# Outside lighting recommendations



## Phillipd (Jan 7, 2020)

I’m soon going to be roughing in this 3 car attached garage and am looking for outside lighting suggestions. Not sure if it’d look better with possibly 4 eve slim recessed lights , 1 at each end and 2 centered over the parts between the doors? Or maybe 4 coach lights and 3 slims centered over the doors or something different all together? There’s slims under the veranda of the house and one at center of each peak and the garage peaks will be the same. The doors in the drawing are 8’ high but the actual doors are 9’ with an 11’ ceiling so there’ll likely be a larger gap above the doors than the drawing shows.
Thank you for any suggestions.

Side note, this house is very close to coastal salt water and things metal corrode very quickly.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

4 Coach lights - skip the soffit lighting


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## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

Any considerations, dark sky for instance?

I like down lights, puts light were I need it and not in my eyes as I drive up. 
I also like barn lights, I have them on my home, with motion sensors, leave the switch on and when there is motion at night they turn on. I hate the self dimming lights. I do not see the need to partially light my home. I like the dark and I do have dark sky ordinances to obey.

Lighting is SO much to the eye of the beholder/owner.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

SWDweller said:


> Any considerations, dark sky for instance?
> 
> I like down lights, puts light were I need it and not in my eyes as I drive up.
> I also like barn lights, I have them on my home, with motion sensors, leave the switch on and when there is motion at night they turn on. I hate the self dimming lights. I do not see the need to partially light my home. I like the dark and I do have dark sky ordinances to obey.
> ...


That fixture is beautiful. And yes I believe outdoor lighting should always be shaded and never illuminate higher than horizontal. The only exception would be those traditional pole lights but they should be installed for looks, skip the 150 W bulb and put a 15 in there.

I moved from an area that had dark sky legislation, but here there is none other than the laws of physics and nature. If you light it up at night you’ll be eaten alive by something be at 1 million bugs or a bear or whatever.


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## Phillipd (Jan 7, 2020)

SWDweller said:


> Any considerations, dark sky for instance?
> 
> I like down lights, puts light were I need it and not in my eyes as I drive up.
> I also like barn lights, I have them on my home, with motion sensors, leave the switch on and when there is motion at night they turn on. I hate the self dimming lights. I do not see the need to partially light my home. I like the dark and I do have dark sky ordinances to obey.
> ...


Those are very nice thank you. Just in a rural community no dark sky considerations to think of. The slims are run off a timer with a photocell override . I’m not sure if it’d better to tie them in with those or switched separate . Those are very nice lights though.


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## BleedingLungsMurphy (10 mo ago)

Does your lighting supplier let you borrow fixtures for samples? I let the homeowner pick several different styles then mount one of each overnight.

Find out who's really in charge (the wife?) and see what they think. They will say one thing when you're around then change their mind when you're gone.


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## Phillipd (Jan 7, 2020)

BleedingLungsMurphy said:


> Does your lighting supplier let you borrow fixtures for samples? I let the homeowner pick several different styles then mount one of each overnight.
> 
> Find out who's really in charge (the wife?) and see what they think. They will say one thing when you're around then change their mind when you're gone.


Hahaha good point ! Thank you I will ask!


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## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

If this is not your house then make an appointment with "she the one who must be obeyed"
and take her to your best discount lighting supplier. Did that a lot when I was doing upper ended homes. Got a call from one husband furous that mom had spent 10 grand on a crystal hang down fixture for there 4 million dollar home. He just did not want to take her back.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Are you trying to match the lighting of the main house? It will look silly if the house is lit dim and the garage is lit up like the Las Vegas strip.


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## Phillipd (Jan 7, 2020)

splatz said:


> Are you trying to match the lighting of the main house? It will look silly if the house is lit dim and the garage is lit up like the Las Vegas strip.


The lights under the veranda are spaced about 9 feet apart , one coach light beside each exterior door


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

B


Phillipd said:


> The lights under the veranda are spaced about 9 feet apart , one coach light beside each exterior door


If that’s the case, then I would only put two coach lights in here, one to the left of the right door and one to the right of the left door.


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## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

LGLS said:


> That fixture is beautiful. And yes I believe outdoor lighting should always be shaded and never illuminate higher than horizontal. The only exception would be those traditional pole lights but they should be installed for looks, skip the 150 W bulb and put a 15 in there.
> 
> I moved from an area that had dark sky legislation, but here there is none other than the laws of physics and nature. If you light it up at night you’ll be eaten alive by something be at 1 million bugs or a bear or whatever.


Smithtown had the light pollution ordinance since the early 1980s . They were the only town around back then to enforce it. I use to laugh when I lost a job and the electrician who got the job installed 20 foot poles with flood lighting. The requirements back then were 15 foot poles and all cutoff or shoebox type.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

How about these?





Shop Rustic Indoor & Outdoor Farmhouse-Style Barn Lighting


Ceiling & wall barn lights crafted from 18 gauge American steel. Approved for indoor and outdoor use and crafted with the farmhouse in mind.




steellightingco.com


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

kb1jb1 said:


> Smithtown had the light pollution ordinance since the early 1980s . They were the only town around back then to enforce it. I use to laugh when I lost a job and the electrician who got the job installed 20 foot poles with flood lighting. The requirements back then were 15 foot poles and all cutoff or shoebox type.


And yet the State can install 4 200+ foot towers at the LIE / Sunken Meadow Parkway cloverleaf with about 16 unshielded 250 watt HPS’s on each?!


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## VitalJuice (Sep 12, 2021)

I put soffit lights in my garage when I built it 10 years ago. It wasn't very popular around here then, but I see a lot of other people around here are doing it now as well. 10 years later I'm still very happy with it. I love seeing new houses with soffit lighting illuminating the building and surrounding area, and not blinding the passerby like coach lights do.

When I originally installed, I used plain LED flood lights. Now I've replaced them with color changing Sylvania bulbs. Now I have red for Valentines, RWB for for the 4th, Orange for Halloween, and RG for Christmas. All from my easy chair. Whatever fixture you choose, suggest some kind of color changing smart bulb.

Coach lights look pretty in the day, but suck for any sort of lighting at night.

If they are looking for barn/rustic type lighting, check out Steel Lighting Company. I bought a few fixtures to evaluate and they are very very nice.


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