TierramadreLandscape.com

We live close to a major road that gets quite a bit of foot traffic. Now we keep our property dark at night and have a motion detecting flood light. We've been told that the exterior should be illuminated. My concern is that if the house is lit up at night...things like patio furnature, bikes and skate boards will be visible...and therefore more of a target.

Thanks in advance for your help...Rob

Most thieves do not like to be in the "spotlight". If one is going to rob you, they will do it no matter what you have. You may want to light the yard area with an all night light and use the motion detector type nearer the house. This would deter someone from walking across the property to see what you have to offer.

2007-04-23 09:27:13 by rob d

Learn tips for installing an outdoor lighting fixture in this video of one in a series at Expertvillage.com. See thousands of more videos at video ...

Answer: Beauty is a result of function.
To make your home cosy, approach it from a practical standpoint - follow these simple rules.
*Daylight (intense blue-white light - 6500 degrees Kelvin) - excellent for outdoor security. It actually causes the brain to increase seratonin production creating a mild calmative affect. This may help reduce aggressive behavior close to home. It works.
*Daylight - great for garage/reading/study/work areas.
*Full Spectrum (all colors of the rainbow - natural outdoor light) - best for these areas, because it increases ability to see details (color contrast depth).
*Pure White light (5000 to 5500 degrees K) - best for kitchen/laundry/bath. It doesn't alter the appearance of food/clothes/skin/makeup color.
*Cool White (slight green tint - 4100 degrees K) - good for dinette/breakfast nook/side lighting.
*Soft/Warm White (orange yellow to lemon yellow - 2700 to 3500 Degrees Kelvin). Mood lighting/hallway/tv area/side light,
Print this
Colortone next.

Yellow Lights are Best I think, they make you happier, or try the lights that actually model the sun. (The one's they give to people with Seasonal Affective Disorder)

2007-09-17 14:32:28 by valderein@sbcglobal.net

Price: $52.20 $52.20

UL Listed
clear glass
Stainless steel frame

I have a basement windown with a notch to fit a cord. But are there any outdoor outlets for lights you can install easily to your home?

Yes, I have to do the same thing. The solution is to have an electrician run a line and install a weather-proof outdoor outlet.

The only way around the problem is to do what we're doing, run weatherproof extension cords from the basement. In my case, it actually works very well.

2008-12-13 05:32:11 by Amy

Price: $29.99 $27.00

8 ft. electrical cord
Perfect for most indoor and outdoor wall mount applications
Versatile, portable, plug-in design

one wire is on the right one is on the left of the mounting box they are both black which one is positve which one is neagative

If the home is old enough, the wiring was usually done with a method called knob & tube, where the hot wire and the neutral were run separately from each other. Each wire would have really thick stiff black insulation. By the 40's and 50's, BX tubing became popular, where the two wires would be run together inside a flexible metal sheath. These may or may not be colored differently. By the late 60s/70s NM cable because popular. This is what's used today: two or three conductors plus a bare ground inside a plastic sheath.

The fact that both your wires are black does not mean there is a problem. Although you could theoretically reverse them when wiring to a simple light fixture without a problem, it is best that you find out which one is hot and which one is neutral. That way you can wire the hot one to the black wire in the new fixture, and the neutral one to the white wire in the new fixture. Doing this will adhere to building code, and will allow future remodelers to know which wire is the hot lead. To find out which one is the hot lead, purchase a small pen tester for about ten bucks at home depot like the one shown in the links below:

Hold the tip against both wires, one at a time, with the light switch on. The wire that makes the pen beep is the hot wire. The other one is neutral. Next, remove the fuse, or open the breaker for the outdoor light so that you can be absolutely sure that when you work on it you have nothing live. Don't rely on the switch, because sometimes the circuit is wired with a "hot neutral". meaning there is voltage at the light even with the switch off. If you're not sure which fuse or breaker to pull, then pull the main breaker so that the whole house is off. Wire the new fixture so that the fixture's black (or brown) wire connects to the "hot" wire you found coming out of the house. Wire the fixture's white (or blue) wire to the neutral wire coming from the house. When using wire nuts, strip the insulation off each pair equally, twist on the wire nut and keep twisting until the insulation starts to twist too. If there is a bare copper wire coming out of the house along with the two black wires, twist it to the bare copper wire coming from the new fixture. Twist it good, then attach it to the metal electrical box using a screw that is usually found in the box. If the electrical box is plastic, just twist the bare wires together.

2008-09-24 16:13:16 by penelope

I have some outdoor paint I got from home depot but its the wrong color and I don't have time to take it back. Its a greyish color but I would like to make it as light as I can, My wife said to add white latex to it. Please help

you wife is correct. the more white you add, the lighter grey it will become. be sure to add the white in accordance with what type of grey paint you have (oil base, latex).

2009-04-24 09:38:58 by devdog