Selling simplicity

“We like to accent and add to the hardscapes the outdoor living environments that we create,” Swartzell says. “So it's putting lighting in for steps or safety or some spotlights on to highlight plantings.”

He says they company always includes lighting in the original design, but it’s always up to the budget of the project, and can often be the first to go.

“We try to keep lighting as more of just an accent and an add on to supplement the outdoor living environment, not to make the lighting the focus,” he says.

Easy all around. Swartzell says when selling a project, they always suggest lighting. It’s an add on to the sale but it also offers a more finished look along with safety elements.

“Even if they don’t want the lighting, we always run the conduit just in case they change their mind, at least so the space is ready,” he says. “Usually we end up coming back and installing the lighting.”

Plus, he always recommends lighting on steps to prevent tripping while someone is out enjoying their patios. About two thirds of Eagle Creek’s projects are design/build, the rest are maintenance based jobs.

Swartzell says they’ve offered many different types of lighting in the past, but they’ve found it’s better to keep the options simple for homeowners.

“It can get a little overwhelming with some of the catalogs. There are just so many options and things are different price points,” he says. So, the company found a six-page catalog of lighting that offers more simple designs. Options are still available for different finishes and designs.

“We can just hand them the six page book and know they've got three different options for lights, then a couple of different options for accents, and then different finishes,” he says. “We have a lot of success with it.”