Outdoor lights come in all shapes and styles. Each is the best for certain situations and certain houses, each looks different and has different features. Not sure which is best? Here are the options:
Holiday/Seasonal Outdoor Lights
Holiday/Seasonal lights are what most of us refer to as Christmas lights. These are lights that are put up every year, usually a month or two before Christmas, and taken down shortly after. These can be bought almost anywhere and come with several features. Many modern styles are colour-changing, or have a built a built-in timer. While others are more simple, just lights on a string that you plug in, and plug as needed.
Types of Bulbs
While there are infinitely many types of bulbs that are available there are 6 types commonly used when it comes to lights. The biggest difference between these styles of lights is the size. Ranging from Mini LED to C9, it is important to pick the right size bulb for the purpose you’re looking for.
Outdoor Light Sizes
While outdoor styles of these lights are available in every size, typically when looking at outdoor lights they will be either C9 size or C7. This is due to the higher durability, and more visibility from farther away. Ideal for when putting lights on a house. The smaller sizes of lights are more typically used for indoor settings, or smaller displays light Christmas trees. In these scenarios you are more likely to see the C3 or LED style.
Securing The Lights
As these outdoor lights are designed to be temporary they are typically clipped up to the house with universal “Christmas light” style clips. These slide over your shingles or eavestrough and hold the lights in them. Because of this, it is important to make sure you find the right style of clip for your needs. Some are best for going under shingles, while others are designed to go in the seams of the siding, and others still claim to be “universal” but are designed for specific sizes of bulbs.
Permanent Outdoor Lights
Permanent outdoor lights are the ideal solution for lighting your house and property. While more expensive on the initial purchase they assure that you only have to install everything once. Gone are the days of going up and down the ladder every fall to put them up, and back up again in the spring to take them down.
There are numerous options when it comes to permanent outdoor lights. Each style has a different look, a different cost, and a variety of pros and cons.
Spotlight Style
One of the most common permanent outdoor lights is the spotlight-style lights. These are lights that are placed 1 – 4 inches (2 – 10 cm) from the siding and work as small, downward-facing spotlights that light up your siding and roof line, causing your house to almost glow with the effects.
The largest downside of these spotlight-style lights is that they are only held on by very strong two-sided tape on the backside. Because of this you typically need to get aftermarket clips, which can add to the price. In Canada, there are several options, but without clips installed, your lights likely won’t last more than a couple of winters.
Strip Style
The other common style of permanent outdoor lights is strip-style lights. These go along the outside of your soffit, where the fascia meets the soffit. Held in tracks these lights are as permanent as it gets as they are held on with screws in a track system, sheltered from the weather.
Similar to the spotlight-style these lights don’t come out of the box ready to put up, especially with Canadian weather. When putting these up you will need to purchase aftermarket rails to contain the light strips. This also gives you a way to secure them to your house using screws instead of relying on double-sided tape that they come with.
Curtain Style
Curtain-style lights are a common accent lighting used. When used correctly, they can add to your house and feel, really bringing your lights to the next level! They are typically installed on garage doors or large walls with no windows. Depending on the brand, you can display colour patterns or even full-sized images on them!
Installation of Outdoor Lights
Installing permanent lights can get extremely complicated, especially in the harsh weather found in Canada and Alberta. Hiring professional light installers will save you time and ensure you have the best-looking product possible!
Many of these systems, especially permanent outdoor lights, are labour-intensive to install. This means you have to have skill and a lot of time to do it properly. By hiring a professional light installation company, you can save yourself hours of time and never step foot on a ladder while still getting all of the benefits of permanent outdoor lights.
