Exterior

Constantine Pergantis has been in the outdoor lighting business for over 15 years. He says when he got started, there were about three companies making low-voltage outdoor lighting. Today, he jokes, "I basically lost count after about 50."

Pergantis, president of Nite Lites in North Potomac, Maryland, attributes this "explosion" in the residential outdoor lighting business to a change in attitudes, income and technology.

First, he says, the lighting industry decided to capitalize on a long-ignored segment of the market. When it came to outdoor lighting, Pergantis explains that "in the old days, you had a lantern on your front door." Then, as disposable income rose in recent years, Pergantis says he found homeowners started looking for new ways to beautify their homes and turn them into their "palaces."

A logical option was lighting. "From a disposable income standpoint, they get a lot of bang for their buck, and if it's done properly, it's dramatic."

There's also an element of the "keeping up with the Joneses" phenomenon. Pergantis says,

"What I find is, if everybody's in the dark, everybody's in the dark and they don't know it. Once the first person ends up putting the lighting in, it spreads like a cold."

From a technical standpoint, Pergantis says there have been tremendous advances with light bulbs, or "lamps" as they're known in the lighting industry.

"Lamps now last longer and are brighter, so you effectively are able to use smaller fixtures, which helps bring the cost of the system down, which makes it more affordable."

However, not everyone is willing or able to hire a professional lighting landscaper for their home. For the budget-minded, most discount and home improvement stores offer lighting kits for the do-it-yourselfer, or lights can be ordered from Web sites such as elights.com. Tips on how to determine what types of lights to buy and how they should be installed are available online from home improvement centers like Lowes and even some utility companies, for example, Southern California Edison.

Be aware, Pergantis says he counts among his clients those who tried to do-it-themselves and weren't happy with the results. He says there are several signs that usually distinguish a do-it-yourself project from the work of a lighting professional.

1. Uniformity of brightness. If the wrong materials are used for the job, lights farthest away from the transformer may appear dimmer than those close to the house.
2. Using the wrong fixture or the wrong lighting effect. Among the lighting styles to consider are accent lighting, cross lighting, downlighting, path lighting, shadowing, silhouetting, spread lighting and uplighting. Each may demand a different type of light fixture and lamp intensity.
3. Quality of materials. You may need to seek out specialty lighting stores to get higher-grade, longer-lasting equipment.
4. How well the lights are shielded. You want to see the lighting effect, not the lighting fixture.
5. Unreadable house numbers. When you're planning your lighting scheme, don't forget the importance of making sure guests or emergency vehicles can locate your home.

If you decide to go with a professional and you're building a new house or planning a major remodel, Pergantis urges homeowners to get that lighting person involved early in the process.

Once "hardscapes," such as driveways and patios are installed, running electrical wiring where you need it can get a lot tougher.

As well, another reason to use a professional -- or at least have your work checked by an electrician -- is to assure that all safety codes and requirements have been met. This is important because outdoor lights are exposed to moisture.

Whether your goal is to increase security, extend the hours you can enjoy your deck or patio, or just give your home a more dramatic look, Pergantis says there are two things he frequently hears from clients.

They don't want their home to "look like a runway" and they don't want it to "look like it's for sale." In the case of lighting, sometimes less can be more.

Carol Ochs is a Washington-based reporter who covers new home trends.

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