While you can design your outdoor landscape lighting by yourself, there is no real substitute for hiring a landscape lighting business to design and install your garden lighting system. They will bring years of experience and creativity to the table that you otherwise wouldn’t have with your disposal. If you find the right business, you’ll get a professionally installed system better than you could have thought about yourself and great service after the sale. But finding the best landscape lighting contractor takes a little bit more than just flipping through the yellow pages. Here are some of the things that you need to look for in a great landscape lighting business.
Experience
By far the number one thing you need to look for in a landscape lighting contractor is how many years of experience they have as a contractor, and in particular how many they have in landscape lighting. They should also be able to give you advice on landscaping and be able to talk about garden clocks and other options for sprucing it up. At the very least you should be able to get your hands on a copy of several photos of previous homes that they have designed. Ideally, these should be accompanied with testimonials from happy customers. By looking at the pictures, you’ll have a better understanding of the amount of creativity and innovation that the company you’re considering has and how satisfied you will ultimately be with your own lighting scheme.
Licensed Contractor
While you wouldn’t think about hiring an unlicensed contractor to put an extension onto your home, many people don’t think twice about doing it for landscape contractors. In years past landscape contractors didn’t have to register with states, but states have increasingly put these companies under their regulatory framework as well. Making sure that your contractor is licensed will ensure that they are honest and follow the state’s employment policies, such as not employing illegal workers.
Many states also rate their contractors on a scale. If possible, find a contractor that is rated “Class A” in your state.
High Quality Systems
One very important aspect of a good exterior lighting business is that they install high quality lighting systems. Companies that are big enough should be able to get them directly from the manufacturer, which will allow them to get the best systems for the cheapest price, passing the savings on to you.
Service after the Sale
Any landscape lighting company worth its salt should have some sort a guarantee of post-sale service in case any of the lighting fixtures go bad or you otherwise need help with your lighting system. Service offered can range from a simple warranty covered any fixtures or wires that may go bad, to a full-scale yearly maintenance service check that ensures your whole system is free of shock hazards and working properly.
Finding the right landscape lighting business out of the yellow pages can take some time and research on your part. Check with your family and friends and try to find the company’s website, any company around for a significant amount of time should have a website. Before you agree to do business with the company, make sure you know how much experience they have, what systems they install, how much service is offered after the sale, and whether or not the contractor is licensed. By taking the few minutes to figure this out before you hire a contractor, you’ll make sure that you get the best garden light system possible for your landscape.
