects movement. These types of lights may be harder to install, depending on whether you are able to drill through the ceiling yourself. Expect to pay between $100 and $300 for an exterior ceiling lighting fixture.

• Exterior wall lighting fixtures are also a popular style in exterior lighting, as they are reliable, cheap and available in a variety of different types. If your house is modern, there are lights to fit in with that style, just as if your house is old fashioned, there are lights designed to fit in well with that. They are readily available and are easy to fit providing a basic level of electrical knowledge is known. Exterior wall lights should be available from your local hardware store, or even better if you are luck enough to have a lighting specialist nearby take a trip down to them.

• Pedestal lights are a type of light usually situated on the ground or on a wall. They are often used to light up pathways or the edges of gardens, and can be particularity effective when used in conjunction with other pedestals to create a sophisticated and stylish look. These types of exterior lights may need professional help to install, as they sometimes require cables to be laid underground, depending on the type of light and the amount you have in the garden. Prices vary from around $50 up to $300 per pedestal largely depending on the design.

There are many types of exterior lighting fixtures, and you need to look around to see what suits you best before making any decisions, but always keep prices in mind if you plan on purchasing more than one, and make sure that you have the right tools to install them yourself if you plan on self installation.