Landscape Lighting FAQs

The simplest answer is that I approach lighting as a design service first and an installation service second. Fixtures, wire, transformers, and controls are necessary parts of a system, but they are not what make the finished property successful. The important decisions are where light belongs, where it does not, how much is enough, and how the entire property works together after dark. I am not interested in selling the largest system I can. I would rather install fewer lights in the right places than more lights simply because there is room for them. The goal is a system that looks considered when it is installed and continues to make sense years later.

Kincade Lighting is based in Murfreesboro and primarily serves Middle Tennessee, including Rutherford and Williamson Counties and communities along the 840 corridor. I also take on select projects outside the immediate service area, particularly rural properties, estates, farms, lake homes, and properties where the scope or design makes the additional travel worthwhile. If you are unsure whether your property falls within my normal service area, reach out. Location is one consideration, but the right project and the right client can sometimes make the map a little larger.

Kincade Lighting is a small, independent landscape lighting service based in Murfreesboro and serving homeowners throughout Middle Tennessee. I personally work with each client from the initial conversation through design, installation, adjustment, and long-term service. Staying small allows me to pay attention to details that are easy to lose when the goal becomes simply completing more projects. I have spent years learning not only how to install landscape lighting, but how light behaves around homes, trees, architecture, changing landscapes, and the people who actually live with it every night. That experience shapes every project I take on.

Yes. Larger and more rural properties often present some of the most interesting lighting opportunities. Long approaches, mature trees, outbuildings, large setbacks, dark surroundings, and natural areas all affect how the lighting should be designed. Trying to illuminate everything can quickly take away the character that makes the property special in the first place. On these properties, I tend to think in terms of important destinations, visual depth, navigation, and selected features while allowing the surrounding darkness to remain part of the experience.

Almost any area can be illuminated. That does not necessarily mean it should be. A complete design may involve the home, walks, entrances, trees, gardens, patios, pools, outdoor living areas, drives, fences, or more distant features of the property. The decision is not simply which areas are available to illuminate, but which ones contribute something meaningful to the property after dark. Sometimes the most important design decision is choosing what to leave alone. Illuminating selected areas well usually creates more depth and character than trying to make the entire property equally visible.

By remembering that the purpose of landscape lighting is not to recreate daylight. Brightness alone rarely makes a property more attractive. Good nighttime lighting depends on contrast, direction, depth, appropriate color, and allowing the eye to move naturally from one area to another. I pay close attention to fixture output, beam spread, placement, glare, and the relationship between illuminated and un-illuminated areas. Often, reducing or repositioning light improves a design more than adding another fixture. The best systems allow you to see and experience the property comfortably without constantly reminding you that lights were installed to make it happen.

A properly installed system should leave very little evidence of the installation once the work is complete. Existing plant material, root systems, irrigation, hardscape, and finished areas all influence how wire is routed and fixtures are placed. Established properties sometimes require more patience because the goal is not simply to get from one point to another—it is to do so without unnecessarily disturbing what is already there. I treat the landscape as part of the project, not as something that happens to be in the way of the lighting installation.

Installing fixtures is only one part of the job. The design comes from deciding what deserves attention, what does not, where the light should originate, how different areas relate to one another, and how the property will change as landscaping matures. A good system should have depth and restraint. The house, trees, walks, outdoor living areas, and landscape should work together rather than looking like a collection of individually illuminated objects. That is the part of the process where experience matters most.

Professional low-voltage lighting gives me the flexibility needed to design around a landscape rather than forcing the landscape to accommodate the lighting. Fixtures can be placed precisely, adjusted as plants mature, and modified more easily as the property changes. Modern LED technology also allows excellent control over beam spread, intensity, and color while using relatively little energy. The technical advantages matter, but ultimately low voltage is the system that gives me the greatest control over the finished result for most residential landscape lighting applications.

Good landscape lighting should make your property feel better after dark without making the lighting itself the first thing you notice. It should provide comfort and visibility where you need it, reveal the architecture and landscape naturally, and leave darkness where darkness belongs. My goal is not to put a light on everything. It is to use the right amount of light, in the right places, so the property feels balanced, welcoming, and intentional.

