A family purchased a home in Chico and, for the first time since they moved in, arrived home after dark. What they saw – or rather, what they couldn't see – left them a bit rattled.

With their home cloaked in shadows, their thoughts immediately turned to how it might be a target to burglars, who, as law enforcement officials often say, prefer to operate in the darkness. The darkness also triggered the homeowners' concerns for their safety in terms of navigating a crumbling stone sidewalk and the wood steps leading to their front door.

While that stone sidewalk was on their “to do” list, the couple placed another job above it: install lighting to make their home safer – and do it quickly. This family’s experience at their home could be replicated at many other homes in the Chico area.

Local Electricians Targeted Key Areas

With one weekend to get the job done, a local electrician stepped into action and focused on three key areas where lighting was needed to improve this home's safety:

• The front entrance, which was enhanced with a combination of wall lanterns and recessed lighting. Chain-hung fixtures were another option, as were motion sensors, which trigger lights to turn on when they detect movement. Lighting the front entrance provided safety when the family was home – helping them to quickly identify visitors and greet guests – as well as when they were away.
• The garage, where the electrician hung lanterns on either side. Here, too, motion sensors are an option and a matter of preference. Depending on the configuration of a garage, or the presence of a third parking stall, a third light fixture might be useful.
• The sidewalks, walkways, steps and driveway, which were carefully staggered with short lights on either side to avoid the look of an airport runway. Solar lighting also could be an option, assuming that a home is not so heavily forested that the sun cannot fully empower the lights by day.
• The backyard patio, where the electrician hung floodlights on a back wall. Backyards can present challenges – and opportunities. Depending on the size of a yard, post lights could be an option, as well as lights along stairs, benches and railings on patios or decks.

Light Fixtures Should Look Good, Too

Experts In Your Home local Chico electricians are mindful that outdoor lighting should do more than make a home look and feel safer; it can beautify it at the same time. This is why they take the time to help homeowners choose lighting fixtures that are not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. And this is why they make a point to inspect a home both during the full light of day and at night: to finesse the details and to add a few more types of lights – globe, mushroom and tier – that Experts outlined in a previous article, “Improve your curb appeal with upgraded outdoor lighting.”

There are many lighting techniques that can beautify a home, and Experts In Your Home electricians balance safety and smart landscape lighting principles to help homeowners make the best choices, including:

• Varying the style of the fixtures
• Pointing light upward, which is more visually interesting than pointing light downward
• Highlighting trees
• Concealing fixtures behind plants since the glow of a light should be apparent, not the fixture itself

If installing outdoor lighting is high on your “to do” list, the Chico electricians at Experts In Your Home will adopt your sense of urgency, just as they do with many Chico homeowners. Together, we'll improve the safety of your home – and cast new light on the natural beauty of it, too.