Outdoor Recessed Lighting

“Recessed lighting” in general is a light source within a hollow fixture, rather than the light bulb protruding from the fixture as with most lamps or vanity light fixtures. Indoor recessed lighting has long been a popular, sophisticated lighting technique, but outdoor recessed lighting is also gaining in popularity.

One style of outdoor recessed lighting used in landscaping to light walkways or draw the eye’s attention to a particular landscape feature is the “well light”. The well light style of outdoor recessed lighting places the light fixture within a path, garden, or drive with the light bulb shining upwards. Well lights are an attractive and more subtle alternative to lighting pathways at night with standard outdoor lighting, such as lamps or flood lights.

There are also well light styles that do not implant directly into the ground, but protrude upwards in a short stand. Also used to light pathways or light statues, fountains, or similar landscape ornamentation, this kind of outdoor recessed lighting provides a romantic ambiance without glare.

An advantage of outdoor recessed lighting that shines down from porches or other overhangs is that it does not contribute to light pollution. Light pollution from regular streetlamps, floodlights, and other outdoor lights is a growing environmental concern, because, amongst other problems, it interferes with natural cycles of bird migration, insect reproduction, and human circadian rhythms. Because outdoor recessed lighting does not “leak” as much light upwards into the night sky, outdoor recessed lighting does not add to light pollution.

Likewise, outdoor recessed lighting fixtures that attach to a wall or the side of a building light the way without excessive light pollution. Wall-mounted outdoor recessed lighting comes in a variety of styles, from decorative, modern-looking round and oval-shaped lights to plainer square and rectangular recessed lights.

In addition to well lights, outdoor recessed lighting embedded into an outdoor overhang, and wall-mounted lights, outdoor recessed lighting is also used underwater. These are the recessed lights frequently used to light pools, fountains, and ponds for nighttime use. Some of these kinds of lights attract fish and other marine life, so they can be an excellent addition to your dock or pond.

To conclude, outdoor recessed lighting has a number of advantages over standard outdoor lighting. Unlike floodlights, recessed lighting provides a softer, less glaring outdoor light. Whether for your home or your business, visitors, friends, family, customers, and tourists alike will all appreciate the ambiance created by recessed lighting. And anyone concerned with a “greener” method to light the night will also appreciate the reduction in light pollution created by outdoor recessed lighting. Many businesses selling outdoor recessed lighting fixtures can easily be found through a quick web search, and home improvement stores such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s also provide an assortment of outdoor recessed lighting fixtures.

What’s one of the easiest and cheapest ways to spiff up the outside of your house? It’s not landscaping or painting, it’s installing residential outdoor lighting. Installing lighting can be as simple as adding solar pathway lights to your existing walkways, to adding some exterior porch or garage lights, to a full-scale landscape lighting system that highlights some of your choicest plants and garden décor at night. Outdoor lighting is relatively inexpensive compared to many other home improvement projects, and it adds an entirely new dimension to your home and yard.

What to Look For

You can find residential outdoor lighting at your neighborhood home improvement store. They have everything from small porch lights to solar-powered spotlights that can highlight a tree or even Old Glory hanging from your flagpole. Most of these lighting systems are easy to install. In the case of solar lights, you just push them into the ground where you want them, and you’re done!

You can also buy entire lighting systems that run on low-voltage, and can be set on a timer to turn on and off at preset times in the evening and morning. These sets are a little more demanding to install, but once you get them set where you want them, they are a very beautiful addition to just about any landscape.

Not Just for the Holidays

Many people think about outdoor lighting and the holidays, but today, residential outdoor lighting is appropriate any time of the year. Think about how much more inviting it is to come home to a well-lit home late at night, and lighting adds a measure of security, too. When a home is well lit, intruders are easily seen, and that makes your house safer than the dark one next door.

Don’t forget lighting on the walls and under the roofline of your home. Many communities are encouraging outdoor lighting for safety and security. You can add attractive carriage-type lights on either side of your garage, a spotlight that turn on automatically when you pull in your driveway, and lighting high up at the peak of your roof that shines down on doors and windows. All of these options can be added at any time, as long as there’s electric wire to the area, and it won’t take more than a few minutes to install lighting that will enhance your home for years.

Outdoor lighting is a welcoming greeting when you entertain, too, and it makes your paths and walkways safer to travel after dark. So, if you’re thinking about sprucing up the exterior of your home, don’t spend a fortune. Invest in good quality residential outdoor lighting and give your house a totally new look that’s attractive, affordable, and beautiful to boot!

Recessed lighting is a beautiful, simple and inexpensive way to update your home. Also if you are handy and knowledgeable, simple to install yourself.

Recessed lighting is remarkably functional; it can be used to accentuate certain elements of your home without breaking the lines of your ceiling and will make your room feel and look bigger. Though most fixtures are meant to be installed between ceiling joints of new home building projects, some fixtures are designed for retrofit applications and can be placed into an existing ceiling space that is fitted for wiring.

You should also know of the styles available to you. Recessed lighting has made a major transformation over the years as more manufacturers are creating a variety of trims for many applications. You can go with the usual baffle in white or black. This type is made to absorb extra light and is best used for highlighting special pieces in your home. You can also use a cone trim for low brightness. Adjustable trim will allow for an easy switch between high and low brightness. You can choose between a gimbal ring, which is easily adjustable or an eyeball style which protrudes from the fixture.

If you like to do home repairs yourself, this will definitely be a fun project for you. Be sure, though, that you are comfortable and familiar with electrical wiring, as this project requires a thorough knowledge beforehand.

If you are comfortable, however, here is a short guide of how to install recessed lighting:

Be sure that for your own safety, you purchase an insulation contact, or IC, rated fixture. Should insulation touch an incorrectly rated recessed light, it can cause a fire.

Your first step is turn off the power, then use the stud finder to locate ceiling joints. Next, use the drywall saw to cut an opening for the light between the joints, making sure not to cut through any existing wire that may be up there. Insert the electrical cable into the junction box of your fixture and fasten it with your cable clamp. If necessary, strip the wires and splice them to the fixture with twist on wire connectors. Now, connect the black wire on the fixture to the black house wire, the white wire to the white wire and green to bare wire (or ground to ground). Place the writes in the box and put the cover back up.

Rotate the fixture housing until the mounting tabs engage and are securely in place. Attach the inner baffle according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Now you can put in the bulb, turn your power back on and see how fantastic your new light looks!