Decorative lighting of a country house

It is quite difficult to create maximum comfort and coziness in cottages that are far from the noisy streets of the metropolis, without creating the proper lighting for the building and the site itself. To carry out decorative lighting of a country house can be in different ways, using a variety of lamps.

Additionally, the backyard area can be illuminated: vegetation, paths, arbors or small architectural forms. The work on lighting sites is painstaking and requires careful study of the nuances of the selection of illuminators, wiring, drawing up a project. Below we have told all about the features of such lighting and its capabilities.

With the right combination of different functionality, type of control and characteristics of lighting devices, you can easily create an amazing exterior design of your house and emphasize the originality of landscape design.

About decorative lighting

Street decorative lighting is a facade lighting device. It can be carried out both for all walls and select individual elements of the structure. It is used to create comfortable conditions for moving around the house or for safe walking on the most adjoining plot. A separate branch of decorative street lighting is the illumination of certain elements of the garden: paths, plants, pergolas and arbors, artificial ponds.

When organizing decorative lighting at home, the following principles are pursued:

  1. Accounting for landscape design, exterior structure and style of the illuminators themselves.
  2. Exact planning of placement of objects, laying of wires.
  3. Evaluation of the general appearance of the site and the adequacy of the backlight (except for an overabundance or lack of light).
  4. Consideration of the features of the connection of light (or the choice of stand-alone illuminators).
  5. Full security of selected objects and their compliance with existing requirements (especially for lamps located near water bodies).

Types of street lighting

Before choosing the optimal plan for lighting your country house and the area around it, you need to take into account the different purpose of street lighting. It can be divided into two large groups:

  • Utilitarian (functional).

Ensures the safety of moving around the site and near buildings. Additionally divided into several types: accompanying, marking, technological. By the accompanying light are lamps with motion sensors that light up at the time of passage next to them. Technological light is used to illuminate outbuildings. But the markings are designated especially "dangerous" areas and objects: entering the courtyard and garage, steps, all sorts of obstacles, invisible at night.

  • Decorative.

It is used to improve the appearance of the garden and courtyard, the house itself. An important requirement for such highlights is aesthetics and attractiveness.

Both functional and decorative light should not interfere with neighbors. Consider this requirement when arranging your site.

Types and variety of lamps

Street lighting devices are sold in modern stores in any format and with any characteristics. The elements used for decorative lighting include:

  • floodlights: give a bright stream of light, optimal for highlighting large areas or objects, can be fixed in any places;
  • wall-mounted street lighting: used to illuminate the facades of buildings, arbors, pergolas;
  • decorative bulbs: spotlights used to illuminate certain areas (located on the perimeter) or for spot lighting of the garden (bushes, flower beds);
  • garlands and ribbons: bright lighting, creating a soft light throughout its length, ideal for decoration and discreet lighting of tracks, buildings;
  • luminaires for ponds: a separate type of devices with high protection against moisture.

It should be borne in mind that there are both conventional and autonomous models (with solar panels). The rules of their installation and usability directly depend on the specifics of the devices.

Type of lighting

The general appearance of the equipped area and the exterior of the house directly depends on the brightness and temperature of the selected lamps. That is why the selection of lamps need to pay attention to the temperature of the resulting light.

Cold light will provide a more restrained harmonious lighting of the site, will help to highlight individual elements of the garden or part of the facade. A warm light (similar to the morning sun) will emphasize the comfort of outdoor recreation, will provide a special atmosphere. As for the very color of the glow, it also affects the human perception of the overall picture. Yellow shade has to rest, promotes harmony.

White light can be called neutral: it will minimally affect the owners of the house and at the same time will not change the perception of the color spectrum. Colored lamps (monotonous or changing color in the process of work) are more suitable for festive decoration of the site. Because with constant use, they will not provide enough high-quality coverage of important areas.

