Outdoor lighting secures the safety of your house and illuminates the entrance area with a classy outlook. These lights represent your creativity and thoughts. Do you want to know how to size outdoor lighting? We will show you tricks on how to size outdoor lighting in this article.
Outdoor lighting can be decorative and beautifully placed to enhance the beauty of your entrance and outdoor area. But you should know the size/shape you need for the lights. Actually, you have to calculate.
The size of outdoor lighting absolutely depends on the size of the door and the space. If the door is large and the space is large, then you need a big light according to the space. Remember one thing, the light will be seen at half of its size from the street.
So if you choose a small light, it will not be seen from the street and neighboring houses. If you attach a 20 inches lengthy light, it will look like a 10 inches lengthy light from the street and neighboring houses.
To enlighten the down area, you can choose open bottom lights. But if you want to enlighten the designs of the upper sides and ceiling area, you should go for glass-topped lantern lights.
To size the outdoor lighting, you have to measure the door and then calculate the size of the light for the place. If the place is spacious and you want to enlighten the entire area, you can place two lights instead of one light.
Measure The Size Of The Front Door Lights
The Front door/gate is the entry and exit point. When guests enter the house, the outdoor lighting will mesmerize them with aesthetic beauty.
Your entrance should glow graciously. Maximum people consider the styles, designs, and colors of the light. But if the size and placement height are not perfect, then it will not look good at all.
First of all, measure the height of the gate, and then you need to multiply the height by ¼. The size of the light should be ¼th of the total height of the gate.
If the gate is large and your entrance area is spacious, then multiply the height by ⅓. This means the light’s size will be one-third of the total height. If you want to place two lights on both the right and left sides of the gate, then multiply the total height by ¼.
It is perfect when there are two lights on the right and left sides of the front gate. By knowing the calculation method properly, you will easily get to know how to size outdoor lighting.
Quantify The Size Of the Front Porch Lighting
Front porch lighting does not just enhance the glow but also secures the porch area. It expresses the elegance of the house.
But if you can not attach it properly, then the outlook will not be satisfying. Measure the height of the front porch door and multiply the height by ¼.
For a large door, multiply the height of the gate by ⅓. You can observe the view from the street if the shape is perfect or not. I am sure you are gonna love it.
Size For Lighting Above The Front Door
It is absolutely your choice whether you want to mount the light beside the door or above the door. To attach the light above the door, you can choose gooseneck lights or lanterns.
The design of the light should be aesthetic and classy. Measure the height of the door and multiply the height of the door by ¼ or you can go bigger by multiplying the total height by ⅓.
It should be placed at least 6 inches above the door. Otherwise, the outlook will not be satisfying.
Size Of Garage Lights
You should attach your garage lighting in a position from where the cars and entryway will be illuminated. Garage lights should be bigger and bright.
If you have a single-car garage, then measure the garage gate and multiply the height of the gate by ⅓. Now place the light on one side of the gate. Gooseneck lights can be a good choice for garage lighting.
For a double car garage, you have to enlighten more area. So you should mount two lights on both sides of the garage gate for a double-car garage. Multiply the height of the garage gate by ¼ and you will get the shape of the lighting for the garage gate.
Place the lights at least 6 inches away from the gate and 66 inches from the ground. This placement layout is both for the right side and the left side light.
Size For Lighting Above The Door Of The Garage
To mount lighting above the garage door, you need to consider the space of the garage and the entryway. The entryway should be illuminated by the lighting and show the guests the path of the entryway of your garage.
Quantify the length of the garage door and multiply the length by ¼ if you want to attach one light above the center point of the door. To determine the center point, measure the width of the door and multiply with ½. You should mount it at least six inches above the garage door. This measurement is for a single-car garage.
For a double-car garage, you should mount two lights on two sides above the garage door. Multiply the height of the garage door by ⅕. The light shape of each side for a double-car garage will be one-fifth of the total height of the door if you are mounting two lights.
Gooseneck lights are the best choice to mount above the garage door. These should be mounted at least 6 inches above the door. Generally, a garage door is 8-10 feet long. So the light should be 8 feet 6 inches or 10 feet 6 inches above the ground.
Size Of Front Door Ceiling Light
Front door ceiling lighting is easy. These are generally small in size but they are bright and enlighten the entrance area.
You can select a light for the ceiling area which is ¼th of the total height of the door in size. Ceiling lighting brightens the door and front area. If you want to focus on the door, then you can place it closer to the door.
