Low-voltage lights run under the pavers
The reason to do lighting during the hardscape build instead of after is the wire. A low-voltage system runs on 12 volts from a power supply plugged into an outdoor outlet, and the cable can be buried shallow with no conduit under most codes. If we run it before the pavers or flagstone go down, it crosses under the patio in a straight line and comes up exactly where the fixtures go. Adding it later means pulling stone or snaking cable around the edge. In walls, we set a wall light or a strip under the cap course as we lay it, so the wire is hidden inside the block. We size the power supply for the total fixture wattage with room to add a few later, and we use LED fixtures because they draw little power and the bulbs last for years.
- 12-volt system off a plug-in power supply
- Cable buried under the base before stone is set
- Wall lights set under the cap course during the wall build
- LED fixtures sized to the power supply with room to add
Where a few fixtures do the most
More lights is not better. A handful of fixtures in the right spots beats a runway of path lights every four feet. We put lights where people step down: at every stair tread, at the edge of a raised patio, and where a walk changes direction. A few wall lights under the cap of a seating wall put a soft wash on the patio without glare. Around a fire pit, low lights at the edge of the pad help people find the seats and keep out of the fire. Down a lake path, a light every few strides on the stepping stones is enough to get to the dock after dark. Uplighting a tree or the house is a nice touch, and an electrician or a dedicated lighting company will do more of that than we will.
What drives the cost of landscape lighting
Lighting is priced by fixture count and wire run, and it is cheapest when it rides along with the hardscape job.
- Number and type of fixtures: path, step, wall, or well lights
- Total wire length and how many runs from the power supply
- Power supply size for the fixture load
- Whether it goes in during the build or into a finished patio
- An outdoor outlet at the house, if one has to be added by an electrician
When we would talk you out of it
- A whole-property lighting design with uplit trees and house facades: a dedicated lighting contractor does that better than we do
- Adding lights to a finished patio someone else built: it can be done, but the wire has to go around the edge or under lifted stone, and the result is rarely as clean
- Line-voltage or hardwired lighting: anything at 120 volts is an electrician's job, and we will tell you so
What you get
- Wire under the base, not around it
- Step and wall lights set during the build
- LED fixtures on a 12-volt power supply
- Fewer, better-placed fixtures
- One quote with the patio or wall
- Room on the power supply to add later
How it goes
- 1
Call or send the form
Tell us about the patio, walk, or wall you are planning and that you want lights in it.
- 2
Site visit
We mark the steps, edges, and turns that need light, count fixtures, and locate the nearest outdoor outlet.
- 3
Written quote
Fixtures, wire, and power supply as a line on the hardscape quote, so you can keep it or drop it.
- 4
Build and clean up
Wire goes in with the base, fixtures mount as the stone goes down, and we test it after dark.
Questions we get asked
Can you add lights to a patio you are building for me?
Yes, and that is the best time to do it. We run the low-voltage cable under the base before the pavers or flagstone are set, mount step and wall lights as we lay them, and connect a power supply at an outdoor outlet. It shows up as one line on the patio quote.
Do I need an electrician for low-voltage landscape lighting?
Usually not for the lights themselves. A low-voltage system runs off a power supply that plugs into an existing outdoor outlet, and the 12-volt cable is buried shallow. If you do not have an outdoor outlet near the patio, an electrician adds one. Anything hardwired at 120 volts is the electrician's job, not ours.
How many path lights do I need along a walkway?
Fewer than you think. A light every 8 to 10 feet, staggered on alternate sides, is plenty on a straight walk. Put lights where the walk turns and at every step. A fixture every 4 feet on both sides looks like an airport runway and puts glare in your eyes instead of on the ground.
Will the lights survive winter and snow blowers?
Wall and step lights set into the stone are protected. Path lights on stakes are the vulnerable ones. We set them back from the walk edge so a shovel or blower clears past them, and LED fixtures in cast metal housings hold up far better than the plastic sets from the hardware store. Pulling stake lights for winter is optional.
Related work
Where we do this work
Landscape lighting across western Wright County and the towns around Cokato: Cokato, Dassel, Howard Lake, Annandale, Maple Lake, Buffalo, Delano, Hutchinson, and the lake roads between them. See the full service area.