How to light the exterior of your house? Where to start?
Hi,
I've attached an (albeit) old picture of the front of my house as i was just looking for some guidance as to how i might best light the house itself?
I live in a very densely wooded area and the exterior of the house if very dark indeed at night so i was just looking for something to make it look a little more attractive at nighttime and also provide a bit more light for security purposes.
The actual entrance to the house for reference is to the right of the image (just above where the mad boat planter is which has long since been removed!)
Comments (9)
E D
5 years agoRelated Discussions
End terrace house, where to start
Comments (6)If you plan to do as much of this DIY as possible then you may be best to strip out as much as you can yourselves - wallpaper, back yard ground build up etc then see how things look. Once you've done this you may find it's better or worse than you think but you will have a better idea of the condition of walls etc. and what needs doing. If you can live elsewhere during this work because it's pretty horrible living on a building site. Things to be aware of - if you remove a significant amount of plaster from walls then you should legally improve the thermal performance of the wall by insulating it. Check this with your local building control officer. Damp is not necessarily a result of lack of or damaged damp proof course and could be condensation or some other cause. Get an independent surveyor to check this for you rather than a damp proof company - which may offer to survey and check for free but it will be to their advantage to find a problem, which surprise surprise they can fix at a cost (which will include the cost of surveying). For rewiring get at least three good local electricians to have a look at what you have and quote for a full rewire. You could to start with get your system tested and may find that it doesn't need a full rewire, although it might be the best time to do it now while you're carrying out such a large scale refurbishment. Finally get a structural engineer or surveyor to look at the chimney breast and advise you on removal. It's possibly something you could DIY. If it involves structural work then this is also something you should talk to building control about. If it's on a wall adjoining your neighbours then you should also look at party walls and give them notice - you may both want to jointly employ a party wall surveyor to make sure both your interests are protected and so that you start of your relationship with your new neighbours in a positive way. The last thing you want is to damage your new neighbours wall and start off in dispute with them! If you're planning an extension then look at architects local to you on the pro pages of houzz - they can advise on all of these legal and technical aspects and make sure that any extension works well for you....See MorePOLL: Where do you start when decorating your living room?
Comments (23)Furniture and flooring need to be long stay options, so I would choose these first, then introduce colors of walls from curtains and pick it up in cushions and rug. that way it is easy to freshen up room in a few years without changing the major expenses e.g. new paint color and cushions...See MoreHow to get started designing your house colour palette?
Comments (1)I teach colour theory to art students and it's such a vast subject in terms of interiors. I read something once that said' how do you want a room to feel' and I think that's a good starting point. I recently bought a house that has some rooms that are a bit dark but it had a slightly seventies vibe. I have gone for this vibe throughout the house and used a limited palette based on what I already owned and the feel I was after. I picked out pale neutral colours that would work in light spaces, and related deeper ones that would work in darker spaces and a woodwork colour that could be used through out. The only difficult issue I find is not colour but temperature. Mixing cool neutrals and warm neutrals is difficult, light rooms can take anything but a north facing room with grey tiles and grey walls will not feel 'on trend' it will feel cold. So - make sure there is wood, and consider a palette that has some warmth (and that doesn't mean just reds and oranges but warm greens, warm greys etc). Also consider if the rooms are day rooms or night time rooms, that is important. Hope this helps....See MoreHouse exterior - where do we start!!!
Comments (7)I think a lick of masonry paint would be a good idea. You could go down the cream/white route, but I wonder if a pale terracotta would look nice? A grey-green door seems to sit well with the abundance of red pavers. The wall on the right with the missing capping is quite high. I wonder if it could be lowered a little, but I understand you don’t want anyone tipping over the edge! Here’s some colours. Of course you may hate the pale terracotta so I’ve added a sage green which is a Sandtex masonry paint shade....See More
Sonia
5 years agoTwo or three wall lights would be good at the back and will ”cheer up” the garden no end. A light above or next to the front door is advisable too. I’ve recently had lighting put outside my house front and back and it really does open up the space. I bought intruder lights which can also be overridden by switches if you are using the garden and want the lights on all the time. I think uplighters below some of your trees would look lovely as suggested by MATH. Don‘t forget solar lights are also good. They don’t create much light but they do look pretty. This is the intruder light on my garage. I bought several of these online and got an electrician to wire them in. I’m really pleased with them.
Richard G thanked Sonia
Richard G
5 years agoSonia
5 years ago- PRO
User
5 years ago Hilary Wilde
5 years ago
PROLitecraft
5 years agoHi Richard,
After reading what you have said, We offer quite a few outdoor lights that may fit what you are looking for. I will list some below, but our full range is linked [here[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/products/outdoor-wall-lights-prbr1-br~t_14165~a_10-10518531).
[Mersey Outdoor Wall Light[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/products/mersey-outdoor-lantern-wall-light-black-prvw-vr~102091861)
Mersey Outdoor Lantern Wall Light, Black · More Info[Stanley Neda Outdoor Wall Light with PIR sensor[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/products/stanley-neda-outdoor-2-light-up-and-down-wall-light-pir-sensor-stainless-steel-prvw-vr~112925090)
Stanley Neda Outdoor 2 Light Up and Down Wall Light, PIR Sensor, Stainless Steel · More Info[Astley Industrial Style Caged Wall Light[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/products/astley-outdoor-industrial-style-caged-wall-light-black-prvw-vr~124908453)
Astley Outdoor Industrial Style Caged Wall Light, Black · More InfoHope this helps,
Kind Regards, the Litecraft team.
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