Street lighting of the suburban area, types of lighting and selection of fixtures. Original ideas for lighting a summer cottage with your own hands Lighting a plot of a country house

The romance of the evening garden ... It is formed like a mosaic of many nuances, among which light plays a leading role. Unfortunately, the lighting of the suburban area is sometimes given an undeservedly secondary place, although the “beam of light in the dark kingdom” is simply necessary in order to move freely around your possessions in the evening. Not to mention the fact that the beauty of plants, hidden in the dark, is able to light up with new colors and acquire unexpected fantastic forms. It is enough just to skillfully “play” with the light, applying some interesting ideas for lighting and decorating garden lamps.

Truly, garden lighting is akin to art - it can create unprecedented effects that are born from the union of plants and decorative lighting. You just need to bring to life some “educational” ideas for giving - with your own hands you can transform your garden so much that from an inconspicuous, no different from many others, it will turn into a fabulous corner that can touch you at any time of the day.

Evening lighting of the dacha will not only give the garden a certain mystery, but also allow you to safely move around the site

Your garden house and country landscape will look natural during the day and mysterious in the evening, if you successfully combine the functionality of lighting with its decorative effect. What are the tasks assigned to the lighting of the garden plot? Depending on the function and area of ​​​​location of outdoor lamps, the following types of summer cottage lighting can be distinguished:

• home lighting;
• track lighting;
• staircase lighting;
• accent lighting;
• patio lighting;
• holiday lighting;
• security lighting.

An important condition for the proper organization of the dacha lighting system is the preservation of the aesthetics of the garden during the daytime, that is, lamps for night illumination should not disturb the harmony of the dacha landscape. To fulfill this condition, it is enough to choose lighting fixtures of natural shape and / or made from natural materials. A widespread technique for decorative garden lighting is that they absorb solar energy throughout the day and give it off at night in the form of a mysterious glow, pouring softly, as if from inside the rock.

The original lighting, placed in dense vegetation, will create a cozy atmosphere in a secluded recreation area.

Airy butterflies and dragonflies, glowing in the dark, naturally and unobtrusively coexist with garden plants

Or maybe you prefer a group of colorful butterflies on long twigs stuck into the ground that will enliven the lawn during the day and glow at night? And how do you like a dwarf suddenly peeking out from behind a bush with a lamp or a luminous frog perched under a large leaf? Such original solutions will give your dacha individuality and originality, to the delight of you and to the good envy of your neighbors.

In addition to the artistic impression, it is necessary to think over the technical side of lighting the dacha. The use of alternative light sources based on solar energy is the most economical option for garden lighting. In addition, this type of lighting will not spoil the appearance of the site with long electric cords stretching along the flower beds and paths, as it consists of an autonomous battery pack and a group of lamps connected to it.

The unusual illumination of trees in the form of luminous wells is so mysterious that one inexorably wants to look into this depth.

Artificial flowers in the form of solar-powered lamps will harmoniously fit into the landscape design of the garden

It is more logical to place lights connected to the mains closer to the house - to illuminate the facade, entrance group, terrace, since these areas require more active light, and laying a short wiring will not require significant labor costs and cash investments.

Types of lighting for the garden plot

Decorative focused lighting is the most expressive lighting created by an accent beam of light and aimed at an original landscape composition - a flower bed, a pond, a tree, or just a beautifully shaped flower. With such directional lighting, it is important to correctly balance the intensity, color spectrum, pattern of the light spot and the location of the light source. An interesting idea for illuminating a garden can be groups of lighting fixtures located under trees with an unusual crown - in the evening, directional light will draw the silhouette of a tree and create a bizarre pattern of shadows on the ground.

The evening illumination of the garden draws the outlines of plants so subtly that they sometimes take on a fantastic, unrealistic look.

Garden path lighting does not imply an abundance of powerful lamps - these can be small spots or light sources built into the ground, giving only a hint of lighting on both sides of the country “fairway” and indicating the direction of movement. A more thorough “navigation” requires stairs, which can be illuminated by lamps mounted in the steps or in the flight of stairs. The main idea that can be applied is to illuminate the stairs with a large number of lamps in the form of improvised candlesticks from glass jars or tins, grouped along the edges of the steps. Such a move will give the garden a romantic entourage in the best possible way, and it will not be difficult to make such miniature light sources with your own hands.

