Maybe it’s just the pictures but the light does look harsh and unnatural. More stage set than nature. As you note even the wire placement is the most obvious place they could put it.

I think you could be right they are out of their depth. to me this is very pretty so maybe find sompics on google to show them wht you want.

What a crazy waste of electricity.

I know! We don’t have vast majority of plants in and were not consulted prior to placement. I think we’ll have them all taken out except the uplight on the ornamental maple, which I think needs to be a much softer light.

And thanks Patricia! I have some pics I saved of the lighting effect we want. We’re going for more natural.

That’s a lot of light pollution and has a commercial feel. I agree with you to remove all except a (softer) light on the maple.

I personally have not seen this method of "landscape lighting" performed on a house, from up high (and desired even higher yet within a canopy which will block the light and create sporadic shadows). If the goal is security lighting, then it is done well.

But it appears you are trying to do two things at once: light up the walkway and trees (landscape lighting), and provide interest with the house (architectural lighting). Instead, the trees are not highlighted but are just lighting poles with placement that is not suitable for those goals, you have disproportionately lit up the ground in areas not needed, and the house is not featured but spotted disproportionately. So I don't think the contractor is out of their element, they seem to be trying to do what is requested of them, but the methods chosen does not work for those goals.

Thanks for all this feedback. Our objective was not security. In fact we had no conversation about the objective of the lighting. This was my oversight. I’ve asked the contractor to remove all the lights until we can come up with a plan. I also noticed they used metal staples to secure the wire and I read this is bad for the trees. It appears they should have used metal screws and zip ties.

I assume these are LED’s ? Just have some lower wattage , softer lighting installed, easily done. I’m a big fan of landscape lighting done correctly, often overlooked by many when landscaping their property. BTW , LED’s don’t use that much electricity, negligible .

I have LED solar lights to light a walkway to my parking area and sorry but they serve purpose and a lot better than some one tripping on the way to their car. Towns have lighting it makes street safer and we have all sorts of light haters here and my answer to them go live in the country where only your safety is an issue.

Agree with Patricia.… one of our friends lives in a ”dark sky” city due to a planitariian in the area. i hate visiting there. Drove our of their gated community to pick up food, took us more than a half hour to find her house , even with nav. We were afraid to walk after dark, its a safety issue!

Why not let the moon and stars be the natural light. When did this fad of lighting up an entire property start?

Hmmmm…. let the moon & stars be the natural light ??? Guess there must never be cloudy days / nights. i felt like I was walking into a dark closet when i stepped outside..

landscape contractor and architect are two very different things, looks to me like they bought some fixtures and installed them with the bulb. One candle foot of light will go 10 feet.

the tree has an uplight, why would you add down light? im perplexed by the whole plan, the ligting should be plotted with the landscape, and the landscape isnt finished? where is the plan?

We’ve dispensed with the down lights and will only be uplighting our small Japanese maple and larger Japanese maple. All lights will now have filters and wattage will be cut and the appropriate fasteners for wires are now being used. The crew installing lights did not have proper oversight and we’re not sure who instructed them in light placement as we were told they normally don’t install lights in that manner. Our landscape design firm is working hard to make it right and will make any additional tweaks if needed. Thanks for all the helpful feedback on this forum and the education about dark sky. We certainly don’t want to give the vibe that we’re a maximum security prison or add to light pollution—just wanted a subtle glow to help highlight a few features of our property.

Just because someone is aware of the negatives about light pollution, that doesn't make them a "light hater".

There are simple ways to prevent light from spilling where it shouldn't be, and still provide safe lighting for pathways. The correct amount of light needs to be directed where it is useful, and not where it is causing a problem. For example, lighting of a pathway is effective when the light is cast down along the path, but the light doesn't need to shine up into the face of a person using the walkway. Much the same ways that we add lampshades to bare bulbs in our homes to avoid looking at the bulb, but let the light fall where it is needed.

I have read several threads on Houzz where bright outdoor lights from neighbours make it impossible for people to enjoy their homes.

Dark Sky Basics: "lighting should

• Only be on when needed
• Only light the area that needs it
• Be no brighter than necessary
• Minimize blue light emissions
• Eliminate upward-directed light"

Following those guidelines there should be no lights in the yard at all. If lighting is needed to guide visitors from the street to the house, path lights (examples) can be installed along the driveway and paths to the house. Any lights attached to the house should face downward, not outward (and there's no need to illuminate the brick) and the brightness should only be that necessary to light the areas where people will walk. I'd say lights with motion detectors would be a good choice for those adjacent to the garage doors.

People can view your yard and trees during the day. There's nothing nicer than being able to walk along a street and see the stars.