Garden lighting installation cost

Garden lighting is priced in two parts: the circuit, and then each light on it. The circuit — a feed out of the house with its own switching and protection — is the bulk of the first job. Each light after that is a small amount on top, using fittings you have chosen. Most gardens end up with between four and ten lights, so the second part adds up quietly and is worth deciding before anyone digs.

Indoor and outdoor lighting is regular work for Ryan, from a couple of wall lights by the back door to a whole garden lit for the evenings.

Mains or low voltage?

This is the first decision, and it changes the job.

Mains voltage

The lights run straight off 230 volts, with armoured cable to each one or to junction points along the way.

• Brighter, and suits wall lights, post lights and security lighting
• Needs proper cable routes, buried or fixed along walls, and more planning
• Notifiable in Wales when it is a new outdoor circuit, so it is tested, certificated and notified

Low voltage

A transformer by the house steps the power down to 12 or 24 volts, and a lighter cable runs round the garden.

• Safer to live with, and the cable can be run through beds and moved later
• Easier to add to, and many kits are plug-and-play from the transformer
• Less bright, and long runs lose power, so spot and path lighting suits it better than floodlights

Many gardens use both: mains for the wall lights and anything bright by the house, low voltage for the path and planting.

What moves the price

• How far the lights are from the house and what the cable has to cross
• Walls or ground. Clipping cable along a wall is quicker than burying it across a lawn or under a patio.
• Switching. One switch for everything is simplest. Separate zones, dusk sensors, timers or app control add a little each.
• Who supplies the fittings. Fitting your own is fine. Say so when you ask for a price.

Planning it so it looks right

• Light the things you look at, like a tree, a wall or a water feature, not the whole lawn.
• Keep it warm. Warm white looks natural in a garden. Cold white looks like a car park.
• Avoid glare. Point lights away from windows, yours and the neighbours’.
• Put the switch where you actually are, usually by the back door or patio doors.
• Think about security separately. A motion-sensor light over the drive does a different job from mood lighting on the patio.

Questions people ask

Can I just use solar garden lights?

For marking a path, yes. They are cheap and need no cable. They are dim, they fade by late evening in winter, and most do not last many seasons. For lighting you rely on, wired is the answer.

Can the lighting go on the same job as an outdoor socket?

Yes, and it is cheaper to do both at once, because the cable routes overlap. See outdoor sockets and garden power.