Illumination of the gazebo in the garden and the path leading to it will be the key to a pleasant evening pastime with your family in the open air

Lighting a patio, terrace or gazebo is the way to keep your vacation spots accessible in the evening, on rainy or cloudy days. Since the lighting based on the accumulated solar heat is not too bright, it is better to use electric light sources for illuminating common areas. It can be floor and table, built-in and spotlights or whole “garlands” of lamps suspended from the ceiling. Beautiful multi-colored bottles, complex lampshades made of plastic or wood, bright balls of beads or an extravagant design made of shiny metal - it is up to you to choose the design of the central lighting in the relaxation area. Depending on what kind of atmosphere you want to give to the place of “social meeting”, the lighting can be chamber and cozy, or more festive and bright.

An unusual and slightly fantastic effect can be achieved by placing a lot of ball lamps on long rods along the path.

The main requirement for security lighting is its intensity and location in crucial places for site security control - near the gate, at the entrance to the house, around the garage, along the perimeter of your property or in other places where valuable equipment or country inventory is located. As a rule, security lighting systems are formed using powerful LED lamps and are subject to certain rules - both in terms of placement and design, so in this case it is better to choose industrial options for light sources.

A comparative review of garden lamps will also be useful:

An excellent solution for lighting a summer cottage is pots for plants that accumulate light during the day and emit it at night.

Examples of handmade lamps

A floor lamp that has fallen into disrepair, retired kitchen utensils, outdated plastic utensils and other seemingly useless things will now be useful to you for the “production” of country lamps. Everything will be used - from glass containers to grandmother's services - a little imagination, a little patience and all the rarities, standing with one foot in the landfill, will turn into lighting fixtures that bring you light and joy.

In order to make a country lamp, you do not need to spend a lot of money - look into your grandmother's chest and you will find everything you need for creativity

Option #1 - from glass bottles

Fantasy lamps made from waste glass containers can transform your garden, and will not cost a single penny. An ordinary glass container can be turned into an amazing lamp without any effort. Take a bottle of an original shape or an unusual color, put multi-colored small beads, polished glass, transparent balls on the bottom that will reflect light. Wind the multi-colored wire around your finger so that you get spirals and place them in a vessel. Fix a small flashlight with silicone in the neck of the bottle - this will be a light source that is convenient to turn on and off as needed.

When buying alcoholic beverages - look at the shape and color of glass bottles - because now they will come in handy for you to create homemade lamps

Interesting shades for hanging chandeliers can be obtained from glass containers of various shapes and sizes. But how to cut off the bottom of the bottle? Yes, easily! Tie the bottle with a thin rope soaked in kerosene or gasoline at the level of the desired cut, and pour cold water into the bottle clearly up to the line marked with the rope. When you set fire to the rope, the bottle will burst and an even cut will form, which you just have to grind a little so as not to cut yourself. Now you can fill the electric cord into the ceiling and connect the bulb holder.

By cutting off the bottom of the glass bottle and attaching the metal plate to the pin, you will get a convenient candlestick for lighting the garden.

For a more powerful source of light, tie several colorful bottles with wire and hang them from the ceiling of your gazebo, patio, or summerhouse. In the event that bottle colors seem a little gloomy to you, take stained glass paints and paint the glass, showing your imagination and your innate sense of harmony. And do not be afraid to give yourself free rein - you can always remove the not entirely successful fragment of stained glass painting with a solvent and update it. Even better, if you entrust the mission of painting bottles to children or grandchildren - both you will remember and the kids will be happy.

A little creativity - and from a glass bottle you get an expressive wall lamp in the form of a stylized torch. To do this, a hole is drilled in the tightly screwed cap of the bottle, through which kerosene is poured inside and a wick made of natural rope or a stainless steel tube pre-impregnated with the same combustible mixture is filled.

By pouring a combustible mixture into a bottle and filling the wick inside, you will create a lamp in the form of an impromptu torch

The alternation of bottle-plafonds with candles and flowers gives the homemade chandelier on a metal frame an unusually natural look.

