Yes — Done’s electricians install outdoor landscape and garden lighting, from low-voltage pathway systems to line-voltage accent and security fixtures. Done handles the electrical side: running wire, installing and programming transformers, placing fixtures, and making sure everything is weatherproof and code-compliant. The aesthetic direction — which plants to highlight, where to place path lights, how to create depth with uplighting — can come from your own design or we can work from your landscape designer’s plan.

Low-Voltage Landscape Lighting vs. Line-Voltage Fixtures

Most residential landscape lighting runs on low voltage — 12 volts, stepped down from standard household current through a transformer. Low-voltage systems are safer to work around in the yard, consume less energy, and give you tremendous flexibility in fixture placement. They’re ideal for path lights, garden spotlights, uplighting for trees or architectural features, and deck or patio step lights. The transformer mounts near a GFCI outlet on the exterior of the house and can be programmed with a timer or connected to a photocell so lights come on at dusk automatically.

Line-voltage (120V) outdoor lighting is used for security floodlights, motion-sensor lights, wall sconces at entryways, and string lights or pergola lighting that needs more output than low-voltage systems provide. These fixtures wire directly into your home’s electrical system and require an outdoor-rated junction box and weatherproof covers. Done handles both systems.

Lighting Techniques That Work Well in Colorado Gardens

Colorado’s landscape has distinct characteristics that influence outdoor lighting design:

  • Uplighting: Placing a low-voltage spotlight at the base of a deciduous tree creates dramatic silhouettes in winter when leaves drop — a technique that works year-round in Colorado’s tree-heavy neighborhoods
  • Path lighting: Denver’s icy winters make illuminated pathways a safety feature as much as an aesthetic one — helping family and guests navigate icy steps after dark
  • Grazing: Mounting a fixture close to a stone wall or textured fence and angling it to skim the surface brings out texture in local materials like sandstone and flagstone
  • Downlighting from trees: “Moonlighting” — mounting a fixture high in a tree and angling it down — creates soft, natural-looking light on patios and gardens below
  • Smart controls: Connecting your transformer or line-voltage outdoor fixtures to a smart switch lets you adjust schedules, dim levels, and zones from your phone

Fixture Selection for Colorado’s Climate

Colorado’s high-altitude UV is unusually intense, and outdoor fixtures that would last a decade in a lower-elevation climate can fade, crack, or yellow within a few years here. Done recommends fixtures with UV-stabilized materials, powder-coated metal housing, and tempered glass or polycarbonate lenses rated for the temperature range your yard experiences — which in the Denver metro can swing from -15°F in January to 100°F in July. Fixtures with IP65 or IP67 ratings (dust-tight and water-resistant) hold up well in Colorado’s hailstorms and afternoon thunderstorms.

For underground wire runs in low-voltage systems, direct-burial cable rated for the burial depth is important. Colorado’s clay and expansive soils shift seasonally with freeze-thaw cycles, which can stress underground connections. Done uses proper burial depths and strain-relief techniques to minimize long-term maintenance.

What the Installation Process Looks Like

Done starts with a site visit to understand your yard layout, existing exterior outlets, and what you want to achieve — safety and security, ambiance, accent lighting, or a combination. From there, Done can work from your landscape designer’s lighting plan or propose fixture locations based on your goals. Installation typically involves mounting the transformer at an outdoor GFCI outlet (or installing one if needed), running low-voltage wire underground or along structures, placing and aiming fixtures, and programming the transformer timer and photocell. Line-voltage work — new outdoor circuits, motion-sensor security lights, or pergola wiring — is handled at the same visit if needed.

Schedule Your Outdoor Lighting Consultation

The best time to plan outdoor lighting is before or during landscape installation, when trenching for wire runs is easier and fixtures can be coordinated with plantings. But Done can add or upgrade landscape lighting at any time of year. Visit our outdoor and landscape lighting page to learn more, or explore our broader electrical installations services if your project also includes new outdoor circuits or exterior outlet placement.