Published by LANDOVA Design & Planning. Updated October 12, 2026.
Before hiring a landscape lighting company, decide what you want to see and do outside after dark. Ten fixtures do not describe a lighting experience. Paths, steps, seating, the outdoor kitchen and views from the house should inform the brief—not simply the size of a fixture package.
LANDOVA provides independent outdoor-living design and planning to connect those decisions with the rest of your backyard. Begin with the free Outdoor Project Plan, then explore a paid design engagement for the layout and planning services your project needs. LANDOVA is not the electrical contractor or lighting installer.
A failed fixture or defined repair may be a direct call to a qualified specialist. A new lighting installation serving a changing patio, landscape or kitchen deserves a coordinated brief. Read when to call a designer before a contractor to decide which situation fits your project.
What the specialist brings
A lighting professional can help with placement, optics, equipment and adjustment. Qualified electrical trades address the work that falls within their licensed scope. Product suitability, power supply, wiring and the specific conditions around water or structures need appropriate review. A landscape lighting sketch should not be mistaken for a complete electrical installation plan.
DarkSky and the Illuminating Engineering Society recommend lighting that is useful, targeted, low-level, controlled and warm in appearance. DarkSky and IES: responsible outdoor lighting principles.
Where separate quotes can leave gaps
Picture a finished patio with no agreed cable routes. A lighting installer proposes path lights, the pavilion electrician adds a bright overhead source, and the kitchen has a third control system. The parts all turn on, yet guests face glare and the homeowner has three separate routines. The missing scope is how the whole nighttime scene should work.
Use this illustrative scenario to start the conversation. The four connections below help define responsibilities before bids.
Four connections to resolve before bidding
- Light → movement Paths, changes in level and destinations. What should people be able to see comfortably?
- Light → landscape Planting, mature growth and house views. Who coordinates placement with the landscape plan?
- Light → construction Cable routes, sleeves, supply and access. What needs to happen before paving or planting?
- Light → homeowner Zones, schedules, controls and adjustment. Who sets up and explains daily operation?
Compare the whole scope, not just the total
Fixture totals are a weak basis for comparing lighting quotes. One proposal may include design, control setup and a nighttime adjustment visit; another may price equipment and installation only. A project coordinator may subcontract lighting and electrical work with a management fee. Ask what is being managed and who is accountable for the complete result before deciding whether the fee provides value.
Ask for the same lighting goals and area of work, along with fixture specifications, proposed placement, power and wiring responsibilities, controls, restoration and commissioning. Identify any assumptions about available electrical service. Request clear alternatives for optional accents rather than letting every bidder define a different project. Include how fixtures can be serviced as the garden matures.
The FTC recommends multiple written estimates, not automatically choosing the lowest.
Turn early prices into a useful comparison
Ask bidders to use the same current scope and to identify assumptions, exclusions and allowances. Our guide to comparing outdoor-living quotes on equal scope explains how to label missing information as “not stated” rather than invent an inclusion or price.
If the layout or selections are still changing, read what a contractor quote can and cannot tell you before design. A preliminary number is useful context, but it is not automatically the price of your finished project. LANDOVA does not promise a fixed savings percentage or take over construction management by default.
Questions to ask a landscape lighting company
- What is each proposed light intended to help us see or do?
- Which drawing and areas of the yard define this price?
- How will glare, neighboring views and unnecessary spill be addressed?
- Who verifies the power supply and coordinates routes beneath new surfaces?
- Which controls, setup, aiming and nighttime adjustment are included?
- How will we obtain service, operate the controls and maintain the installation?
Start with LANDOVA, then choose the right team
LANDOVA can help connect the evening experience to the day-to-day layout and document the shared questions for lighting, landscape, structure and electrical specialists. You gain a clearer brief to discuss, while qualified professionals resolve equipment and installation details. The aim is a coherent space after dark, not the maximum number of fixtures.
Walk through your evening routine before the design conversation. Note the door you use, the view from your favorite chair, the path to the gate and the controls you would actually use. Confirm the lighting-related visualizations and scope-planning work included in your paid LANDOVA proposal. Qualified lighting and electrical professionals retain their technical and installation responsibilities.
The free Outdoor Project Plan organizes your preferences and questions. It is not a completed lighting design, electrical plan or installation quote. Use it to describe the nighttime experience before asking providers to price it.
Start My Free Outdoor Project Plan →
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