Why should a New Year's garland gather dust in anticipation of the next New Year? Place it in a champagne bottle and you will have an expressive garden lamp. Too lazy to make something for a long time, but it hurts to be original? Wind the thread or rope around the bottle absolutely arbitrarily, but so that there are gaps, and apply paint of your favorite color from a spray can onto this kind of cocoon. When your “painting” dries a little, unwind the bottle. Unusual? Go ahead.

The bottle-candlestick is original due to the idea of ​​a candle holder in the form of a spiral, fixed in the neck with a ring

Option # 2 - from glass jars

The main problem of a glass container, as a base for a homemade lamp, is an absolutely transparent surface that does not scatter light. The task that you face in the process of making a glass lamp with your own hands is to fragmentarily decorate a transparent vessel in such a way that it nevertheless works in places through the light - it diffuses and smoothes the light from a candle or light bulb placed inside.

In order to conveniently remove the melted wax from the bottom of the candlestick jar, pour some sand or pebbles into it

What can be done with a prosaic, but beautiful jar, left as a memory from once eaten exotic pickles? It all depends on the style in which the new lamp is conceived. If you want country style, wrap the jar with jute rope, fixing it on the glass with silicone glue. Do you want vintage style? Cut into narrow long strips of colorful chintz, cotton lace or guipure and “dress up” your jar in great-grandmother's outfit. Do you like techno style? Take out the voltage coils and diode lamps from the old TV or tape recorder - wind the copper wire around the jar. Stick cylindrical bulbs of LEDs as a decor - they will refract and modify the flow of light even more, and the lamp will turn into some kind of object of alien origin.

Unlike bottles, glass jars are rarely multi-colored - paint them with bright stained glass paints

An original idea for decorating a lamp for a country house in the pop art style is painting a jar with multi-color luminescent paints applied to the inner surface of a glass jar in the form of irregularly shaped spots. Accumulating sunlight during the day, at night the jars will emit a soft, unobtrusive glow, shimmering with juicy shades of neon blue, pink or lemon. By arranging glass containers of different heights and diameters, painted with matching phosphors, you can create a bright compositional group in your garden by illuminating the path to the house, an alpine hill or a flower bed.

The jar, covered with a myriad of small dots applied with a phosphor, emits a soft, elegant light.

Option # 3 - from cans

After drinking beer and having a bite of sprat in tomato sauce, do not rush to send tins to the trash - everything will come in handy in the country house. For example, to implement extraordinary ideas in creating country lamps that can give your garden an unforgettable look.

What is needed for this? Hammer, nails of different diameters and a cylindrical piece of wood. Sketch the motif of the drawing on paper - it is desirable that it be not a very complex closing ornament. Now attach your sketch to the tin, and put a piece of wood inside it - it will protect the tin from deformation. Punching holes at equal distances with nails, transfer the design to the jar - you will get holes through which delicate light will leak.

An ordinary beer can can turn into an exotic lamp due to the pattern formed by small holes.

Who would have thought that the union of canned food and wooden clothespins could make such an unusual lamp

Option # 4 - from building materials

After the construction of the dacha, various building materials often remain - cement, plaster mixes, liquid nails, etc. It is impossible to store such mixtures for a long time - they quickly absorb moisture and are taken in lumps, but the hand does not rise to throw away. Do not despair, here are a couple of fresh ideas on how you can attach building goods for the benefit of business, namely, to create country lamps.

Using unnecessary residues of cement and plaster mixtures, you can make a fairly original lamp

Take a large and a small plastic bottle, cut off the bottom and put one inside the other, securing them with a threaded pin. Turn the resulting design upside down and install it, say, on a tin can of a suitable diameter. Mix the cement mixture and fill the space between the two bottles, shaking the mold occasionally to evenly fill it. After the solution hardens, cut the bottles and release the cover.

Forming separate fragments from cement mortar, combine them together - you will get a patterned lamp-egg of unprecedented beauty

Option # 5 - from wood and ropes

Having picked up small, but expressive dry twigs, stick them overlapping in a chaotic manner on a children's inflatable ball. Once the glue has set, carefully detach your construction from the balloon and deflate it. The eco-style lampshade is ready, you just need to fill the light bulb and connect the lamp to the network.

Unnecessary branches from cut trees will be an excellent material for creating a country lamp in the form of a ball.

By the same principle, using inflatable balloons, make a lampshade in the form of a hemisphere from a jute rope. To do this, draw a border on the ball and, gradually gluing the intersections, wrap it with a rope. After the glue dries, gently deflate the balloon and detach the rope cover from it.

