Most of the decision is made before anybody quotes you
The trouble with shopping for outdoor lighting is that two numbers can describe two completely different jobs. One company is quoting a template, another is quoting a design for your actual roofline, and you cannot tell from the page which is which.
Ask whether the design is yours
Ask to see the design before you talk price. If somebody can walk you through why each run is where it is, that is a good sign. A company that will not is selling you a package.
After the crew leaves
Everything mounted outdoors has a day when it needs attention. Ask now who that is. For seasonal work, ask who takes it down and where it lives until next year. For permanent systems, ask what support looks like a year in.
Scope
Some companies only do seasonal work. Some only do low voltage yard lighting. A few do both plus permanent systems. It matters because a company that only does one thing will recommend that one thing.
Ask about the kind of property they usually work on
Homes and businesses ask different things of a lighting plan. At a house, it is curb appeal
https://mylesbgsl002.theburnward.com/security-lighting-for-your-property-the-difference-between-lit-and-floodlit-does-security-lighting-work-the-honest-answer-rethinking-security-lighting-for-homes-and-businesses plus practical light. 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.
Red flags
A price that only holds until the end of the visit says more about the company than the job. A refusal to put the scope in writing is the second. Vagueness about what happens after the install is the third flag.None of that means a company is dishonest. But lighting is going to live on the front of your house, and the paperwork is the part you rely on when something goes wrong.Two quotes are worth the trouble, as long as you read past the price line. If one company drew a plan and the other quoted a package, the two numbers are not comparable. Ask each one what they would leave out if the budget were tighter, since the answer shows what they think the design is doing.
Is this their area?
Local matters more than it sounds like it should: the crew that works your county knows the houses. 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. Consultations are free and the design comes before the number. Reach them at (864) 252-1732 or
[email protected].