The Complete Guide to Landscape Lighting for North Shore & Chicago Suburb Homeowners
A well-designed landscape lighting system transforms your property after dark. It extends your outdoor living space, enhances curb appeal, improves security, and can significantly increase your home’s value. For homeowners on the North Shore and across the Chicago suburbs, professional landscape lighting is one of the highest-return exterior investments you can make.
At American National Sprinkler & Lighting, we’ve been designing and installing landscape lighting systems across Highland Park, Winnetka, Glencoe, Kenilworth, Wilmette, Northbrook, Deerfield, Libertyville, Lake Forest, and 60+ communities throughout the Chicago suburbs for over 40 years. This guide covers everything you need to know.
Why Landscape Lighting Matters on the North Shore
The North Shore is home to some of the most beautiful residential properties in the Midwest. Mature trees, expansive lawns, stone facades, and carefully designed landscaping are the norm in communities like Winnetka, Kenilworth, Glencoe, and Highland Park.
But without lighting, all of that disappears at sunset.
Professional landscape lighting does four things:
Extends your outdoor living. Chicago summers are short. Landscape lighting lets you enjoy your patio, deck, pool area, and gardens well into the evening — adding hours to every summer night.
Increases home value. Studies consistently show that quality landscape lighting can increase a home’s perceived value by 15-20%. On a $1.5 million North Shore home, that’s a significant return on a relatively modest investment.
Improves security. A well-lit property deters intruders. Strategic lighting around entry points, walkways, driveways, and dark corners eliminates hiding spots and makes your family safer.
Enhances curb appeal. Drive through Highland Park or Winnetka at night and the best-lit homes immediately stand out. Uplighting on architectural features, trees, and landscaping creates a dramatic, welcoming presence that sets your property apart.
Types of Landscape Lighting
A complete lighting design uses several types of fixtures working together. Here are the most common:
Uplighting: Fixtures mounted at ground level that project light upward onto trees, architectural features, columns, or walls. This is the most dramatic and impactful type of landscape lighting. A single well-placed uplight on a mature oak tree in Glencoe or Kenilworth can transform an entire front yard.
Path and Walkway Lighting: Low fixtures that illuminate walkways, driveways, garden paths, and steps. Beyond aesthetics, path lighting is a safety essential — it prevents trips and falls on uneven surfaces, which is especially important during Chicago’s icy winters.
Downlighting (Moonlighting): Fixtures mounted high in trees or on structures that cast soft, natural-looking light downward. This mimics the effect of moonlight filtering through branches and creates beautiful shadow patterns on the ground below.
Wash Lighting: Broad, even light spread across a wall, fence, or hedge. Used to highlight textured stone facades, garden walls, or large landscape features.
Accent Lighting: Focused beams that highlight specific features — a fountain, sculpture, specimen plant, or architectural detail. Accent lighting creates focal points that draw the eye.
Deck and Patio Lighting: Fixtures integrated into deck posts, railings, steps, and seating walls. These create a warm, inviting atmosphere for outdoor entertaining.
Well Lights: Fixtures recessed into the ground that sit flush with the surface. Used for uplighting where a visible fixture would be intrusive — common on formal properties in Kenilworth and Winnetka.
LED vs Halogen: Why LED Wins Every Time
When we started in the landscape lighting business, halogen was the industry standard. Today, LED has completely replaced it, and for good reason:
| Feature | LED | Halogen |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use | 75-80% less | Baseline |
| Bulb life | 40,000-50,000 hours | 2,000-4,000 hours |
| Heat output | Minimal | Very hot |
| Color consistency | Excellent over time | Yellows with age |
| Maintenance | Almost none | Frequent bulb changes |
| Operating cost | Pennies per day | Dollars per day |
On a typical North Shore property with 20-30 fixtures, switching from halogen to LED saves $300-500 per year in electricity alone. Factor in eliminated bulb replacement costs and the savings are even higher.
We install premium LED fixtures from WAC Lighting and Kichler — two of the most respected names in landscape lighting. Both offer commercial-grade durability, excellent color rendering, and long warranties.
If you have an existing halogen system, we offer LED retrofit services that replace your old fixtures with modern LED equivalents — often using the same wire runs and transformer locations to minimize installation disruption.
The Design Process: How We Create Your Lighting Plan
Great landscape lighting isn’t just about placing fixtures — it’s about creating a cohesive design that highlights your property’s best features while maintaining balance and avoiding common mistakes like over-lighting or glare.
Here’s our process:
Step 1: Free Design Consultation
We visit your property, discuss what you want to highlight, identify safety concerns, and talk through your vision. This consultation is always free.
Step 2: Custom Design
Based on the consultation, we create a custom lighting plan for your property. This includes fixture types, placement, beam angles, color temperature, and a zone layout for your transformer.
