I attended Lightfair, the big lighting industry trade show this week in Las Vegas and had some thoughts after speaking to several of the major manufacturers and distributors who had exhibits there.

These days some people in the outdoor lighting business (homeowners looking for landscape lighting too) seem to believe buying garden lighting fixtures should be more like a visit to zappos or amazon.com

Here’s what some pro lighters’ don’t realize: these online retailers (the companies offering deeply discounted lighting materials) are not your friends. They are parasites, feeding off of the relationship that exists between homeowner and professional landscape lighter’.

Consider this: the lighter’ pays a visit to the homeowner/prospect to consult with and discuss and prepare a lighting scheme custom tailored to their needs and site requirements. A list of specifications, lighting materials and cost to complete the project is established. Prospect goes online to one of these “wholesale to the public” websites promising to provide the “same” or better materials direct to the end consumer for at or slightly higher than wholesale pricing. Once the prospect thinks he knows approximately what the pro is paying for materials she can either use this information to leverage a lower cost to do the job or offer to supply their own materials purchased from the internet at what they believe is pro quality sight unseen as it may be.

No thanks.

The worst part is that some lighters’ themselves are financing their own demise and commoditization by buying their materials from these same online distributors. What’s the worst thing that happened to the airline industry (besides unions)? Online ticketing. Who got hurt worse than the airlines? The small service providers, the travel agents. As any industry moves closer to commoditization, where the widget being offered is so easily compared and considered without actually being seen or touched or interacted with by the customer, there is a reshuffling of power, value and profit. When is the last time you went to a travel agency and sat down with an agent to book a trip? Why would you? The agent has been replaced by expedia.com.

For you as a professional lighter’ to give money to the promoters of commoditization makes about as much sense as the travel agent of a decade ago shelling out money to have their name listed on Orbitz. Ultimately your own money is being turned against you. You should be hopping mad about this instead of supporting it.

Reality is you both lose.

Clearly the lighter’ loses to shrinking margins, negative perception and the customer’s ability to buy direct without the lighter’. You have a lot on the line and invested in your business. Don’t you deserve to make a profit?

Perhaps not so clearly, the customer also loses. Have you walked into a big box hardware store recently? No help, no expertise. You’re on your own. Have you bought anything online? Sure you can get good deals…but what happens when something breaks or you have a complicated situation that you need to speak to someone about? It’s not such a great deal then.

The online buying environment is only suitable for the simplest transactions. And if lighters’ profits are cut in this digital price war, the customers will suffer right alongside the lighters’ as quality, access and availability of service declines.

The only winners are the website providers. Do you go into work every day to help them or to help yourself and your customers?

Buying a lighting system is not like buying a book. Choosing a landscape lighting pro is not like choosing a restaurant or booking a plane ticket. It’s time we, as an industry, wake up to that reality. The majority of customers don’t know what they want, don’t understand how to go about achieving it, and don’t know how to go about getting what they need (which is help, from someone like you the lighting pro). All the low price material in the world won’t help connect you with that customer.

Of course there is a plethora of research that all indicates that buyers are spending more and more time researching online before buying a lighting system. But there must be an important distinction between the role of the distributor and the role of lighter. It’s the distributors’ job to market and sell their products. It’s your job to market and sell your lighting systems.

But most online marketing paid for by online distributors is all about the product with price as foundation. Why? Because the easy method of lazy marketers is to advertise price. It’s the most basic of all lures. And true, advertising low price is a good way to get lots of customers. But then what? And what’s worse, there will likely always be somebody with a price lower than yours. And in the price war, if you’re not first, you’re last. It’s you against the distributors against the customers. There can be no winners in this scenario. Everybody will lose long term.

An Unlikely Sales “Smack Down”

A few years ago, having just conceived an outdoor kitchen project at my home, I believed a new grill was in order. I’m not just talking about your ordinary Char-Broil grill from Home Depot. I wanted the S Class of grills, the Viking BBQ grill. Naturally, I went online to do research (about the grills, not the dealers). I found a number of online stores selling the grill I wanted at a slight discount and with free shipping and no sales tax. But I couldn’t see it or touch it. And I needed to get a sense for how big it was, and how it would fit into the space I had provided for it.

