The word is free
Custom is on every website in this trade. The word no longer distinguishes anybody. What is worth checking is whether there is an actual design behind it, since one of those produces paper and the other produces a number.That is the whole distinction, and it is worth holding onto while you compare quotes. A package is a price with a description attached. A design starts with your building and arrives at a number. Both can be perfectly honest pieces of business. Only one of them is designed for you, and you should know which one you are buying.
What you should be looking at
A plan is specific to your building. It names which rooflines, which gables, which trees, which walkways, rather
https://evercrestlighting.com/contact/ than describing the front of the house in general terms. It says what the standard white is. It says where the controller mounts and how the wiring runs. And it accounts for the unlit areas, deliberately.
Order of operations
You cannot compare quotes if you do not know what work each one covers. The cheaper number frequently covers a smaller scope, which you find out once it is up. When the design comes first, you are comparing the same work. When the price comes first, the design gets shaped to fit the number, quietly.A plan you understand gives you something to check the finished job against, which is worth more than any assurance given in a driveway.
Designing for the way you use the property
Expect questions, rather than pitched. Where do you walk after dark. Is the patio used at night. Is this mostly a holiday purchase or an everyday one. Do you host. The way you use the property drives the design, and a designer who does not ask is designing for a stranger.
Bringing the categories together
Most properties need more than one kind of lighting. Bought separately over several years, they never quite agree: inconsistent color, uneven brightness, no hierarchy. One plan, installed over time if necessary, holds together.
You are allowed to say no to part of it
The first plan is not meant to be final. You can take runs out without needing a reason beyond not wanting it. If it comes back to you unchanged, or the answer is that this is how it is done, that tells you something. The answer should be that revisions are expected.
Ask for a copy
A design is worth having in writing. It matters when you sell, when you add the second stage, or when somebody needs to know what is buried in that bed. The design is part of what you bought.
Where to start
The design begins with a visit, not a catalog. EverCrest Lighting designs and installs custom outdoor lighting across permanent, landscape, accent, patio and security work for homes and businesses across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, out of Greenville. The consultation is free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].