Step 3: Installation
Our crew installs your system, typically in 1-2 days for most residential properties. We run low-voltage wire (12V), so there’s no trenching for high-voltage conduit — just shallow wire burial that leaves your lawn and landscaping intact.
Step 4: Fine-Tuning
After installation, we return to fine-tune every fixture. We adjust angles, modify beam spreads, and tweak intensity until every element looks exactly right. This final step is what separates a professional installation from a DIY job.
Step 5: Walkthrough
We show you how to operate your system — timer settings, zone controls, and what to look for during routine checks.
→ Ready to get started? Schedule a free design consultation or call (847) 566-0099.
How Much Does Landscape Lighting Cost in Chicago?
Every property is unique, but here are realistic ranges for the Chicago suburbs:
| Project Scope | Typical Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Front entry and walkway (8-12 fixtures) | $3,000 – $5,000 |
| Front yard comprehensive (15-25 fixtures) | $5,000 – $10,000 |
| Full property — front and back (25-40 fixtures) | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Large estate — full property (40+ fixtures) | $20,000+ |
Factors that affect cost: number of fixtures, property size, fixture quality (WAC Lighting and Kichler are premium brands), transformer size, number of zones, and complexity of the installation (mature landscaping, hardscape integration, tree mounting).
We provide free design consultations for every project. Get your free consultation here.
Landscape Lighting Maintenance
One of the best things about modern LED landscape lighting is how little maintenance it requires. But “low maintenance” doesn’t mean “no maintenance.” Here’s what to keep an eye on:
Monthly: Walk your property at night and check that all fixtures are working. Look for fixtures that have been knocked out of alignment by lawn maintenance, weather, or foot traffic.
Seasonally: Clean fixture lenses. Dirt, mulch, and debris accumulate and reduce light output. A simple wipe-down restores full brightness.
Annually: Check wire connections, especially at splice points. Inspect transformers for any signs of corrosion or overheating. Test timers and photocells to ensure they’re triggering correctly.
After major storms: High winds, heavy snow, and ice can shift fixtures and damage wire runs. A quick walk-through after any major weather event catches problems early.
We offer annual maintenance packages for homeowners who want peace of mind without the hassle. Our team checks every fixture, cleans lenses, adjusts angles, tests connections, and ensures your system is performing at its best.
Security Lighting: Protecting Your North Shore Home
While landscape lighting is primarily about beauty, smart fixture placement doubles as an effective security measure. Here’s how:
Illuminate all entry points. Front door, back door, side doors, and garage entries should all be well-lit. Intruders avoid well-lit entry points.
Eliminate dark corners. Every property has blind spots — side yards, behind garages, along fences. Strategic fixtures in these areas remove hiding spots.
Light the perimeter. Path lighting along your property’s edges and driveway creates a clear boundary that’s visible from inside the home and from the street.
Use timers and smart controls. Modern lighting systems can be programmed to turn on at sunset and off at sunrise automatically. Some systems integrate with home automation for remote control via your phone.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
After 40 years of designing lighting systems, here are the mistakes we see homeowners make most often:
Over-lighting. More fixtures doesn’t always mean better. Over-lit properties look harsh and unnatural. The goal is strategic placement that creates depth, contrast, and visual interest.
Wrong color temperature. Landscape lighting should be warm — 2700K to 3000K. Cool white light (4000K+) looks commercial and uninviting on residential properties.
Ignoring the backyard. Many homeowners light the front yard beautifully but forget the back. If you spend summer evenings on your patio or deck, that space deserves lighting too.
DIY big-box store kits. The solar-powered stake lights from hardware stores look cheap, fail quickly, and provide almost no useful light. Professional low-voltage LED systems are a completely different category.
No maintenance plan. Even the best system needs occasional attention. Fixtures shift, lenses get dirty, and timers drift. A simple annual check keeps everything looking its best.
Why Choose American National Sprinkler & Lighting?
- 40+ years designing and installing landscape lighting across the North Shore
- 444 five-star Google reviews — the highest-rated lighting company in the area
- Free design consultations for every project
- Premium fixtures from WAC Lighting and Kichler
- Full-service — design, installation, maintenance, and repair
- Licensed and insured
Areas We Serve
We design and install landscape lighting across 60+ communities in the Chicago suburbs:
North Shore: Highland Park | Winnetka | Glencoe | Kenilworth | Wilmette | Northbrook | Deerfield | Northfield | Glenview
Lake County: Libertyville | Lake Forest | Vernon Hills | Mundelein | Buffalo Grove | Lake Zurich | Long Grove | Barrington
Western Suburbs: Naperville | Hinsdale | Oak Brook | Western Springs
Northwest Suburbs: Arlington Heights | Palatine | Schaumburg
Get Started Today
Schedule a free design consultation and we’ll assess your property and discuss the possibilities.
📞 Call (847) 566-0099 or Schedule a Free Consultation