So I drove to an independent hardware store that happened to be the regional Viking service provider. I had no intention of buying that day. Though I clearly wanted the grill, my sensible side suggested I should order online and wait for it.

When I showed up I was given an enthusiastic demo of the grill and all its features. I was told stories of other customers who had bought this same grill. I was treated well and politely…and I was PRESSURED to buy the grill that day, from there. And I did. I was SOLD. And I paid more for it than I needed to. But I really liked how informative they were and I appreciated their expertise…and I WANTED it immediately. Not only did I buy the grill that day but I also bought a matching stainless steel built in warming drawer and storage drawer for several thousand dollars more. For my qty of purchases that day I received for free a Viking BBQ cover and Viking grilling accessory kit a several hundred dollar value.

So what does that say? It says that even a high-end customer has wants, desires, emotions. Even a high-end customer can be sold. And though I did my research online to start with, my final purchase was made offline. The relationship is with the Viking dealer, not Viking. And that hardware store owner made and earned a healthy profit, whereas the online store would have made very little.

Draw a line in the Sand

So really, this is a call to arms. Join me and other lighters in rejecting that “best practice” that suggests you offer your lighting systems at the lowest prices and compete with distributors for the now buyers at the expense of your profit. It’s not worth it.

Of course, you still need to sell lights as part of your design and installation service. And that’s what we do. There is a wide sea of potential buyers waiting to be sold. And that sea is largely uninhabited and uncluttered by other lighters’.

I’ve heard the claims by some professionals that say we don’t sell fixtures or hardware we sell lighting effects, lighting portraits, pieces of art. I say you’re in denial and are putting your head in the sand. I agree that everyone has the right to sell whatever they want for whatever price they choose wherever they choose as long as it’s not breaking the law of course. I also believe that as professional lighting design installers we also have the right to choose who we buy our products from and support financially by way of our purchases. That being said we also have a responsibility to ourselves our families and our fellow trade professional to preserve the ability to keep professional landscape lighting a viable business.

While some distributors are scurrying around chasing after the thin deals of today selling to the do it yourself market, you can and should be directing your efforts toward accelerating tomorrow’s buyers to create your own evergreen crop of “solutions” buyers who value your help and the service you provide and are happy to pay more for it. It’s the biggest opportunity in the landscape lighting business and the most untapped source of quality clients. Happy hunting!

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

I get asked this question often.  Let me answer it this way:  Does a home theater add value to your home?  Does a pool add value to your home?  Does a fish tank built into the wall of your home add value to your property?  You know the resounding answer.  What they all do is create beauty, enjoyment and enhanced usability of your property.  Memories of family and fun, friendships, get-togethers, cook outs and social gatherings.  And spectacular landscape lighting systems not only create enhanced usability and enjoyment of your property when the sun goes down but in addition provide safety, security and beauty. It also provides an added wonderful usable outdoor living space to the square footage of the home after dark.

Granite Countertops, Travertine Floors, Viking Cook Tops, Sub Zero Refrigerators are considered luxury items for the home.  Do they add more equity to the home?  Who knows what someone else will place value on.  Home appraisers won’t give you much equity value for them.  But one thing is for sure, although they may be physically beautiful to look at and add enhanced usability and enjoyment, they don’t add Safety and security value .  What we once thought our homes were worth are not worth that today.  Lots of people are “underwater” in what their homes are really worth based on what they owe on it’s mortgage to the lender.  So what does one do?  Wait for the housing market to “come back”.  Is your home your best investment any more.  If history repeats itself like we are told it does then I believe it is but  who knows for sure going forward.  If you are going to stay put for awhile then why not enjoy life and not deprive ourselves of luxuries that we can afford.

There are people who go about their lives placing dollar signs on everything they observe and research.  These are the same people who convince themselves that owning something like a pool, Boat, RV, Motorcycle, and yes, even a landscape lighting system, are not a good “investment”.  To each their own.

