Outdoor Lighting
Path, step, tree and dock lighting for Mount Pleasant and Charleston homes, with the transformer and wire runs sized by a licensed electrician.
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The short answer
A landscape lighting installation includes the outdoor fixtures (path and step lights, plus uplights for trees and palms), a low-voltage transformer sized to their total load, wire trenched out to each fixture, and a timer or smart control that turns the system on and off.
Gloudeman Electric designs and installs new landscape lighting systems: the layout, the fixtures (solid brass included), the transformer, the trenching and wire runs, and the controls. We also add fixtures to systems you already have, and for waterfront homes we handle dock and pier lighting and power.
A licensed electrician understands lighting loads, transformer sizing, troubleshooting and voltage drop calculations. The transformer has to carry every fixture on it, and long wire runs lose voltage, so the layout plans for both.
Where the lights go
We light trees and palms, paths and entry steps, walks and garden walls, and the long stairs on raised homes. Path and step lights help guide you home at night, and uplights brighten the house itself.
An uplight sits at the base of a tree and aims up the trunk into the canopy. On crape myrtles and palms, uplights bring brightness to the face of the house after dark. Each one adds to the load on the transformer, so the trees you pick shape the rest of the plan.
Path lights line the walk to your door and help guide you home. Step lights set into the risers show where each step is; on this entry stair, one sits in the center of every riser. Lighting the way in adds safety as well as looks.
Wall lights mounted along the house or a garden wall light a walk from the side. Here, caged wall lights run the length of an old brick walk lined with potted plants. I'On sets rules for them: lights on a building's walls must be hooded and are allowed only in rear yards.
Raised coastal homes often have a long flight of exterior stairs up to the porch. Louvered step lights in the risers mark the way up at night; on this front stair, they sit in pairs.
Planning
We plan a lighting layout by starting with what you want lit, then sizing the transformer and wire runs to those fixtures and choosing materials and controls that suit the coast and your neighborhood's rules.
The plan starts with your list: the paths and steps you want lit for safety, and the trees and palms that brighten the front of the house. That list sets the fixtures, and photos of each area let us price the plan.
Every fixture adds to the lighting load. We total the plan and size the transformer to it, because a transformer too small for its load is a common problem.
Long wire runs lose voltage along the way. We calculate voltage drop and plan each run so the fixtures at the far end don't come out dim.
Fixtures near the water face salt air, so the material matters. That is why we offer solid brass fixtures.
A timer runs the lights on a schedule, and a smart control lets you run them from your phone. A timer also covers a neighborhood shut-off time, such as I'On's midnight rule.
Some places add rules of their own: I'On's design guidelines, Charleston's historic districts and the beach lighting codes on Folly Beach and Isle of Palms. The plan has to fit them.
Every plan is priced up front. You approve the layout and the price before anything is scheduled.
Not sure what your yard needs?
Send photos of the areas you want lit and the nearest outdoor outlet, with a quick note on what you have in mind. We usually reply with a free quote the same day.
What we do
A landscape lighting installation from Gloudeman Electric covers the whole system, from the layout to the lights coming on. Every electrician on our team is experienced, so the person wiring your yard is never a trainee.
A new system starts with the layout. We plan the fixtures, size the transformer, trench the wire runs and set up the controls, and you approve the price before any work begins.
We add fixtures to systems you already have, and we track down lights that quit or yard lights that trip off. Repairs start as troubleshooting, billed hourly until we find the fault; then the repair is priced up front.
Fixtures you supply carry only their manufacturer's warranty.
Piling-mounted lights along a marsh pier, with a downlight under the dock-head roof.
Docks & piers
Gloudeman Electric handles dock and pier lighting and power for waterfront homes: lights along the walk out to the dock, and outlets on the dock itself.
South Carolina's GFCI rules cover 125-volt receptacles outdoors and in boathouses, so the 125-volt outlets on a dock get GFCI protection. A GFCI shuts off power the instant it detects electricity straying from its normal path, and our GFCI post shows how to test yours.
Fixtures over the water face salt air, so the material matters. We offer solid brass fixtures, along with other salt-resistant options.
The distance from the house out to the dock figures into the price. Photos of the dock and the route out to it help us quote the job.
Bronze louvered step lights set into a painted brick stair.
On the coast
On the coast, salt air decides what the fixtures are made of, and local rules can set where lights go and when they turn off.
Salt air is hard on outdoor gear, so we offer solid brass fixtures, along with other salt-resistant options for island homes.
The I'On Design Committee reviews proposed exterior architectural and landscape changes to existing property. Its guidelines call for exterior lighting made of non-plated metal; lights on building walls or eaves must be hooded, are allowed only in rear yards and are mounted no higher than 14 feet above grade. All landscape lighting must be off by midnight, and a timer takes care of that.
In Mount Pleasant's Old Village Historic District, a certificate of appropriateness may be needed for exterior alterations unless the district guidelines exempt the work. In Charleston's historic districts, Board of Architectural Review staff may approve landscape and hardscape items, lighting included, and can refer any application to the full Board.
Folly Beach requires both for beach-visible lights at existing homes: decorative, recreational and non-motion security lights that light the home or its grounds must be shielded or screened so they can't be seen from the beach, and turned off at night from May 1 to October 31. Dune crosswalk lights go off at night in those months too. Motion-sensing security lights may stay on all night with low-profile fixtures screened from the beach.
Isle of Palms gives you a choice: decorative and recreational lights that light a home or its grounds must be shielded or screened so they can't be seen from the beach, or turned off from sunset to sunrise, May 1 to October 31. Security lights may stay on all night with low-profile fixtures screened from the beach (the light source no higher than 48 inches, aimed down from a hooded source). When a remodel changes a home's exterior lighting, floodlights aren't allowed and wall fixtures need hoods.
