Overview:
This beautiful four-and-a-half-acre estate is located off of a major road in Houston, but you would never know that when you step foot on the property.
The mature trees and well thought out landscape make it feel like it is located in the country and surrounded by forest. A large casita backs up to the Mediterranean style home and make a perfect retreat and setting for outdoor living.
Priorities:
The client had existing Mercury Vapor Moon Lighting and some low volage lighting, but the project started out upgrading the lighting for ascetics, but after a few years also became more about lighting the entire perimeter of the property for safety.
Additionally, he needed more light for the back pathway to the casita as well as a gazebo in the back of the property as well as a prayer garden.
Challenges:
Adding more circuits for all the additional low voltage transformers was one of the biggest challenges on this project.
Some phases would add over 100 fixtures at a time, as well as increasing wattages on existing lamps so the back of the property to make it brighter so maintaining proper voltage and adding homeruns was done several times over the years.
Making sure all the lights came on at the same time with twelve transformers was also a challenge. Adding lights for the entire permitter of a four-and-a-half-acre estate meant hundreds of fixtures needed to not take away from the elegance of the existing light and make sure everything still was powered correctly.
Hiding wire on previously installed stone columns also was a challenge.
Solution:
For the timing at first it was all digital timers, and then the system was upgraded to a sequencer system with two timers.
The issue was if a GFCI tripped it would take out that transformer as well as all the transformers in sequence behind it. The issue was if a GFCI tripped it would take out that transformer as well as all the transformers in sequence behind it.
To address the permitter in the front yard, 150 wash lights were installed along all of the shrubs along the fences. These were also used in the backyard as well as well lights on sections with large trees.
Sections along fences meant deck lights were designed and installed to tie the lights along the side to the brighter directional lights on the back of the estate. Lights in the ground as well as mounted in trees were used to up and down light the back that was not even visible from the house at night before the lighting was added.
Old Sugar kettles were used as fire bowls to lead guest to the Casita and ledge lights were installed to tie in the pathway with the area lights and make the rocky flagstone pathway easier to travel at night when it was used most. When everything was completed the depth of this property really shines at night.
