If you have decided that you are going to be upgrading your garage door to match the aesthetics of your home, or because your old garage door was in desperate need of replacement, it’s time to think about other modifications. Namely, you want to start thinking about the lighting on the property. The outdoor lights on and around the garage will make a big difference to your home and garage during the day and at night.
Naturally, you want the lights to be able to provide you with enough light that you can provide a safe environment by the garage and your home. Of course, you also want the lights to accentuate the beauty of your home and your new garage door. Lighting, like just about everything else on the exterior of your property, can help to improve the curb appeal. Of course, it needs to be done right. The following are a few tips that will help.
Consider the Size and Layout of the Door
As you start to plan the exterior lighting for your garage door, you will want to think about the size of the garage door. The setup that you have would be different if you had a double garage door that is 16’ wide and if you had two 8’doors or just a single 8’garage door. Always think about the space around the garage doors, as this is where your lighting will end up going. The area that you have available will dictate how much light you will have. Do you have eaves over the door where downlighting might be installed? Do you have space to either side of the garage door for lighting? There could even be some space on the wall above the garage door that could work well for some lighting.
You should also consider whether you want the lighting on the garage to be able to illuminate the garage, as well. Consider the space you have and what you want from the lighting to give you a better idea of just what you should get. Designers tend to believe that you should have some blank space around the light fixtures, as this will create balance. You will not want lights to take up more than half of the available space on the wall.
What Fixture Options Are Right for You?
There is no single fixture that is the perfect choice for everyone. The lighting fixtures you choose should meet your aesthetic style and your preferences. You want them to work well with the type of garage door you have and the architectural style of your home. This means you might want something modern and contemporary , classic and colonial or something that will work for a country or carriage house style . You want to improve the overall look of your home, and the right style of lighting can help. Think about what you have and what you feel will work the best for your space. Not only do you want to have a lighting setup that provides plenty of illumination, but you also want the lighting and the fixtures to look great.
You will find that there are plenty of great choices available that can work quite well to make your property look better than ever. Pinterest tends to be an excellent source to find some inspiration for your garage door lighting.
Modern style options:
Rustic style options:
What Bulbs Should You Use?
Those who like the idea of saving some money on their energy costs will undoubtedly want to look at the benefits of LED lightbulbs. They use less energy, they run cooler, and they can be a great option. However, you will always want to look at the manufacturer’s suggestions when you are choosing the bulbs for your lighting fixtures. Follow their guidelines for the best results.
When you are choosing lightbulbs, you want to make sure that they are rated for the outdoors. You also need to be confident they don’t exceed the max wattage allowed, or else they could overheat the fixture.
LED bulbs tend to be the best results because they are energy-efficient, and they are weather resistant. Even though they might cost a little bit more at the outset, they last for a long time, which means you will not have to be replacing bulbs all the time. In the end, this could save some money for you, and it will reduce the number of times you have to get up on a ladder to change those bulbs.
Keep in mind that you will not want to use spiral compact fluorescent bulbs that have mercury in them. They do not work well in the outdoors, and they tend to lose their lighting intensity.
Now that you have a few tips on installing your lighting, it is time that you got started. Create the “light-scape” that you want to make your garage door look great and provide you with all of the illumination you need.
Need a New Garage Door, Too?
Maybe you also need to have a new garage door before you put up the lighting. You can contact us at 613-675-4473. You can check out our image gallery that shows projects we have done in the area, and we can even send you a quotation by email.
You could also check out the Design Centre to find a solution that you like.
Add new comment