Lighting network design

To create a competent lighting network scheme, it is imperative to draw up a detailed drawing of the equipped area (or simply make a photocopy of the existing project of the site). Further work on the preparation of the plan is carried out as follows:

  1. The locations of the switches to the individual lighting systems and the electrical panel are marked. They must be located in the house (in extreme cases, in the garage, where there is a direct exit from the house).
  2. The locations of different types of luminaires with their brief characteristics (type, power) are marked.
  3. The luminaires of the same system (separately for the track, separately for the arbor) are connected by a line, which determines the placement of the cable during installation. For each individual route, the required cable length and its parameters must be indicated.

In drawing up the scheme and its markup in the drawing, use markers of different colors (for different tracks). This will greatly simplify the subsequent installation.

Laying and cable selection

If it is possible to lay a cable for street lighting by air (with a slight distance of the object from the electrical panel), you need to use wires of the grades SIP-2, SIP-4, AVT, VVG-HL. Installation is carried out together with the cable: this measure of protection will prevent stretching and breakage of the cable.

For underground installation, the installation of wires without armor (auxiliary protection) is necessarily carried out in plastic boxes, pipes or corrugations. The most popular cable for such work is VVG. Less commonly used cable VBBSHv with special armor. Cable laying should be carried out in a trench to a depth of at least 40 cm with the box or to a depth of at least 80 cm without using the box (with sufficient protection of the cable itself).

Selection of the desired type of wire is carried out after counting the total power of luminaires that will be connected to one route. For example, for 6 diode illuminators with a power of 36 watts, each total power will be 216 watts. That is, a 1-core VVG cable with a minimum cross-section is suitable for operation.

Home and land lighting options

Creating a decorative lighting of a country house or a residential house and a garden can be done in different ways. Illumination can be used exclusively to illuminate individual "important" objects (for example, a garage, pantry, summer kitchen) or to be an addition to landscape design. In addition, with its help, you can stylishly select plants on the site or create a safe zone around an artificial reservoir. But to install the right street light you must take into account such features:

  • Land area

A small area near the house should not be too "decorated" with lamps, otherwise the excess light will spoil the landscape design. In spacious areas, you can use a greater number of lamps.

  • View from the window of the house

It is very important that the lighting created outside looks good from the cottage, beautifully highlighting objects and allowing them to be well viewed.

  • The specifics of the work of lamps

How exactly the power will be supplied, and in what mode they will work: permanently or switched on by the motion sensor.

Home lighting

One of the most popular options for outdoor lighting of private homes is architectural. It involves the lighting of the facade of the building. Depending on the location and specifics of the lighting of the object, the following types of architectural lighting are distinguished:

  • General (flood light)

Provides a complete outdoor lighting at home due to the location around it (or around the perimeter of the facade or basement) of many low-power floodlights.

  • Dot

Allows you to select the most "interesting" elements of the structure (for example, the roof of the column, decorative elements of the facade).

  • Hidden

To create such lighting country cottages installed special lamps, which are almost invisible. They are usually equipped with a deep body and bright lamps. Mounted on the facade to improve the appearance of the building, the silhouette selection of individual parts.

Lighting arbors and verandas

In the verandas attached to the house itself, often installed a few ceiling lights. Also, they can be replaced by wall models having the appearance of street lamps (lanterns, hemispheres). Wiring is carried out directly from the house. In the case of lighting gazebos remote from the main building, you can use the following options:

  • decorative garlands: street garlands can be hung from the ceiling along the perimeter of the canopy, wrapped around separately placed pillars-supports of metal and wooden arbors;
  • LED strips: unlike garlands, they are not hung up, but are attached directly to the ceiling, arbor posts;
  • Suspended lights: fixed under the ceiling of the gazebo, but require careful cable routing and reliable fixation (if necessary, additional supports will be required to support the wires).

Backlight tracks

Beautiful and high-quality lighting garden paths owners can easily do with their own hands. To illuminate the area and create safe conditions for movement on it at night, it is recommended to use wireless illuminators. For example, along the track you can install neat LED lights on poles (about 30-50 cm), equipped with a solar battery.

