The right outdoor lights make your home look its best after dark. They also light the path to your door, the steps to the deck and the corners of the yard where someone could trip.
Chris Electric handles landscape lighting installation in White Bear Lake and nearby towns. We add path, patio and security lights, wire them safely and fix systems that stopped working. A licensed electrician does the work, and you get the price before we start.
What We Install
Good landscape lighting is planned in layers. A few well placed lights do more than a yard full of bright ones. These are the types we put in most often.
Most landscape lights run on a safe low voltage system. The transformer that powers them plugs into an outdoor outlet with GFCI protection, and we can add one if your yard does not have it.
Low lights along walkways and beds that guide your steps and show off your plants.
Lights aimed up into trees, stone walls and the front of the house for a soft, even glow.
Small lights set into steps, posts and railings so nobody misses a stair after dark.
Lights that mark the edge of the driveway and light the walk from the car to the door.
Exterior Lighting
Exterior home lighting does two jobs. It makes your house look good from the street, and it makes it safer to come and go at night. We also install and replace porch and wall fixtures as part of our light fixture installation service.
A pair of lights by the door welcomes guests and makes it easy to find keys and see who is there.
Lights over the garage door light up the driveway as you pull in and help keep the area safe.
Soft lights aimed up at stone, brick or siding give the house depth and shape after dark.
A lit house number helps visitors and emergency crews find you. Soffit lights add a gentle glow along the roof line.
Security Lighting
A dark yard is an easy place to trip and an easy place to hide. Security lighting puts light where you need it, when you need it, without lighting up the whole block all night.
Bright floodlights that switch on when someone walks or drives up, then turn off on their own.
Best forDriveways, side yards, garages and back doors
A light sensor turns these on at sunset and off at sunrise, so you never come home to a dark house.
Best forFront entries, house numbers and porches
Set your outdoor lights on a schedule or control them from your phone, even when you are away.
Best forLandscape lights, patios and trips out of town
Good security lighting is aimed down and away from windows, so it lights your yard without shining into your neighbor's house.
Backyard Living
Minnesota summers are short, so you want to use every evening of them. Patio and backyard lighting lets you cook, eat and sit outside long after the sun goes down.
Soft, even light where you eat and gather, without glare in your eyes.
Warm overhead light that makes the space feel like an outdoor room.
Low lights that guide the way out to the yard and show off the plants around you.
Need power for string lights, a heater or a speaker? We add weatherproof outdoor outlets with in-use covers as part of our outlet installation service.
LED Lighting
Most landscape lighting we install today is LED. It costs less to run, lasts longer and holds up well in Minnesota weather. If you have an older halogen system, we can switch it over to LED and often reuse the wiring.
LED fixtures use far less electricity than old halogen and incandescent bulbs.
LEDs last for years, so you are not climbing a ladder every season.
LEDs turn on at full brightness, even on a January night.
Pick a warm glow for the patio and brighter light for the driveway.
Permanent lights sit in a slim track under the edge of the roof and stay up all year. Use them as soft white accent lights most nights, then switch to colors for the holidays.
LED drivers and smart controls have small electronics inside, so whole home surge protection helps them last.
Compare
Outdoor lights run on one of two systems. Most yards use low voltage, but some spots call for full household power.
A transformer steps household power down to 12 volts. The cable runs just under the soil to each light.
Full household power, run from the panel or a nearby circuit to fixtures on the house or on posts.
Not sure which one you have, or which one you need? We look at the yard and the lights you want, then recommend the system that fits. Many homes use both.
Our Process
Most of the work happens in daylight. The last step happens after dark, because that is the only way to see exactly how each light looks.
We look at the paths, beds, trees and the parts of the house you want to show off, and talk about how you use the yard at night.
We map out where each light goes, pick the system and give you a clear price before any work starts.
We mount the transformer near a GFCI protected outdoor outlet, or add one, and run cable to each spot.
We set each light, make sealed connections and tuck the cable out of sight in beds and along edges.
We come back at dusk to aim every light, cut out glare and set the timer or app so the lights run on their own.
Repairs
Outdoor lights live in rain, snow, mulch and lawn mowers. Most problems come down to a few causes, and most systems can be fixed without starting over.
Spring
Fall
We repair systems we did not install too. If your landscape lights trip a breaker in the house, our breaker repair service can track down the cause.
Customer Reviews
Why Chris Electric
Good outdoor lighting is part design and part electrical work. Our electricians in White Bear Lake handle both, from the first sketch to the last light aimed.
Outdoor wiring sits in wet ground. A licensed electrician makes every connection safe and sealed.
We pick fixtures and parts that hold up to snow, frost and plows, not just a mild summer.
We plan the layout and aim each light after dark, so the yard looks right, not just bright.
You know the cost before we start, and we explain what each part of the job includes.
Our Service Area
From lakeshore yards to wooded lots, we light up homes across White Bear Lake and the towns below. Do not see yours? Call and ask.
FAQs
Yes. LED fixtures turn on at full brightness in the cold, and sealed connections keep moisture out. Snow can cover low path lights, so we place them where plows and shovels are less likely to hit them.
Usually, yes. Low voltage systems are easy to expand as long as the transformer has room for the extra load. We size the transformer with some room to grow when we install it.
In most cases, yes. We can swap in LED fixtures or bulbs and often keep the existing cable. LEDs use much less power, so the transformer may also have room for more lights.
Most systems run on a timer, a dusk to dawn sensor or a smart controller you use from your phone. We set it up before we leave so the lights turn on and off on their own.
A low voltage transformer plugs into a weatherproof outdoor outlet with GFCI protection. If you do not have one in the right spot, we can add it.
They should not. We aim lights down and away from windows and use shields where needed. Aiming after dark is part of every install.
Licensed, Bonded and Insured
Tell us about your yard and how you use it after dark. A licensed electrician will plan the layout, give you a clear price and light it up the right way.