What we are talking about here is “investing” in your lifestyle and creating those special moments that last a lifetime.  What we are further discussing is taking many backyards that are currently wastelands when the sun goes down and turning them into private resorts to use and enjoy.  As I get older, I see how fast time flies and how short life really is.  I don’t know about you, but maybe its time to seize the moment.

So when people ask me, Does a custom landscape lighting system Add Value To My Home? Well, what does family fun, that place for gathering friends, building relationships, having the children and grandkids over to your place to spend time together mean to you.  I don’t know how much emphasis you place on that — only you can answer that question.  If it all creates more enhanced usability of your living spaces and a lifetime of enjoyment, then maybe you got your monies worth or better yet, the added “value” to your lifestyle or home.

OBTW:  Now perhaps you’ll see why I always laugh when someone says to me, “I won’t get anything for the landscape lighting when I sell my house”……

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 .

A major myth, misconception and misunderstanding of outdoor lighting exists regarding the Over lighting of a garden space. Fixture counts, when left to the hands of a professional, rarely contribute to the problem of an over lighted garden. A spectacular landscape lighting system will require multiple low voltage, low wattage and well shielded light sources. Probably many more than the homeowner would imagine.

Definately the single most frequent objection I hear besides cost is “It sounds like too many lighting fixtures”. If a landscape lighting design/builder’s goal is to sell as many lights as possible to each client for frivolous purposes then he or she has chosen the wrong profession.

On the other hand if he or she is trying to save their client money, afraid to recommend a spectacular installation because of cost, then justice is not being done to either client or designer.

As F.B. Nightingale the father of garden lighting puts it-“A garden should be illuminated to bring out the beauty that is there. Price or the number of fixtures required should never enter into thought.” It may sound self serving for a garden designer to say that cost should not be considered however the point made is that pulling out fixtures for the sake of money savings is counterproductive and will always result in a less than spectacular result.

A good garden lighting designer is not a fixture salesman. Their goal is to bring something out of the darkness of night that is beautiful to see while designing the lighting of each garden space to the best of their ability. Not only does this give the designer happiness from within, but will leave much of his or herself behind thru their vision of beauty to appreciate for many years to come.

It is just as possible to over light a garden as it is to under light one. Many gardens which are believed to be over lighted are actually over glared. This is caused by the use of fixtures which cannot control the source of light and are not well shielded or the light blocked itself from being in viewers eyes. This can be an extreme source of irritation for not only the homeowner but their neighbors.

On the other hand, to look out over and under illuminated garden has the feeling of an unfinished painting which in reality it is. Do not consider doing just a half way job. Once a lighting project is started it should be consistently followed through in detail to its completion.

The exception to this rule is the client with a tight budget who wishes to have a complete and spectacularly lighted garden but wishes to take two or three years to complete it. In this case a master plan is drawn with phases planned out to be completed in intervals that budget permits.

A perfect example of under lighting exists in the example shown below of Garden lighting before being redesigned and remodeled by Gambino landscape lighting.

Under illuminated Garden before being remodeled by Gambino landscape lighting

Beautifully balanced Garden lighting after being remodeled by Gambino Landscape lighting

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

Depending on the type of construction and scale of the project the sequencing of different phases may vary slightly. I am writing about custom landscape lighting systems, because that is what we build. The steps of this system (a blueprint if you will) is the result of a culmination of 1,000’s of installs over a period of 22 years and is continuously tweaked and improved. So with that in mind here is a breakdown of the 20 step building system used on each and every custom Gambino landscape lighting systems built.

Once you have selected Gambino landscape lighting as your landscape lighting system builder and have secured a place in our construction schedule. The first step on installation day 1 is to layout the system on the ground. This is done by using marking flags at each fixture location. Transformer locations are established and transformers are mounted at those locations. Controllers are then interfaced with transformers. Next the sequencing of fixture wiring and routing of cable through the landscape from transformers to fixtures is decided.

At this point the trenching process starts. The pipe trenches are dug usually 4 to 6 inches deep and major roots are excavated around and not cut to avoid damage to trees. In the event that sleeving needs to be installed under concrete that is accomplished as needed at this time.