An autonomous illuminator will accumulate energy during the daytime, and constantly glow at night. There are similar devices that are almost completely sunk into the ground. Another option to illuminate the tracks are LED strips mounted on the inside of the curb framing the track. For tile or stone paths, the installation of floor recessed luminaires is also permissible. They are equipped with durable durable glass.

Illumination of beds, shrubs and trees

Creating an unusual landscape design in a spacious courtyard involves the installation of lamps, not only around the tracks, but also near shrubs, trees and flower beds. Lighting trees and shrubs is recommended using powerful spotlights.

They must be installed under the plant, while the light is directed to the object. Such illumination of the local area creates a special comfort of movement and harmony of the general appearance of the territory. To organize the illumination, careful design will be required taking into account the landscape and the distance of objects from each other.

Wiring should be hidden (underground installation or dusting of corrugations with rubble, mulch). Outdoor LED strings can also be used as tree illuminators. Highlighting large flowerbeds by spotlights or LED strips. The latter are located around the perimeter of the curb, due to which soft light falls from it to the flowerbeds.

Lighting ponds and pool

Around the pools and artificial ponds the organization of the backlight is carried out using lamps that are resistant to moisture. They have a sealed case that prevents moisture from entering the batteries or device circuits.

Installation of products is carried out around the perimeter of the pool or into the platform framing it from decking and other materials. Direct illumination of the interior should be carried out with special devices installed in the walls and floor of the reservoir. Additional lighting for the pool and ponds can be created with floating lights. Such models can additionally create fog above the surface of the reservoir.

Installation of indoor lamps in the pool or pond should be carried out at the time of construction (or complete drainage of the reservoir) using sealed wires protected from water.

Festive decorative lighting area

Non-standard decorative lighting, many owners of country cottages often spend on the eve of holidays (New Year, Easter, March 8). To create a special atmosphere, you can use the following types of lamps:

  • Garlands

They can be completely wrapped around the trees or used to style the facade: placed over window openings, around the perimeter of the roof. For trees can also be used garlands in the form of thin sticks with LEDs inside.

  • Grids with LEDs (subspecies of modern garlands)

They can be fixed in flowerbeds, placed on the walls of the house.

  • Glowing figures

Represent a metal frame, complemented by LEDs. They emit a bright soft light, allowing you to illuminate a small area around them. There are also small figures (in the form of Christmas wreaths, flowers or flat silhouettes) that can be mounted on the facade for its festive lighting.

Safety first!

Ensuring the correct and most importantly, the safe operation of street lighting at home will help follow the rules and compliance. Therefore, before starting work, the following requirements should be studied:

  • System reliability

For lighting devices, you must use cables and lights, designed for outdoor use. In addition, it is worthwhile to take into account when choosing the weather conditions of your region: the maximum temperature in summer and in winter, the frequency of precipitation.

  • Permissible load

Connecting luminaires to the machine should be based on their number, energy consumption. If necessary, different types of lighting (paths, gazebos, facade) must be connected to separate machines.

  • High quality cabling

If possible, wiring should be carried out by air. But to connect the cable to the remote elements, it is recommended to lay the underground method.

Do-it-yourself can install autonomous lamps with a solar battery. Direct wiring, installation of lamps should be trusted only to professionals who have extensive experience in the field of street lighting.

Conclusion

Decorative lighting of a private house and a house adjoining plot allows you to complement your landscape design in a cost-effective and practical way. In addition, the installed lighting can also perform a functional role, ensuring the comfort of moving around the garden or yard at night. When choosing the optimal layout of luminaires (as well as the devices themselves, wires) it is necessary to consider the conditions of their operation.

There are a large number of different in appearance and parameters of models that will help you decorate the house by completing the front decor with lamps and create a cozy atmosphere in the garden area. A prerequisite before arranging the plot of a summer house or a residential cottage is to draw up a plan with a legend, which will indicate the parameters of the required network elements.

Also, the work itself should be carried out exclusively with experts: only a qualified electrician will be able to conduct decorative street lighting safely and efficiently.

Watch the video: Rustic lighting design ideas (March 2024).

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