Garden lighting on a self build is decided by the ducts and cables you lay before the landscaper arrives, not by the fittings you choose at the end. If the cable routes, the feed from the house and the control are planned with the patio and paths, the garden can be lit beautifully and safely for decades; if they are left until the paving is down, you are choosing between lifting new stone or living with a single floodlight on the back wall. This guide covers what to plan, when to do it and who does what.
It is written for people building their own home in and around Dublin, from a contemporary house on a garden plot in Howth or Dalkey to a larger site in Fingal or north Wicklow, where the garden is often designed at the same time as the house but built months later.
Plan garden lighting with the house, not after it
Most self builders sign off the house drawings long before anyone thinks about the garden. The trouble is that garden lighting depends on decisions made at first fix: where the outdoor circuits leave the house, how they are controlled, and whether the kitchen keypad can turn on the terrace as well as the kitchen. By the time the landscaper is on site, those choices are fixed.
We suggest a simple outdoor layout at the same stage as the internal lighting design. It does not need every fitting chosen. It needs the zones (front approach, terrace, paths, planting, boundary, any garden room), a rough idea of where light will go in each, and the routes back to the house. Our lighting design guide for self builders covers the indoor side of the same exercise.
What to wire before the landscaping
| Item | When | What to agree |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor circuits from the house | First fix | Separate circuits for each zone, brought out through sealed sleeves at the planned exit points |
| Control | First fix | Whether the outdoor circuits run back to the lighting panel or to local controls, and where the keypads that operate them sit |
| Ducts under hard landscaping | Before the patio and paths are laid | Ducts with draw ropes under every patio, path and drive that a cable will need to cross |
| Cable to beds and features | With the groundworks or the landscaper | Armoured cable or ducted runs to each bed, wall, step and tree you plan to light, with spare length left coiled and marked |
| Outdoor sockets | First fix | A weatherproof socket at the terrace and one further down the garden for seasonal lights and tools |
| Garden room or outbuilding | Groundworks | Power and a data cable in a duct, so lighting, music and Wi-Fi can follow later |
The cheapest item on that list is the empty duct. A run of duct with a draw rope under a patio costs very little on the day it is laid and saves lifting stone later. We ask for one more than you think you need at every crossing.
Choosing fittings that suit the garden and the neighbours
Good garden lighting is low, warm and pointed where you want it. Dark Sky Ireland's environmentally friendly lighting guide makes three points that suit a Dublin garden well, as we read them on the day this was written: use warm light of 2700K or below, shield every fitting so light does not go upwards or sideways, and for domestic fittings choose a beam of 80 degrees or less with a baffle. In practice that means recessed step lights, low path lights, wall lights that wash downwards and narrow spotlights on chosen features, rather than wide floodlights.
In a suburban garden that also keeps light out of your neighbours' windows, which matters more on a tight Dublin plot than on an open rural site. Light the things you want to see, the steps, the terrace edge, a wall, a specimen tree, and let the rest stay dark. A garden with a few well placed lights looks larger at night than one lit evenly from the house.
Controlling garden lighting from the house
Outdoor lighting is where a lighting control system earns its place. With each zone on its own circuit, the garden can come on at dusk, step down later in the evening and go off at a set time, while a button by the back door turns the terrace on fully when you are outside. Scenes can pair the garden with the kitchen and living room so the view through the glass looks right at night instead of reflecting the room back at you.
We have done this on a whole house Crestron project where the front of the house, the paths, the terraces and the trees each have their own scenes and the outdoor lighting brings itself on at dusk; you can read about it on our Crestron garden lighting project page. Our lighting control page for Dublin shows the systems we install, including Lutron, Rako and Crestron.
If you want music outside too, plan the speaker cables in the same trenches. Our outdoor audio page shows what is possible.
Safety and who does the work
Outdoor electrics face rain, frost, spades and lawnmowers, so cable type, depth, protection and the fittings' weather rating all matter. That work belongs to a Registered Electrical Contractor, who certifies the installation. Our founder, Kieran McGuire, is an electrician, and so are a few of our team, so the outdoor layout we draw shows the circuits, cable routes and control points in a form your electrical contractor can price and build.
Our survey and design service produces the drawings and cable schedule for indoor and outdoor lighting together. A design consultation or site survey costs 440 euro plus VAT and covers up to 4 hours.
Questions we are often asked
When should garden lighting be planned on a self build?
At the same time as the indoor lighting, before first fix. The circuits, exit points and control need to be in the house before the walls are closed.
Can the landscaper install the garden lighting?
The landscaper can lay ducts and set fittings in place, but the cabling and connections should be done and certified by a Registered Electrical Contractor.
Is low voltage garden lighting better than mains?
Both have their place. Low voltage suits small fittings in beds and steps; mains suits wall lights and longer runs. Your designer should choose per zone and size the cables to suit.
Can garden lighting come on by itself at dusk?
Yes. With the outdoor circuits on a control system, the lights can follow sunset through the year and switch off at a time you choose.
What colour of light suits a garden?
Warm white. Dark Sky Ireland recommends 2700K or below, which also looks better on stone, brick and planting than cool white.
The outdoor lighting, cameras and gate all rely on the home network, so plan it now as well. Send us your floor plans and we will mark the access points, list the Cat6 runs back to one comms cabinet and send a priced kit list, free and with no obligation; our free Wi-Fi design for self builders explains how.
Book a consultation or call our Dublin office on 01 906 9326.
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