26 May Why Custom Design/Build Landscape Lighters Will Always Exist
By Mike Gambino
It’s easy to get caught up in the frustration of the price match or online shopper who’s attempting to pick your knowledgeable brain and call you out to consult with no intention of hiring. To add insult to injury, there is continued talk of mass-market landscape lighting, with direct sales to property owners and do it yourselfers, and industry associations remain silent and won’t take a position either way so as a professional landscape lighting designer/builder you are on your own.
By now, we’ve heard all the chatter. Some landscape lighting importers, manufacturing and distributing companies are promising easy landscape lighting installation. Does this mean the extinction of the custom landscape lighting designer/builder?
Hell No! And I’ll tell you why…
History: Look at kitchen and bath establishments. They didn’t go under when Lowes and Home Depot moved in. Have some clients decided to replace their own cabinets? Yes they have. Are there still people out there who want to bring in a kitchen expert? You bet your bottom dollar.
This is because a kitchen and/or bath designer isn’t selling a product. They’re selling the room. They’re selling a way of life. You will be a happier human being with granite countertops and a Sub-Zero fridge. Their concentration is not on each part but the concept as a whole. Not everyone will use a designer, but as history has shown, they still exist. Want your tile to match the floor? You contact a professional.
Technology is a Full-Time Job: Sure you can Google the latest and greatest Led products all day long. You can even make a bit of a hobby out of it. But internet searches and consumer reports won’t tell you how to make it all work together seamlessly. No YouTube video can teach you how to choose the right fixture, most appropriate light source, sequence, engineer and load balance a low voltage landscape lighting system properly for your unique property. Could a person get a system set up? Sure. Would a professional custom landscape lighter make it better? Absolutely.
In this industry it isn’t what we learn when we start, it’s what we learn as we go along. It is always changing. (This is why staying informed and educated about the latest trends are so important. One must keep up!) No do-it-yourselfer can compete with that. Then there is always the launch of new technologies and new products—things you won’t find online. We bring these products in, use them, play with them, and implement the ones that work best and save you from making expensive mistakes on the ones that don’t.
I bet if you ask any great landscape lighter, they will tell you that they have a shop or warehouse full of products they have removed that didn’t make it. It is part of the game. If you want to survive, then you must keep up.
Experience: How much combined experience does a team of professional lighters have? 50 years? More? You can bet it’s a bit diversified too (residential, commercial). Hiring a professional landscape lighting design/build firm affords you a team of experts. Our company meets every week to make sure we’re offering the right solutions to each client. We know what works together and what doesn’t. We are constantly improving our products, adapting them to solve different lighting challenges.
Want your landscape lighting system to perform without problems? Remodeling your landscaping and wish the lighting equipment could integrate and be concealed within the space? Wish you could illuminate that extremely large tree in your yard without it becoming a nuisance to your neighbors? Desire a controller that would control all your outdoor lighting anywhere in the home? This is why one hires a landscape lighting professional—a custom landscape lighting designer/builder.
We are not product pushers, but we find the perfect product for the client. Not every person needs one, or desires one, but there are many people out there that want the job done right. There are many who crave a simple solution and want to know how it works (I bet Lowes won’t come over to train you on your new landscape lighting system, and good luck calling the online retailer). Our clients take solace knowing that we are just a phone call away when they have a question or new need. Landscape lighting systems require ongoing attention to be at their best and you should be in a relationship with someone you can talk to.
There will be no extinction for custom landscape lighting professionals.
The primary focus should not be on equipment, specs and features but more on Beauty, safety, security and lifestyle enhancement.
This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .
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