Learn How to Create a Safer and More Welcoming Driveway Entrance
Driveway entrance lighting is a very important aspect when looking to create a safe and welcoming entrance that you and your guests will enjoy every night at your home or business. Sometimes, builders and lighting designers may also make the mistake by over-lighting a driveway entrance by installing too many light fixtures. This driveway lighting design mistake, is often a result that occurs by simply focusing on lighting the entry drive-up areas way to brightly from the wrong angles or from overhead fixtures that can become blinding or create glares to the drivers as they pull up, creating a negative effect on the welcoming ambiance that most residents, guests and lighting business owners desire.
As a rule of thumb, when you’re looking for the best ideas to create a welcoming driveway lighting design that’s truly safe and alluring to drive into every night, ensure your driveway lighting project ideas include the use of low profile lighting fixtures that can handle being driven over by heavy vehicles while being durable and attractive enough to avoid unwanted maintenance costs or covers that may restrict light output. By creating a plan to properly light your driveway, your outdoor lighting design will create the desired effect that allows you and your guests to feel like they are always arriving in style.
Driveway Lighting Design Considerations
When you start to plan and search for the best driveway lights that fit the criteria for adding appeal and safety to your next lighting job, look for high quality and elegantly designed landscape lighting products that are safe for outdoor use and can handle all weather conditions. Driveway entry lights should be used to guide drivers safely along the path in a welcoming manner, not become blinding obstacles that offer no warmth as you and guests arrive. For that reason, low voltage landscape lighting products of high-quality are usually the most ideal fixtures for these types of lighting projects.
For the best driveway lighting design that’s energy efficient, use LED landscape lighting fixtures strategically along the paths of entry and parking that have a low-profile. Your driveway lights should also be placed properly on the driveway per distance desired and wherever there are close obstacles that will change their direction of arrival around curves and turns. Driveway obstacles that may interfere with seeing properly as pulling up, may include trees, hills, walls, fences, bushes or landscape gardens. For this reason and to avoid line of sight issues when driving up, install low profile surface mounted or mini recessed led lights that are ideal for installation on driveway pavers, bricks, concrete or asphalt entryways where vehicles drive most often when arriving and leaving a home or business.
When assessing your property lighting design plan, remember the importance of properly lighting the entrance to a driveway and the destination where vehicles, cars, trucks will stop and park to walk up, including the pathways to a front door or garage. By properly illuminating a driveway’s entrance and lighting the pathways leading into the home or business, it will provide a visual clue at night that is very welcoming while helping illuminate the destination to find parking and being able to exit the vehicle safely.
LED Landscape Lighting Advantages
LED driveway lighting also provides better illumination that is preferable for many reasons, including the reduced maintenance to run, repair which greatly reduces your costs to operate and keep the driveways properly lit for years to come. To best light the driveways and create a low-cost design that your guests and clients will love, install durable low profile style lights that will create the perfect ambiance for arrivals and departures during the nights. When you choose low voltage landscape lighting for your driveways, you can always rest assured that electricity bills won’t grow out of control with new bulky lighting fixtures that often need to be repaired.
With the many different LED fixture types and outdoor lighting effects available for best lighting the driveways, it’s always better to install a quality light that can create that desirable effect improving the ambiance. If your idea is to light both sides of the driveway and then ensure the outside landscape barriers become well-lit also for that added appeal, try these ideas to properly light your driveway.
- Install double-sided lights that output in different directions with one fixture to best illuminate.
- Buy low profile lights that avoid added dangers of safety for tripping or blinding guests as arrive.
- Look for driveway lights that can handle all weather conditions during all seasons to remain lit.
- Ensure the lights are durable enough for the weight of large vehicles and will not get damaged.
- Illuminate the parking and driveway with welcoming colors to add unique charm and appeal.
- Introduce lights into the design plan at consistent distances and on corners to assure coverage.
If you have a long curvy driveway consider lining the edges with path lights also for an added effect. These landscape path lights will help visiting drivers see the route that is ahead of them while also lighting up the amazing landscape gardens that line the side of the entryways or parking areas to truly add an extra welcoming appeal.
Illuminating the Driveway Landscapes
Additionally, you may desire to highlight trees with spotlights and walls with wall washer lighting fixtures if they sit nearby along the driveways. In general, when it comes to lighting ideas, installing a few extra up-lights around trees and shrubs along the driveways will further complement the design while adding that perfect amount of light to further accentuate the best low profile driveway lighting designs. In the end, creating a professional landscape lighting design plan that factors in quality considerations to add real value into your lighting illuminations, will truly allow your driveway lighting ideas to stand out by always shining bright and becoming much more welcoming than the rest.
If you’d like to discover more ideas to elevate your next landscape lighting project, contact Garden Light LED to discuss your ideas and plans to create the best outdoor lighting design the town has ever driven up through or scene.