Snow-white openwork rope lamps will create a festive atmosphere on your terrace or patio area

In order to make a lamp out of wood, it is not necessary to be able to plan or saw - there are a lot of ready-made wooden semi-finished products that you just need to skillfully apply.

If you twist the birch bark into a cone shape, you will get a very delicate and elegant lampshade for the lamp.

Do not rush to get rid of stumps - you can make not only a stool from them, but also an extravagant country lamp

Option #6 - plastic

Plastic bottles have long been used both in the tail and in the mane for a variety of country crafts. What our inventive people did not come up with, conjuring with "very skillful" pens over plastic bottles. Not wanting to lag behind the mass trend, we are in a hurry to offer our version of the "utilization" of a plastic bottle by creating an extraordinary lamp.

Here is an unusual lamp - whether a hedgehog, or an insect, can be obtained from an ordinary plastic bottle

Lamp-ball made of plastic. 1. Cut off the bottom 2. Glue 3. Bend along the radius 4. Form a ball 5. Install on the base 6. Connect to the network

Lampshade for a lamp made of plastic leaves. 1. Cut out the rectangles 2. Cut out the leaves 3. Melt the edges with a soldering iron 4. Connect the leaves with wire

So, we cut the bottle into rectangles, from which we cut out the leaves. We melt the edges of the sheet with a soldering iron, giving it a more natural shape. We burn 2 holes with a red-hot needle and thread copper wire without insulation into them. We collect branches from individual leaves and form a spherical ceiling from them.

Do not rush to throw away disposable cups after receiving guests - it is better to glue them into a cute multi-colored lamp

Buy ping-pong balls, glue a few circles out of them, and then connect them vertically - a futuristic chandelier is ready

The original chandelier can be made from other plastic products - disposable tableware, plastic cups and ping-pong balls. Due to the inherent conical and spherical shape of these products, gluing them will steadily lead you to create a spherical or cylindrical lamp.

Creating a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere in your country house will be the best way to contribute to bright lamps made of multi-colored beads.

Stringing large plastic beads on a wire, twist it into a spiral and form a spherical shade of small diameter. You can get a fairly original chandelier for a summer residence if you arrange balls of beads of different colors and diameters, attaching them to the frame on long suspensions.

Old CDs and records cluttering up your closet are now very useful - they will make amazing lamps for giving

Here is a unique lamp idea for music lovers - those whose house is littered with end-of-life music drives - discs and records. Surprisingly, old CDs can make a wonderful lamp. It is enough just to drill, having previously marked with a marker, 5 holes at an equal distance from each other around the circumference of the disk, not getting too close to the edge, and then fasten the disks with wire to each other. Such a multifaceted structure can have any diameter, depending on the intended size or your patience. If it is assumed that the lamp will be floor or table, then glue 3-4 erasers to one of the disks, which plays the role of the base. By hanging a few disk balls from a metal plate, you will get an original futuristic chandelier to illuminate the terrace or patio area.

The corrugated plastic pipe perfectly transforms into a shell lamp - you just have to fill the light cord into the pipe

Option # 7 - from old household utensils

The most convenient thing in metal household utensils is the already existing perforation, which can create light spots of unusual beauty. A prosaic grater, colander or strainer are ready-made lampshades for your homemade lamps. Having disconnected the handles from the two sieves, tie them with wire - you will get a ceiling in the form of a ball. Disguise rust spots or peeling enamel by coating your creation with bronze or silver paint from a spray can - a retro lamp with a technogenic flavor is ready.

Drill holes in an old saucepan with a drill or fill a light bulb in an ordinary grater - you will create indescribable lighting effects

Do not rush to throw away your grandmother's services in creepy roses with a thin cobweb of small cracks - glue the saucer to the cup with super glue, drill a hole for the electrical wire - and the vintage lamp will become a true decoration of a nostalgic summer house or gazebo. Even an old tureen can be an excellent lampshade for a country kitchen - carefully make a hole in its bottom, thread an electric cord and secure the cartridge.

An old faience set that you inherited from your grandmother is perfectly modified into a retro lamp

We hope that interesting ideas , proposed by us will help some Plyushkins find a worthy justification for their craving for accumulating unnecessary things. Now they have the opportunity to breathe new life into old things by creating unusual lamps for their favorite garden.

