Welcome to another Q&A session where we answer questions from homeowners around Maple Valley and King County.
Today's question is:
The owner says he's always been a fan of a tasteful amount of lighting, describing the goal as giving the deck a soft glow rather than making it feel overly bright, like a helicopter landing pad. He recommends placing lighting on each stair step and adding perimeter lighting around specific sitting areas to accent them, while keeping the overall approach restrained. For products, he consistently recommends factory lighting systems from TimberTech or Trex, which are very similar in style and cost. The choice between stair lighting, deck perimeter lighting, or rail lighting depends on the specific application. These are low-voltage systems that Euro Decks installs completely, including a small adapter mounted on the side of the house with adjustable settings like night mode or auto mode, similar to automatic lights in a car. He emphasizes that the systems require no ongoing maintenance and are simple for homeowners to use and adjust.
That was a perfect segue, honestly, because it does change everything. I've always been a big fan of a tasteful amount of lighting. I don't want to go overboard to where the deck starts to feel like a helicopter landing pad, because it can start to feel that way if there's too much. A nice, tasteful amount of lighting gives the deck a glow, and if the lighting essentially makes the deck feel like it has that glow to it, that's the perfect amount to me. If there's not enough, it kind of misses the mark and feels underwhelming with just a couple of lights here or there, and if there's too much, it's overbearing. For example, I think it's a great idea to have deck lighting on each step wherever there are stairs, or if there's a specific patio-style sitting area on the deck, to accent that area with some perimeter lighting around that section, along with stair lighting, so the deck still glows overall while also getting a nice highlighted area. I think keeping it tasteful is the way to go; sometimes less is more when it comes to lighting. I always recommend using factory products, so I'm a big fan of TimberTech deck lighting systems or Trex deck lighting, and we can use either one, since they're essentially the same in product, style, and cost. Which product we use really depends on whether we're doing stair lighting, deck perimeter lighting, or rail lighting, and there are several options for each. These are low-voltage lighting systems, and we install everything ourselves. When we finish, we install a small adapter on the side of the house, about the size of a wallet, with a few different settings you can choose, like night mode or auto mode, similar to the automatic lights on a car. It's very simple and easy to use, a touch-and-go kind of system, but you can adjust the settings pretty easily, and it's something we can install while we're already there. There's no maintenance required at all, and it's very easy to use and enjoy.
