People don’t shop for landscape lighting very often. In fact, for many it will happen once or twice in a lifetime. Since it is a seldom made purchase homeowners can be at a loss to know who to hire.
One method is to visit a search engine and see what comes up. That is easy but is that the best way? If a company comes up towards the top of a search it probably means that they have some tech savvy help. It may not mean that they are very good at landscape lighting.
Another way to find a landscape lighting company is to get referrals from friends that have had landscape lighting installed at their homes. That is a good way as allows you to ask questions and see how the home and landscaping looks at night. You can also ask a multitude of questions. Did the company do what they said they would do? Did they bury the wire deep enough? Did the company clean up after themselves? If there were any adjustments that were needed and did they come out promptly to resolve any issue?
Meeting with the company is important. You can learn a lot about the company by meeting and asking questions. You will not only learn the knowledge of the person but you’ll get a sense if this person is someone you can trust with this project on your property. Does this person seem like someone you can trust? Can they connect you with others that have used their services so you can ask plenty of questions? Can you see the fixtures and are they quality long-lasting brass fixtures? How long have they been installing landscape lights? Is outdoor lighting all they do or is it just one part of their business? Lots of landscapers install landscape lighting as part of their list of services but it isn’t their core business.
If you are a member of a service referral organization such as Angie’s List you can read comments by members that have used their services. You can learn if the work they did was a good value and if homeowners were glad they hired them. Look at the overall grades and see what members say.
Using a combination of the above is a good way to know which outdoor lighting contractor to hire. Remember that using the cheapest company doesn’t mean it is the best value.
