Adding landscape lighting to your property can add new safety and security elements without requiring an expensive upgrade. You’ll receive elegant highlights to all your home’s best features, including lights along each path or near unique features with this option.
You can also use low-voltage landscape lighting to highlight the house’s structure for a dramatic effect.
How much does it cost to install landscape lighting? Each property has different characteristics, so a professional estimate is necessary if you plan to do the work yourself.
For those who want to DIY this project, here is the cost information to consider.
What Is the Price of Landscape Lighting?
The minimum price to install landscape lighting in 2021 was approximately $500 in the United States, while the maximum cost was about $10,000. [[1]]
Living in the Pacific Northwest causes the prices to rise a little compared to someone who would want to install this option in the Midwest. It tends to be the most expensive in states like California and New York, while the least costly estimates are in states like North Dakota or New Mexico.
Most homeowners pay between $1,000 to $5,000 to have landscape lighting professionally installed. If you plan to do the work yourself, the cost of materials (including driving to the store or paying for shipping charges), the price drops by 30% to 60%. [[2]]
Generally, the easiest way to estimate the cost of new landscape lighting is to price it per light. That places the cost around $300 per unit.
What Factors Go into the Eventual Estimate?
The primary cost that homeowners don’t expect when installing landscape lighting involves the design work. A professional designer often charges between $300 to $500 to develop a plan that works for each property.
As part of this investment, you’ll receive a detailed illustration that provides a visual element of what to expect when the project is completed.
Most designers use the best fixtures for your property while focusing on the correct placements to maximize your overall value.
Here are some of the other factors that go into the eventual cost of a new landscape lighting installation.
1. Is it new landscaping or an existing setup that requires adjustment?
It typically costs a little less to add lighting to a new landscaping project than an existing one. There could be repair charges to consider for the latter option that push the price a bit higher.
A professional installation on an existing plan also takes a little longer, which adds another cost element to consider.
2. Are you using LED or halogen lighting for the installation?
Halogen light fixtures cost less when installing new lighting, but they’ll require more bulb changes over the lifetime of the landscaping addition. You’ll need to change them out at least once per year.
LED fixtures cost more, but they’ll last for up to 50,000 hours. That means you won’t need to worry about things for approximately ten years. [[3]]
3. How many landscape lights do you want for the property?
The primary driver of system costs for landscape lights is the number of units you intend to install. If you have about ten fixtures, you can expect a cost of somewhere near $3,000 with a professional design and installation. When you double that figure, you can expect the price to go up by a similar amount.
Some contractors might offer discounts for large installations at a per-light cost. That’s why getting an estimate is helpful.
4. What Is the expected transformed size for the installation?
The lights won’t be as bright as expected when you run cable further away from a 12V DC transformer. It’ll take a larger unit to fix the issue of the lighting being brighter toward the house. It’s usually a few hundred dollars to invest in something better than the standard option. [[4]]
5. Do you have the electrical requirements met?
The transformer for the landscape lighting requires an outdoor receptacle near the installation point. That means a GFCI receptacle is necessary to complete the work. If one isn’t available (common in older homes), an electrician will need to install an outdoor outlet with this feature. Depending on the contractor, this cost could add $500 or more to the project. [[5]]
Being aware of the potential costs to install landscape lighting makes it much easier to budget for these expenses. If you’re looking for a fast way to improve your home’s curb appeal, this investment makes a lot of sense because of its transformative effect.
