Where homeowners go wrong
The trouble with shopping for outdoor lighting is that two numbers can describe two completely different jobs. A package price and a custom design often quote close together, and look nothing alike once installed.
Is there a real design?
Ask to see what they are proposing for your house. A company that designs for the property can explain every run. A company that will not is selling you the same job they sold the last house.
Ask what happens after the install
Everything mounted outdoors has a day when it needs attention. Find out who handles it before you sign. On holiday lighting, the storage question is the one that separates companies. For permanent systems, ask how the app works and who supports it.
What is in their lane
The trades are related without being the same: seasonal displays, yard lighting, permanent LED systems and security work. It matters since a company with one product will find a reason to sell you that product.
Ask about the kind of property they usually work on
Homes and businesses ask different things of a lighting plan. A home wants the front to look right and the walk to be visible. A business wants to be visible and to look open, often in company colors. Ask which one they do more of, then decide whether that matches your job.
Signs to be careful with
A price that expires this afternoon says more about the company than the job. If nobody will draw the design, there is nothing to hold anybody to. Vagueness about support down the road is the third flag.None of that means a company is dishonest. But lighting sits on your house for years, and the paperwork is the part you rely on when something goes wrong.Get two or three
https://evercrestlighting.com/ quotes, and compare what is in them rather than the totals. If one company is designing for your roofline and the other is selling a package, the two numbers are not comparable. Ask each one what they would cut first, since the answer shows what they think the design is doing.
Local matters here
Local matters more than it sounds like it should: somebody who works your area knows what holds up. EverCrest Lighting is an outdoor lighting company working out of Greenville, South Carolina, covering Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. They do permanent LED lighting, holiday lighting, landscape lighting, patio lighting, accent lighting and security lighting for homes and businesses. The consultation is free, and the design gets drawn before anybody quotes. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].