Path lighting. Yes or no? (pool, master bedroom, blinds, better)

[gentlearts]

Our house has a line of lights along the front walk. I think they look awful, but DH likes the way you can see the path to the front door at night without tripping in the dark. Good point, but I think there should be a better way.

Go you have them? Do you like them?
I'm thinking a flood hidden in a tree would look better.

[chet everett]

I can count on one hand the locations where path lights really are helpful -- most places have more than enough " sky glow" so you really do not need path lights to find the walkway. If you are way way way out in the country and the walkway is heavily wooded / overgrown the light might be needed.

Too often floods lights, especially those in trees, cast an awful lot of light toward the neighbors. In most cases this will NOT be welcome.


The range of lighting that some people thing is appropriate / looks good is pretty wide, but with outdoor issues I strongly encourage to err on the side of extreme conservativeness --minimal size / spread / height. Some towns ace ordinaces on this...

[Ohiogirl81]

I like them because they light up the walk from the side gate to the back door, along the side of the house, without waking up the neighbors. They've saved me from tripping over the hose that the spouse didn't reel back up, etc.

Obviously some lights are more attractive than others. Go with what appeals to you.

[DewDropInn]

There are many lighs that are actually quite decorative. Scour the home improvement/gadget/cute things catalogs that will soon be flooding your mailbox. (Christmas is coming )

I live in a "keep the night sky dark" area and use a flashlight so I don't trip and break my neck.

[cl723]

I have to agree with you here. I think a few flood lights hidden is much nicer.

[1coolcustomer]

I bought some of those cheap solar ones from Wal-Mart, about 7 inches high and an inch and half in diameter and have been very impressed. $2.50 apiece and 7 months later they're still working great. They're not large and stick out like a sore thumb and it makes my path look like an airport runway at night.

[TFW46]

I got these for safety so people wont trip on my steps. I liked them so much on the steps that I got more for the walkway. I've had them for several years and they're still going strong:

Solar Pathway Marker - Sporty's Preferred Living

[Jukesgrrl]

Like Dew Drop Inn, I live in a keep-the-sky-dark area near a major observatory. I would fear for people walking to my door at night without path lights. To me, it's an insurance issue. So I have small solar lights on either side of the walk. I like the way they look, too.

Some people are quite unaware of where spotlights actually shine. When I got a new neighbor, she started using the light that was placed by the previous owner to illuminate his pool area. What she didn't realize, since my house is not right against hers, that this spot lit up my entire master bedroom, too. Even with the blinds closed, sleeping was impossible when she left that light on at night. Of course, I explained and she stopped using it except when she was using the pool. She had NO idea the light would travel so far.

[CHTransplant]

Landscape lighting is nice if you can see the light but not it's source. If your sidewalk looks like an airport landing strip pegged by a row of lights, then I'd agree with you that it's an awful look.

[lifelongMOgal]

I've read that there are some motion sensor solar pathlights out there. In this way you can leave the lights on when you want or change them to motion detection to light the path when you don't want the "landing strip" appearance.
https://www.sportys.com/PreferredLiving/product/2825

Personally I like the floodlights. You can put those on a timer or sensor, motion sensor, or a remote operated from your car if the intention is to reduce light pollution and have them on only when needed.

http://controlight.com/remote.cfm