After excavation of trenches, electrical conduit pipe is sized (leaving room for additional cable to be installed in the future) and all power cables that carry power from transformers to fixtures (these cables are called “homeruns” and are color coded for ease of identification during load balancing later) and from fixture to fixture are installed inside the conduit together at once.

Once the cables are custom cut to size, they are placed inside conduit set into trench and soil is backfilled and leveled. The fixtures are then assembled and prepared and appropriate lamps are installed.

Fixtures are then installed at their locations. Lead wires from fixtures and power cable are stripped and then connected together with weatherproof connector kits. All non homerun wire splices are weatherproof sealed with a torch and bundled with cable ties and buried at the base of the fixture.

Once all of the power cables have been connected to the fixture leads and non homerun connections sealed and buried, the color coded “homerun” power cables are brought into the transformers, stripped and then connected to the power taps of the transformers.

Controllers are turned on to power transformers and turn on lights. Fixtures are inspected for proper operation. Each “homerun” cable is voltage tested and Cables inside transformers are moved to appropriate voltage taps as needed to provide between 11.5-12 volts at the first fixture on each run. Once the proper voltage has been provided to every homerun on the system the wires connected to each circuit breaker protected tap are amperage tested to prevent overloads.

Homerun connections are then weatherproof sealed with a torch, cable is bundled with a cable tie and buried at the base of each fixture. Yard is cleaned up.

Walk thru with client and fixtures are adjusted as needed. Payment collected.

Here is a recap:

1-System Layout- Marking Flags placed at fixture locations

2-Transformers located and mounted

3-Controllers installed and interface with transformers

4-Sequencing of power cable between transformers and fixtures established

5-Cable routing through landscape established

6-Trenching, sleeves installed under walks or drives as needed

7-Homerun cables are color coded and conduit custom cut to size and set beside trench

8-Cables installed inside conduit and set in trench

9-Trenches backfilled and soil leveled

10-Fixtures assembled, prepared and appropriate lamps installed

11-Fixtures installed

12-Fixture and cable wires stripped and connected

13-Non homerun connections weatherproofed, cables bundled & buried below fixtures

14-Homerun wires connected to transformer lug taps

15-Controller switched on and all fixtures checked for proper operation

16-System is voltage load balanced and amperage tested with adjustments made at transformers and homerun fixtures

17-Homerun connections weatherproofed, bundled & buried below fixtures

18-Yard cleaned up

19- System Walk through and fixture adjustments made if needed

20- Payment balance collected

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

In outdoor Garden settings such as residential backyards, the effects of light and shadow are more pronounced. Too much light and the yard can become antiseptic and sterile the lit like a ball park look. It can feel more like a generic public park than a private residence. Too much shadow and the yard can become close and oppressive. It becomes more like a cave than a backyard capable of enjoyment. Small spaces are made to feel even smaller. However, when the right balance of shadow and light is achieved, even the smallest of yards can feel large. Light and shadow textures the walls, draws the eye, and provides a sense of depth to a space.

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The position of your eyes on your face gives you the ability to see in three dimensions. Shadow and light allows your eyes to make sense of what they see. The combination of shadow and light creates depth in space. When properly used, it can create the illusion of space. When considering lighting options, you should always consider how the created-shadows fall. This is why landscape lighting designers pay close attention to the position of area and accent lighting.

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Bright lights create stark shadows. Dim lights create less-defined shadows. Landscape lighting designers know this, and so, they typically use a combination of light strengths to create a blending effect. This effect provides depth and pleases the eye. Your garden lighting should do the same. Do not simply buy the cheapest light you can find at the store. Landscape lighting designers build their systems with different combinations of lights from higher wattage brighter lights to lower wattage dimmer lights. By combining the two, your private garden space will become a pleasing retreat in which to spend a quiet night.

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You will be spending a large portion of your time at your home. If you work during the day then most of the time will be spent after the sun has gone down. Though it is nice for your home to be pleasing to others, it is more important that you are pleased with it. Do not sacrifice your own comfort in favor of accepted inferior lighting design practices. When it comes to light and shadow, create a space where you fill comfortable. A home should be a retreat where you can relax and allow the stress of the day to evaporate. Find what pleases you and you’re your landscape lighting designer incorporate it into your landscape design.

