This post is sponsored by Neighborly, Your Hub for Home Services

Our neighborhood has a lot of beautiful mature trees, but it can also make the houses, driveways, and streets feel darker at night. Which is great for sleep, but a little nerve-wracking when you’re coming home late or leaving the house super early — like I do to work out. We installed some exterior landscape lighting in our backyard that totally transformed the way we entertain out there, and I’ve been wanting to add it to the front exterior for visual appeal, path-lighting, and an added sense of security.

Urn Planters | Faux Boxwood Topiaries | Brass Kickplate | Doormat

We had a couple of sconces beside the front door and a lamp post by the walkway, but that was it (the rest got ripped out when we re-landscaped our whole front yard). We jumped at the chance to add lighting when we found out that Neighborly offers the service through The Grounds Guys, a company we worked with recently to install some new plantings.

I shared the basic outline of what I wanted with them: trees illuminated, the front of the house lit up, house numbers aglow, and pathway lights along the driveway. A light on either side of your driveway feels so luxurious! (But also, I don’t want them to be harmed if we run over them or if any contractors back up into the bushes.) I really valued The Grounds Guys’ opinion when it came to the lighting. They had ideas to do a little lighting along our brick wall, and they told me that they have lights that are OK to drive over for the driveway path lighting! Um, sign me up!

We were out of town when The Grounds Guys installed our landscape lighting, so the CLJ team sent us a couple of videos to see the progress. It looked good on video, but what was funny was that when we pulled up to the house for the first time, I looked at Chris and said, “Wasn’t it always like this?” This landscape lighting was just meant to be — I can’t imagine the house without it now!

Having a lot of big trees uplit is so impactful. It matches more of what the homes in our neighborhood have as well. Just a really big gamechanger! I chose the black finish to match the moody, modern look I love, but I didn’t have to choose the light temperature. The Grounds Guys picked a great warmth. (I think one of the worst looks is a cool-toned exterior light: Nothing says “institution” more.)

At first, they planned for the lights to attach to this switch where we turn our lamp post on and off, which seems nice in theory. But I told them I’d prefer for them to turn on and off at a specific time so I don’t have to remember to turn the switch on (and it can come on when we’re out of town). The timer is set to match the backyard so it doesn’t stay on all night, which does three things:

1. It saves energy by turning them off when we’re not likely to be coming and going.
2. It’s helpful for night or early dawn commuting.
3. It’s added security because it toggles on whether we’re home or not.

The only thing we had The Grounds Guys adjust was the angle of the lights. We had them pulled back from the house a bit, so we can angle them up more, and the whole house will be lit up.

Something to Check Before Installing Exterior Lighting

Most of our exterior had been wired for lighting, but we always keep the phone number for Mr. Electric handy. This is another Neighborly company. (Are you getting the picture? We’re using Neighborly for basically everything right now.) Their team of certified and highly-trained experts provide upfront pricing prior to starting any project, and they’re quick, safe, and efficient. If you’re planning for exterior lighting like ours, Mr. Electric is your first call. They also carry out thorough complimentary home electrical safety checks to ensure that all electrical wires, systems, and components meet legal safety standards. This inspection is something we’re booking before it’s time to put Christmas lights up.

So How are the Eco-Friendly Mosquito Treatments?

Speaking of our yard, this summer Mosquito Joe began spraying our yard monthly with their eco-friendly treatment. It’s an alternative to their synthetic treatment and uses powerful pest-repelling essential oils to repel mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and more from our property. (So nice to be able to let Cricket run around under the trees without feeling like I have to check her for ticks!) Our treatment includes lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, and garlic. The eco-friendly treatment is important for us — not only for its impact on the planet, but also because it gives us more peace of mind when spending time in our yard. We’ve had a few movie nights this summer in and around the pool, and it’s been so nice to not have to deal with mosquitos! No more ankle bites for our family. Also, we’re still enjoying the actual crickets and the lightning bugs 🙂