What landscape lighting actually costs and why

Why two quotes can differ by three times

We do not publish prices, and any landscaper who does is guessing at your property. Lighting is the clearest example of why. Two houses on the same street can need very different systems, and the difference is almost never the number of fixtures.

The fixtures themselves

There is a real gap between a cast-brass fixture that will still be working in fifteen years and a thin aluminium one that will corrode in three. The cheap fixture is not a saving, it is a payment deferred. On a property you intend to keep, the better fixture is the cheaper decision.

The transformer and the cable

This is where quotes quietly diverge. Running cable properly, sizing the transformer with headroom for the fixtures you may add later, and burying runs at the right depth all take time. Skipping that is invisible on the day and obvious two winters later.

How far the light has to travel

A long driveway, mature trees to uplight, or a path that runs down to the water all add cable, fixtures and labour. The same lighting design on a compact front garden costs a fraction of what it costs on two acres.

The design, and the night spent adjusting it

Good lighting is mostly restraint: deciding what deserves light and leaving the rest dark. That decision cannot be made from a drawing at midday. We come back after dark and aim every fixture on site, which is a few hours nobody sees on the invoice but everybody sees in the result.

How to compare quotes fairly

Ask what the fixtures are made of, what the transformer is rated for against the load, whether the cable runs are buried, and whether aiming after dark is included. If two quotes differ sharply, the answers to those four questions will usually explain it.

We are happy to walk your property at dusk and talk through what would actually be worth lighting. There is no charge for that, and no obligation afterwards.