Placing the light at the middle crossing point of the ceiling height and width area is the best option.
Size Of Front Porch Ceiling Light
The front porch ceiling light enlightens the porch area and secures safety as well. It works as security too. These come with simple designs and the shape should not be large.
Mount the front porch ceiling light at the middle crossing point of the length and width of the ceiling. So the light will be hung in the center of the ceiling.
Size Of Post Lights
The lights of the driveway or the garden lamp posts ensure the security of the outside of your house. If you want to focus on the driveway, place the lights closer to the driveway.
The mounting pole should be strongly mounted on the ground. At least 2-3 feet of the lower part of the mounting pole should be mounted under the ground and the poles should be straightly mounted.
Measure the mounting pole and multiply the height of the pole by ¼. Now you will get the light shape for the driveway and garden lamp posts. The post lights on the poles should be at least 5.5 feet to 6.6 feet above the ground.
Keep the poles at least 1-1.5 feet away from the driveway so that it does not create any barrier. There should be at least an 8-9 feet gap between the poles which means the lights will be 8-9 feet away from each other.
Size Of Front Door Hanging Lights
Front door hanging lights are also known as pendant lights. These are beautiful and elegant. They enhance the classy outlook.
Pendant lights are usually hung by cables, chains, or by using a stem connection. Hanging by chain is the most popular option but you can also hang by wires, cables, or stems and create an amazing outlook.
As you are learning how to size outdoor lighting, you should apply the ideas and size to your own home too. Measure the height of the front door and multiply it by ⅕. For a large front door, you can multiply the height of the door by ¼.
Don’t hang too low. There should be at least 6 inches of clearance between the door height and the pendant light. The pendant light should be hung at least 7-8 feet above the ground.
Size Of Front Porch Hanging Lights
Front porch pendant lights illuminate the porch area with a magical glow. It creates a gracious outlook on the porch. You should hang by chains or stem connections to create a classy outlook.
Measure the height of the front porch light and you need to multiply the height by ¼ to get the perfect shape for the front porch pendant light.
It should be hung at least 7-8 feet above the ground. You can hang it from the ceiling. Placement is absolutely up to you but you can hang the front porch pendant light at the middle crossing point of the ceiling. If it is hung in the center point, then it will illuminate the area evenly.
Size Of Covered Deck Lights
You need to illuminate a covered deck outside with a minimum-size light. This is a place of hangout and outdoor cozy parties with family and friends. Your deck can be covered with glass or curtains.
Hanging lights can be a good choice for a covered deck. You need to measure the shape from the length and width of the deck.
First of all, measure the length and width of the covered deck and add the measurement. Now turn the measurement into inches and you will get the size of the light.
Suppose the length of the covered deck is 12 feet and the width is 6 feet. If we add the measures, the result is 18 feet. So the light shape should be 18 inches for this dimension.
Size For Open Patio Lights
If the patio is open and there is no roof, you can not hang the lights. So in this situation, you need to place table lamps or floor lamps.
The size of the lamp is easy to know by calculating. Measure the length and width of the patio and add the measurements. Now turn it into inches and you will get the lamp size.
Size Of Chandelier For Outdoor Dining
You will always desire a shiny outdoor chandelier to make your outdoor dining table beautiful. But if you do not know how to size outdoor lighting, you will not be able to create the outlook aesthetic.
The chandelier size should be perfect. If the table is large, then you should choose a light that is ⅔rd of the table length in size. Measure the length of the table and multiply the length by ⅔.
Now you know the shape of the chandelier. If the table is too lengthy and you want to hang two lights, then multiply the length by ½ and you will get the shape for each chandelier.
The chandelier should be at least 7-8 feet above the ground and 34-36 inches above the table. The right size of lights can create a beautiful outlook.
Path Lights
If you want to enlighten the walkway and have a round of walks at night that sounds good. To illuminate the walkway, you should know the size of the path lights.
The pole of the path lights should be at least 14-15 inches long. So the shape of the path lights should be 1/3rd of it. The gap between each path light should be 6-8 feet and the path lights need to be placed at least 12-14 inches away from the walkway.
Conclusion
Outdoor lights secure our home and enhance our beauty. You just need to know how to size outdoor lighting and illuminate your outdoors with designed lights.
As you have already learned how to size outdoor lighting, now you can attach light fixtures maintaining proper sizes. Finally, Hope you have enjoyed this article. Write to us below about your opinions. Enjoy your day!