That depends on what you expect from it. If the goal is simply to make a dark area brighter, there are inexpensive ways to accomplish that. Professional landscape lighting becomes valuable when you care about how the property feels, how safely and comfortably you move through it, how your architecture and landscaping are experienced after dark, and whether the system will continue to perform well over time. For many homeowners, the surprising part is how much lighting changes their relationship with a property they already know well. Areas that effectively disappeared after sunset become usable again, familiar trees and architecture take on a different character, and the view from inside the home becomes part of the experience as well. When it is designed well, landscape lighting is not something you only notice from the street. It becomes part of living with the property.

The first visit is primarily about understanding the property and what you want from it after dark. We will walk the areas you are considering, talk about how you use the property, identify practical concerns, and discuss the architectural or landscape features that deserve attention. I will also point out opportunities or limitations that may not be obvious until you begin thinking about the property specifically in terms of light. You do not need to arrive with a fixture count or a completed lighting plan. A general idea of what you like, what currently bothers you, and which areas matter most is usually more useful. From there, it is my job to develop the lighting approach.

There is no meaningful price-per-light answer because two properties using the same number of fixtures can require very different designs and infrastructure. Property size, wiring distances, fixture type, transformer and control requirements, hardscape, mature landscaping, access, installation conditions, and the overall complexity of the design can all affect the amount of work involved. I prefer to evaluate the property first, establish what we are trying to accomplish, and then build a scope around that. Once I understand the property and your priorities, I can recommend an approach that makes sense and explain where the investment is going.

Maintenance is more than replacing a failed lamp or straightening a fixture. A typical service visit may include cleaning fixtures and lenses, checking wiring and connections, adjusting timers or controls, repositioning fixtures, correcting glare, and evaluating how the landscape has changed since the system was installed. Trees grow. Shrubs fill in. Mulch builds up. Fixtures get bumped. Beam paths that once worked well can become blocked or misdirected. For most properties, a thorough inspection once a year is a good starting point, although some landscapes require attention more often. The purpose is to keep both the equipment and the original design functioning as intended, not merely to keep the lights turned on.

Usually, yes. Landscapes are never truly finished. Trees mature, outdoor spaces are added, architecture changes, and homeowners begin using their property differently over time. A system that made perfect sense years ago may need adjustment even if every fixture still works. When practical, I design and maintain systems so individual components can be repaired, replaced, repositioned, or expanded without assuming the entire installation must be rebuilt. That flexibility is an important part of long-term value because a good lighting system should be able to evolve with the property around it.

Yes. I regularly work on existing systems, including those installed by other companies. Sometimes the system simply needs routine maintenance. Other times, the fixtures still function but the design has been affected by plant growth, settling, previous repairs, aging components, or years of small changes that accumulated over time. My first goal is to understand what is already there and determine what is worth preserving. An existing system does not need to be replaced simply because it is older or because my name is not on it. Cleaning, repositioning, repairing, adjusting output, or selectively replacing components can often restore a system without starting over.

Kincade Lighting is a small, hands-on service by design. I work best with homeowners who care about how their property looks and feels, value thoughtful workmanship, and would rather have a lighting system designed specifically for their home than choose from a standard package. Some of my best clients have had landscape lighting before and already know what they do not want. That experience can be just as useful as knowing exactly what you do want. Part of my job is to listen carefully, understand what has or has not worked for you in the past, and then develop a lighting approach that reflects both the property and the way you want to experience it. You do not need to know anything about landscape lighting before we meet. That is my responsibility. If you have a property you care about and want someone willing to spend the time necessary to understand it before deciding where the lights should go, we will probably have a productive conversation.

You can contact Kincade Lighting through our Contact Page or by phone and tell me a little about the property and what you are considering. You do not need to know how many fixtures you need or exactly how the system should be designed. A few details about the property, the areas you are interested in, and what you hope the lighting will improve are enough to begin. From there, we can determine whether an on-site consultation makes sense and what the next step should be.