Outdoor Lighting Solutions LLC is one of the premier outdoor landscape lighting companies in the St. Louis area. With over a decade of experience ranging from small private residences and community entrances to large estates and commercial buildings, the team has handled special challenges, installation obstacles, unique requests, and much more. As co-owner of Outdoor Lighting Solutions, Daniel Frost has seen it all when it comes to outdoor lighting solutions. Here’s his take on what to look for in a professional landscape lighting company.
Get Professional Fixtures from an Outdoor Lighting Company
“There’s a big jump from what you can buy at Home Depot and Lowe’s or Menard’s to the professional-grade fixtures you purchase as a contractor,” says Frost. “You can go to any box store and purchase a landscape lighting fixture, but the quality difference is enormous.”
The reason for the major upgrade with contractor-quality fixtures is mostly about the materials used. Many of the non-commercial fixtures are made out of aluminum, which will not stand up to the test of time out in the weather, in all seasons. Cheaper fixtures may have finishes that bake off in the sun, chipping paint, and be easily damaged by wind or storms. With professional-grade fixtures, however, you get solid fixtures made from quality materials, with warranties. “I have faith in the light fixtures I sell, because they are all contractor grade and come with a warranty,” says Frost. “We don’t give our customers cheap fixtures that won’t last.”
Expect Clear Pricing and Accurate Estimates
Professional landscape lighting companies should have clear pricing, with no hidden fees or surprises. And a key part of pricing is creating an accurate estimate of what an outdoor lighting system will cost, before it’s installed.
For Frost and his business partner Jeremy Ashley, creating accurate quotes is a key part of customer service. “Before we provide a quote on anything, we go out and look at the job,” says Frost. “Jeremy and I are the ones who install and finalize the systems. We know exactly what to look for when we’re creating a quote.”
An experienced installation professional—rather than someone in sales, only—can create an estimate without critical errors. “We don’t ever want a situation where someone sold 20 lights but we only have a way to install 18 of them, for instance,” says Frost. “Or a situation where there are major additional fees because the person who quoted the job does not have installation experience.”
Landscape Lighting Companies Should Design for You
“One of complaints we hear most often about other lighting companies is about the design process,” says Frost. “Lighting is so particular, and there are a lot of companies that want to put an outdoor lighting system together in a certain way. But that certain way may not be what the customer wants.”
When working with an outdoor lighting company, ask how much customization is involved in their design process. Will they work with your vision, or will they try to make a cookie-cutter design work?
A better approach than having a cut-and-paste design is to work with each situation and each customer. There are many variations in how outdoor lighting systems can work, says Frost. The goal should always be to create a design that brings the customer’s vision to life.
Of course, says Frost, sometimes customers want things that aren’t possible. In that case, a demonstration of options helps customers to choose a workable solution that gets the results they want.
Get a Demo from Your Outdoor Lighting Company
Sometimes, says Frost, customers have a specific vision but aren’t clear on the execution that will get that vision. Or customers might not be sure what they want. In both cases, a demo of what the lighting system will look like helps. It’s one thing to imagine, and another to see. “We have a demo process to let customers see what an outdoor lighting system will look like before we install,” says Frost. “Sometimes they say, ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I imagined.’ And sometimes they don’t, and then we adjust until we get the system to match their vision.”
Being adaptable to each individual job allows an outdoor lighting company to ensure that customers get what they want. And that’s really the point. “Our customers are the ones who will see their lights every day,” says Frost. “So nothing matters more than each customer getting the lights that make their home and outdoor space look the way they want.”
When shopping for landscape lighting companies, then, look for one that provides these keys to quality:
- High-quality, contractor-grade lighting fixtures.
- Clear pricing and accurate estimates.
- Customized design of the lighting system.
- On-location demo of the lights before install.
When you’re ready for a great, high-quality, customized outdoor lighting system, give us a call. Daniel and Jeremy are ready to create a custom design that brings your lighting vision to life.