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Spending money on landscape lighting design elements is well worth it, but you should take steps to protect your investment by engaging the services of your original installer to provide after care for your system. If your installer doesn’t offer after care service, find another installer who does.

Gambino landscape lighting provides comprehensive landscape lighting maintenance packages on all systems they install that will allow you to rest easy at night knowing your investment is protected and is working at its optimum peak.

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

First, let me make the assumption that you will be hiring a competent landscape lighting contractor to design and build your project. Our goal here is not to create another DIY “How to build an outdoor lighting system on a Saturday with three buddies and a 24-pack”. Instead, we want to empower you with knowledge that will help you get a high quality, enduring lighting project built by a reputable landscape lighting builder.

1-DO A LITTLE HOMEWORK: I would much rather meet with a prospective client that has done at least some basic research about landscape lighting. I don’t expect you to know too much, but it’s extremely helpful if you can lead me, the landscape lighting designer and builder, down the right path so I have an idea of what you think you want to do. Photos are great. Maybe you saw a picture online of a lighting style you liked. Types of effects are SO much easier for me to integrate into your custom design if I know what style you like. General information about light intensities etc. Notice how I didn’t say fixture style. Any good landscape lighting design builder will tell you that the fixtures ( with the exception of fixtures that light paths) are not meant to be featured in the landscape. Therefore it is best to leave the choice of lamp/fixture style, type, qty up to the pro.

Please…Share your budget with your landscape lighting Contractor

2-ONLY DO A “LITTLE” HOMEWORK: The worst thing I encounter in meeting new clients is the person who has done so much online research about lighting that they’ve literally become intoxicated on completely inaccurate or outdated information. Or they are focusing on “pretty fixtures” without any knowledge as to how they will weather, hold up and perform in the landscape. The internet is a great resource, but it can be dangerous in that so much of the information is just bad. The lay person usually doesn’t have the overall knowledge of the big picture to process all of this data. Plus, you are hiring me because I am an expert. When you use your the lawyer or accountant, do you argue with his professional opinion? You are paying me because I spend a lot of time educating myself. Get your money’s worth and heed my advice.

3-COME UP WITH A BUDGET: I’ve got some news for you. Believe it or not, you are going to have to pay to have us build your project. Yes…I know. It’s unfathomable to think I have to charge you, but I do. But seriously, homeowners tend to guard the budget they have set for a project like Fort Knox. This is simply ridiculous and it wastes a lot of time–both yours and mine. In order for me to design your lighting project  effectively, I need to know if you are in the market for a Ford or a Ferrari. I can design anything you want, but what’s the point if you have $15,000 set aside for the project, but I designed you a $75,000 system you love the sound of but can’t pay for? If you tell me your budget, I’m going to give the most quality lighting for your buck. Afterall it benefits me to do so as today’s job sells tomorrows if I’m doing my job right. Think about it. Do you really think that reputable landscape lighting contractors get to where they are by ripping people off?

4-ESTABLISH A SCOPE OF WORK: You may not be in the market for a true custom designed lighting system. Some people still hire us to build less intricate projects. We love those jobs too because they will always be our bread and butter.

If you are in the market for a simple  system you might be calling anyone and everyone you can find to give you a price. While that is the topic of an entirely different article, you need to make sure you are asking everyone “bidding” (I hate that word…it just lacks value) to include the exact same materials and methods. Here’s why. A landscape lighting design/ builder like myself is going to do things the right way, using the best methods, and is probably going to do things a plain general practice contractor never even thought of doing. Write it out. We want mold Casted brass and copper fixtures to illuminate the pool deck area-up lights for the palm trees, spread lighting for the deck…….so on. This way you’ll have an apples to apples comparison.

