Look again

Outdoor living spaces are changing, and things might be looking a little brighter for contractors, says Ray Schroeder, manager at Irwin Stone in Frederick, Md. Specifically, lighting systems are adding a bigger draw for clients as they plan their landscaping.

“In the last decade, the outdoor spaces have completely been transformed,” says Schroeder. “People have gone away from the traditional deck or patio that might have a couple chairs on it to now, people are really turning these into outdoor living areas.

“They’ve got furniture like a full living space, and they’re using concrete pavers like you would use a rug. They’re building areas that give you that feeling, especially when you’re out under the stars, that you’ve got a defined area without a roof over it, but that gives you the same feeling of being inside.”

As those outdoor areas have expanded, clients have also started in on lighting plans to provide more safety in navigating around in the evening. Different styles of lighting like wall caps and bullet lights give more opportunity to look at lighting as decorative as well as practical, as well as acting more inviting than an everyday backyard spotlight. The introduction of LED lighting cuts down even more on used energy and cost, as well as creating less heat, which means attracting fewer insects to the gathering.

With these innovations, as well as more simple installations starting to show up in the market, it’s becoming less necessary to contract out for an additional lighting job, he says. As systems get easier and safer to use, lighting can be less of a headache for contractors to manage or pass on and more of a bargaining chip in the process.

“It’s an upsale, always. Unless it’s a higher-end job, contractors sell on the work they’re doing already and then start to add on to those features depending on what the client is looking for,” says Schroeder. “Lighting can be a big part of that. I’ve had guys who upsell it for a small amount just to sell the job. It used to be something people would spend thousands of dollars on in a project. Since the mid-2000s, things have changed.”

Margins on outdoor lighting systems have dropped for the past few years, and though some clients have been willing to pay for the work. Getting the most out of a lighting project means looking at it as less of a big-ticket item and finding ways to simplify the process, he says. Test out products that require less setup and when an electrician is necessary, try to work them into the whole project effectively.

“It’s really starting to take hold as an upsell,” says Schroeder. “Priced right, it’s a really good way to sell the job and get the client the ability to use that area 24 hours a day.”