The last time you drove through the entrance of your development on the way to your home was it beautifully lit? Or, could you barely make out the name of your neighborhood on the sign?

Your home is your haven. It should be a beautiful, safe place from the minute you pull up to the front gate until you head for the pool and a late-night swim.

Here are five areas where HOA landscape lighting can make a big difference.

#1: Lighting The Front Entrance

The front gate. This is the place where guests and visitors get their first impression of your home.

These entrances often feature outdated lighting that glares in your eyes. Others feature beautifully landscaped signs that announce the name of the development during the day, but at night, they’re in the dark!

Gate entrances can be lit with a tasteful combination of uplighting and downlighting. Landscaping around the entrance that looks beautiful during the daylight should shine at night,

Some landscapers will only focus on lighting trees. We’ll also light those stands of ornamental trees by your front entrance, and light the wall in between with a nice soft wash of light.

#2 Lighting Common Areas

An HOA common area of six houses might typically include paths leading to the clubhouse, pool or jacuzzi. At night, they’re often dark because codes don’t specify that they have to be lit.

Builders often use large, obtrusive fixtures that spoil the beauty of the space. Instead, we use small fixtures that are skillfully hidden.

Community pathways and stairways need to be safe and visible. Overhead downlighting can be installed in trees for a wide swath of soft, but safe illumination.

Dark steps? We install lighting into the vertical part of a stair called the riser. Concrete step lights fit right into the stairs and focus light downward onto the step immediately below it. They offer subtle light for safety.

#3: LED Lighting As An Investment

Landscape LED lighting uses a fraction — 15% to 20% — of the electricity we use with halogen or incandescent bulbs. The switch will save your HOA money very quickly.

Many of today’s LED bulbs are rated to last 50,000 hours. That’s a lot of bulb-changing time saved.

#4: Lighting For Security

Safety-first is a great rule of thumb when discussing outdoor lighting for a community association. Decide what areas need better lighting and discuss the best types of lights for the space.

You want your home and the area around it to be safe, without motion sensor lights glaring on and off triggered by the slightest movement.

Dimmable lighting is the answer.

Dimmable landscape lighting creates a wash of illumination that can be safely, efficiently and inexpensively on from dusk until dawn.

Well-lit homes and HOA common areas won’t be a target for criminals if they’re softly illuminated.

An area that’s beautifully lit all the time will still be bright enough to deter anyone looking to intrude, whether they’re burglars or just annoying trespassers.

#5: Concerns About Light Pollution

Your HOA is peaceful, quiet and comfortably dim. Won’t all this light shine in my window, glare in my eyes or pollute the sky?

Outdoor landscape lighting doesn’t have to contribute to light pollution if it’s installed with skill and artistry.

The key? Use light very deliberately — including targeted downlighting — instead of just spraying light everywhere. Each light has a purpose. And it doesn’t have to pump out a lot of wattage to make an impact.

It’s all about where you place the fixtures, their angle, the color and temperature of the light.

We use fixtures that direct light where it needs to go — not in peoples’ eyes or into your living room window. Fixtures come in a wide array of light distributions, so there are plenty of options.

With Custom Lighting of America’s annual landscape lighting service agreement, a lighting professional will visit your HOA property once a year to readjust and clean fixtures, trim and maintain surrounding turf and plant life to ensure proper light beam spread, re-bury exposed wire as needed, Inspect transformers, reset any timers and controls, if necessary.

Call us at (561)204-3000 for more information on our annual service plan, to schedule a free consultation, or simply fill out our contact form.