5-PRETEND YOU ARE GOING ON A DATE: Hiring a contractor is kind of like going on a blind date of sorts. The first time you meet the contractor, you have to remember it’s his first time meeting you too. An established landscape lighting contractor is not living and dying based on hiring or not hiring them for your project, so it’s important that you make a good impression so that they will want to work on your project. It can be a real turnoff to a design/builder when all they hear is that the property owner doesn’t want to spend too much money meanwhile never defining what too much money is. This mantra is only effective in getting the contractor to figure out a way to cheapen your design and products used while maintaining the same profit margin so in actuality it is you the homeowner who loses. Our profit margins generally are the same whether quality or low quality lighting fixtures are used. At first you may not be able to tell the difference but over time (usually a short time) the low quality materials will not perform or last and you as a homeowner are in for a big disappointment and expense to make it right.

I’ll tell you a little secret…sometimes we (contractors) get such a bad vibe from a prospective client during the first meeting that we wouldn’t take the project if you paid us double for it. I could write pages about things people have said to me (probably unaware of how tactless their comments were in their defense). Be cordial. Be honest. And…be respectful. You’d be surprised how far that will get you.

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

I wrote and originally posted this blog article back in January of this year. In light of recent landscape lighting industry developments I think its appropriate to revisit it.

Here is a link http://gambinolighting.com/2012/01/06/problems-with-owner-supplied-landscape-lighting-materials/

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

Like all Gambino lighting products the Milano LED spreadlights are made from heavy gauge copper and brass to withstand the elements. They still require normal maintenance to look their best

“Maintenance free” became a huge buzz word in the construction industry over the last few years, and just as fast as it became popular companies started running from it, realizing that just about everything needs some sort of maintenance.  Your decorative low voltage landscape lighting is no different.

While Gambino landscape lighting system products are as durable a product as you can find in the industry, they still needs some routine maintenance to be their best.  Whether it is a Monaco copper spread light, a Firenze wide angle flood light, or a Toscano bullet style accent light, heavy wall die cast molded brass and copper materials while extremely durable, are not a ‘set it and forget it’ product.

To get the best performance and longest life out of your Gambino landscape lighting system, you need to keep them maintained.  Over time, the lenses are going to become etched,soiled, gunked up and need to be cleaned.

The exposure to elements will take their toll and inevitably block light output. Vigorously growing plant materials will need to be pruned away from the fixtures in order not to block light output. In some cases fixtures will need to be relocated due to plant growth. Lighting in trees need special attention to assure that damage is not done to trees and cable with growth of the tree.

The amount of traffic your landscaping gets, the type of trees and plant materials you have and your climate, will also determine how often you will need to have your system serviced.  Harsher climates and higher traffic areas will need more frequent attention. Trees and plants that grow rapidly and or drip sap will need more frequent service intervals.

wiring for tree mounted lights can become damaged and do damage to trees when they are neglected

Timers may need reprogramming, photocells cleaned and adjusted to work their best,

Rubber o-ring seals that keep water out of fixtures will occasionally need to be greased or replaced. Silicone seals also should be checked on regular intervals in order to ensure that they are doing their job of keeping water from getting into the seal between the fixture and glass lens. Water intrusion is particularly harmful to lamps that need to stay dry especially the costly electronics of LED’s.

A beautiful Gambino landscape lighting masterpiece may end up losing its brilliance or color, or even worse, may start to show a decrease in performance and light output simply because it hasn’t been maintained. Heating and cooling cycles as well as high winds and driving rain, salt spray can be absolutely brutal to an improperly maintained landscape lighting system.

Keeping your decorative landscape lighting tuned up on a regular basis (minimum every 6 months) is a cheap alternative compared to having to fix a damaged system that has been neglected over time.

Gambino lighting technicians servicing a system in the rain on the day of a Christmas party

You can liken it to changing the oil in your car.  You can get by for a while but eventually there will be an issue, and it will most likely be a costly one. A simple maintenance schedule will allow you to get the longest possible life out of your landscape lighting system and enjoy it for years to come.

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

I am very respectful of my clients privacy and don’t usually name drop on this blog or discuss the celebrity clientele we service here in Los Angeles. Partly because in most cases we are bound by confidentiality and if I did show a lack of discretion and blab all over the place then our future work for these high profile clients would disappear.

