1) Best contractor in town - I live in a condo and am getting slack for doing projects myself (because they take longer to complete), so I am will to spend their money on this. Who da best?

2) I already have low voltage transformer, and it's pretty protected, but I may need to move it slightly.

3) What are the best, most corrosion resistant, long lasting, lighting brands? I don't want to buy the crap that I will have to replace in a year or two. I'd like it to last at least 5, and I am about 1000 ft off the beach.

4) How flexible is the system to "tap into" if I want to add new stuff after the fact? (I'm not an electric guy. I do chemical.)

5) Any suggestions?



Thanks!

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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

I could give you some guidance but would probably take a longer conversation than this forum permits.  In my opinion, there are only a couple competent lighting companies in town and they are very pricey for what you get.

Everything now is LED, and they're way better than the old incandecent or halogen lighting. The commercial grade fixtures (copper or bronze) will run between $75 and $125 a piece at the wholesale suppliers. You can buy "composite" fixtures at Home Depot or Lowes that will work fine for you. And they will be $25 -  $35 a piece. They will hold-up real well in your environment and should last several years.

As far as the placement and amount of fixtures, there is a bit of artistic flair and personal preference when designing a system.  But there are some basics to understand. With all of your landscaping experience, I woud just do it myself if I were you.    

"With all of your landscaping experience, I woud just do it myself if I were you. "


I concur-

go with the low voltage LED lights by Malibu or whatever is in Home Depot right now.

Couple reasons-

its cheapest.

it works fine

LEDs last longer and more importantly pull less powe per lightr, so you can get more lights per transformer.

If you run the cord yourself, you can think it thru so you dont accidentally cut it later.

If you do it yourself, you will be able to do repairs yourself later because you understand the setup.


Get the biggest transformer (or multiple transformers in various locations) and that way you have as much power to work with as possible.

The flexible cord is expensive- and it can get kinda rigid over the years. I havent had to replace mine, but its getting more brittle after 6-7 years under the soil. The halogens did not last, at the time there was no LED.

The LEDs are much cheaper now, and they are sealed up, so water wont get in there.

I like the snap-together lights- you just snap them over the line and they are in. You can pull them apart off the line and move them too. The line "self heals"


http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ham...CdqDw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks guys. I'll consider it. For some reason people in condos don't understand that homeowners can actually do projects themselves. They think the only way for it to be done right is to pay someone. It's difficult. I'm glad I have a farm to retreat to when the condotards turn me into a bitter old man that hates people.

Brian, I know you stay busy, but if you could ever get some time, I could find some budget for you to help if you're interested.



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If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.