These are summaries of I'On's design guidelines and each town's code. The design committee, board or town has the final word on your project.
Pricing
The number and type of fixtures and the length of the wire runs drive most of the cost of landscape lighting. Those and the four other factors below vary from yard to yard, so we don't publish a flat price. You see your price and approve it before any work starts.
How many path lights, step lights, uplights and wall lights the plan calls for, and what they're made of: solid brass or another material.
The total fixture load sets the transformer size, so a bigger plan calls for a bigger transformer.
The distance from the transformer to each fixture, and what the trench has to get past: beds, walkways and hardscape.
A plain timer, or a smart control you run from your phone.
An existing outdoor outlet, or a new circuit from your panel when the plan needs one.
How far the dock sits from the house, which sets the length of the run out to it.
Photo quotes are free. For an in-person consultation, the fee varies by location and is credited toward the work if you hire us.
How it works
Send photos of the areas you want lit and the nearest outdoor outlet, plus your panel if the plan may need a new circuit. We usually reply with a price the same day.
Nothing gets scheduled or started until you say yes. Our electricians aren't paid on commission, so no one is selling you work you don't need.
Once you approve the quote, the office reaches out to schedule the work. Or book it yourself online: we give you a Job Level to use with Request your appointment.
An experienced electrician, never a trainee, installs the system and sets up your timer or smart control. Installation work carries a one-year workmanship warranty, written on your contract.
Need us to see the yard first? Call or email the office to set up an in-person consultation. The fee varies by location and is credited toward the work if you hire us.
Reviews
Each of these Google reviews mentions outdoor lights or outdoor power.
Google rating
“Andrew installed 10 beautiful pathway lights in my backyard, and I LOVE them, makes me feel like I am at a tropical resort!”
“Andrew did a great job installing outdoor power and lighting to my shed. He went above and beyond to make sure we were completely satisfied customers. Good communication, prompt service, highly recommended.”
“Many thanks to Andrew at Gloudeman Electric . We needed to replace a couple outdoor light fixtures. It was easy to schedule an appointment online. Andrew showed up right on time, and completed the job very promptly and professionally. And the final bill was exactly what was initially quoted, no surprises. He’s our go-to electrician from now on. Well done!”
“Weeks ago, Gloudeman waterproofed an outdoor outlet for a fountain. The outlet had been "shorting out" in the rain and thereby turning off outdoor lights along with the fountain. Rain is no longer a problem for the fountain or the lights.”
“Andrew handled multiple assignments for us including installing under counter lighting, repair of two exterior lights. I found him to be punctual and dependable and was very satisfied with the quality of his work. An added nice touch was that he was especially careful of our home including vacuuming the work area after he was finished.”
“Do you need an electrical problem solver? A person to hang a new light so that you don’t have to glare at the one that you have now? A person to figure out why your yard lights keep tripping off? Better yet - a person with qualified, knowledgeable electrical experience who shows up, is professional, and has good rates? Andrew of Gloudeman Electric is your solution. I called, he came, and not only did he install a new light in my hallway, he went outside and replaced a GFI in our garage for my husband. Great service!”
Reviews are shown word for word from our Google profile. We're also a Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite.
FAQ
Still have a question?
Call or text the office Mon to Fri, 9 to 5, or email us anytime.
The cost of landscape lighting depends on the number and type of fixtures, the transformer size, the length of the wire runs and what the trench has to cross, the controls, and the power source: an existing outdoor outlet or a new circuit. Dock and pier lighting adds the distance out to the dock. Those vary from yard to yard, so we price each plan on its own. Send photos for a free quote, and you approve the price before any work begins.
We recommend a licensed electrician, because a licensed electrician understands lighting loads, transformer sizing, troubleshooting and voltage drop calculations, and each of those is part of the install and the upkeep. Get them wrong and you can end up with a transformer too small for its fixtures, or lights that fade toward the far end of a run.
Common landscape lighting problems are voltage drop that leaves the far fixtures dim, a transformer too small for its load, failed connections, and outdoor outlets that trip or short out in the rain and take the lights down with them. We track them down as troubleshooting, billed hourly until we find the fault, and then price the repair up front before any repair work begins.
Yes, solid brass fixtures hold up to salt air, which is why we offer them for coastal and island homes. If you already bought fixtures, we install those too. Fixtures you supply carry only their manufacturer's warranty, and our installation work carries a one-year workmanship warranty, written on your contract.
They can: we install timer and smart controls, so your lights follow a schedule or run from your phone. A timer also covers a neighborhood shut-off time; in I'On, the design guidelines say all landscape lighting must be off by midnight.
Yes. Folly Beach and Isle of Palms both limit outdoor lights that can be seen from the beach from May 1 to October 31. On Folly Beach, decorative, recreational and non-motion security lights at existing homes that can be seen from the beach must be shielded or screened from the beach and turned off at night during those months. On Isle of Palms, decorative and recreational lights must be shielded or screened from the beach, or turned off from sunset to sunrise during those months. In both towns, security lights may stay on all night with low-profile fixtures screened from the beach (on Folly Beach, the motion-sensing kind).
Yes, we handle dock and pier lighting and power for waterfront homes. South Carolina's GFCI rules cover 125-volt receptacles outdoors and in boathouses, so the 125-volt outlets on a dock get GFCI protection.
Yes, we do both: we add fixtures to landscape lighting systems you already have, and we repair lights that have stopped working. Before we add fixtures, we check that the transformer can carry the extra load. Repairs start as troubleshooting, billed hourly until the fault is found, and the repair itself is priced up front.
Keep exploring
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New outlets and switches, 20A to 60A circuits, remodel wiring and CAT6.
Send photos of the yard and the nearest outdoor outlet, or call the office.
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