But this is pretty cool. Below is a screen shot of the motion picture movie Jack and Jill starring Adam Sandler, Al Pacino and Katie Holmes. Scenes from the movie were extensively filmed at my clients home in Pacific Palisades California where we installed the landscape lighting system about four years ago. The home played a featured role as it is Adam Sandlers characters home in the movie.

During several of the interior scenes filmed at night Gambino Landscape lighting effects can be seen outside the windows especially a dinner scene filmed at the dining room table.

The home itself is actually 2 homes on adjacent lots owned by the same owner. Both properties were used for filming. In the photo below two Gambino “Torino” copper halogen pathlights can be seen to the left and to the right of Adam Sandler. Below the movie screen shot is a nighttime photo I took of the reverse angle you can see a bit of the statue in the corner of the day photo. Interesting side note, Adam Sandler is also a neighbor as his home is right around the corner from my clients home.

Gambino landscape lighting also designed and installed the exterior lighting for the home where the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks was filmed. This home was originally built by Sylvester Stallone however we did the work after Stallone moved away. This is the second time we have installed a lighting system for a subsequent owner of a previously owned and lived in home of Sylvester Stallone.

Sly if you are reading this have your people call my people. better yet you can call me direct 805-579-9934

The same home was also used for the filming of Beverly Hills Chihuaha

Thanks to Lindsay Blake of iamnotastalker.com for pointing out that it was also the home of the Mr. Nottingham character in Adam Sandler’s Bedtime stories movie. That would make 2 properties that Adam Sandler has filmed a movie at that Gambino landscape lighting has installed the outdoor lighting system.

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

You have spent months going round and around, chasing a dream and tailing a series of increasingly frustrated service providers and still none of the lighting proposals they have shown you have really thrilled you at all.

Based on past experience, you have very definite ideas about exactly what you want your new landscape lighting to be, all the features it needs to have. So far none of those many providers has matched even half the “must haves” on your list.

You are about to give up, believing your dream system may be unattainable. Perhaps, then, it is time you started thinking about a custom built landscape lighting system professional specialist.

A custom built landscape lighting system gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your new lighting system has been tailor-made to meet your needs, desires and lifestyle. In short, building a custom lighting system means that you get to create your dream property. And, although it may not be the most economical option, as long as you work with the right build and design team it will definitely be the most satisfying.

There are alot of landscape lighting system builders out there, but not all of them are truly custom builders. Some builders are what are known as production builders. How do you tell the difference?

Custom landscape lighting system builders generally:

• Only Provide the highest quality most durable fixtures and transformers that will perform and last because they plan on being the care taker of that system for many years to come. They also realize that future success of their business is contingent on the total satisfaction of the client.
• Build only one-of-a-kind lighting systems. A custom lighting system is a site-specific landscape lighting system built from a unique design for a specific client. Some custom builders may offer design/build services.
• Specialize in landscape lightings only.
• Are generally small-volume high quality builders (those that build 25 or fewer custom lighting systems a year).
• Tend to build systems on higher end home properties.

Production lighting system builders on the other hand:

• Install landscape lighting as a sideline to other work they perform for the homeowner.
• Tend to use stock fixtures or whatever is readily and easily available from local store shelves. Little or no product is special ordered.
• Build systems on all different types of properties — single-family, condos, town houses and rental properties.
• Are very low volume builders (those that build less than 10 systems a year).
• Generally build for a number of different price points — entry level, move up, luxury, etc.

If you had never thought about these two different types of “custom” landscape lighting system providers before now is the time. A truly custom built landscape lighting system is always going to cost more. So if you are unable or unwilling to take on the financial commitment then you may want to look at some of the proposals that local production builders offer – they may be able to make just enough tweaks and changes to satisfy you, and the final price tag will almost definitely be lower. Just don’t set your expectations too high.

However, if you want to truly be able to dictate the exact outcome of your system and the layout of your brand new landscape lighting to the minutest of details then a custom built system is the only way you are going to get to achieve your dream.

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 .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.