With the right organization of the lighting of a country house or cottage, you can achieve such an effect that in the evening and at night your garden, paths and the entire area around will look even more beautiful than during the day.

All that is needed for this is to choose the appropriate models of lamps and lanterns that will fit perfectly into the landscape.

At the same time, they will look in it so harmoniously, as if they had grown together with trees, shrubs and surrounding plants.
To fully illuminate a medium-sized area with a house, you will need at least 30 lamps of various designs.

There are a huge number of varieties of street lighting lamps, but most often three types of them are used for country houses:

Let's look at the features of each of them, and also focus on what you should pay attention to when buying and installing them.

Decorative street lamps

This view is one of the first places in beauty and functionality. Here, unlike the same spotlights, designers have a richer choice.

Instead of a nondescript rectangle, you get an independent architectural structure that will decorate your site even during the day.

Consider several sizes of these lamps:

In the case of columns, these can be both small specimens no more than 40 cm high, and decent structures up to 2.5 meters.

By the way, it is not recommended to buy bollards of medium size, with the height of the lights at eye level. In this case, they will blind you when you pass by, and everything that is hidden behind them can be seen with difficulty.

You need to choose them in a color that will dissolve among the greenery of the landscape. They do not need to stand out with their bright colors.

Low columns are often supplied with “hats”, which are also reflectors.

Thanks to them, in the evening the light does not scatter around, but goes down and gently illuminates the paths and plants. If you do not need such illumination of the tracks, the hat can be removed and the lamp will immediately change its functionality.

You actually have two lamps in one. It is very comfortable.

By the way, landscape gardening sockets are very often placed in such low columns. They are protected against dust and moisture IP55.

1 of 3

They are very convenient to put on the street under the Christmas tree to connect the garlands and illumination.

They will not interfere in the recreation area, for recharging various gadgets.

How far apart should bollards be placed? You don't need to place them close to each other. Recommended distances in this case:

• 7-10 meters with a height of columns 1.0-1.2m

• for a lower height, the distance can be reduced

The main thing at the same time is that the bends of the tracks are emphasized by these lamps. Accordingly, they will have to be placed at the nearest turns and corners.

And also in those places where there are height differences or steps.

Hangers and sconces, it is more customary to install them on the facades of houses, gazebos, etc. They use the usual pear-shaped lamps or candle-shaped bulbs as light sources.

It is rare to find some kind of LED panels, rulers, etc. here. Bulbs can be either ordinary - incandescent, or energy-saving, or LED.

What should you pay attention to when buying and choosing this or that decorative lamp or lamppost? First, the operating temperature.

Good old incandescent lamps can be used at any time of the year, both in summer and winter. But energy savers no longer like negative temperatures.

They will glow, but their brightness will drop significantly. Yes, and the service life will change for the worse. For LED light sources, everything will depend on the build quality and the manufacturer.

Secondly, it is the level of moisture protection. For streets, it must be at least IP44 and above.

If you have a model that does not meet this parameter, then place it only under cover or a canopy. You can hide such a suspension or sconce under the porch.

Do not forget that all such decorative models need to be powered in some way. Those lamps that are placed on the elements of the facade of the building cause less labor costs for their connection.

But the beautiful lampposts in the middle of the site will require painstaking and heavy earthworks with the installation of mortgages, pulling cables, etc.

At present, in addition to the old proven lamps with E27 cartridges for replaceable light bulbs, new models with LEDs built into the housing have begun to be widely used.

They have a long service life - more than 20,000 hours. Thus, you will be relieved of the need for periodic replacement of lamps.

However, such models should be connected using all types of protection - from overcurrents, leakages and short circuits, to voltage surges.

Otherwise, during a thunderstorm and lightning, due to a pulsed increased voltage, such lights will fail all at once. And it’s not possible to do here by simply replacing burned-out light bulbs.

Will have to re-buy exactly the same copies. Plus, properly build all the protection on the SPD in your control room so that this does not happen again.

Searchlights

They are halogen, with the use of appropriate bulbs, or LED.

The main scope of spotlights:

• tree and shrub lighting

  1 of 4

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  In addition to the design function, they often play the role of security lighting and are placed around the perimeter of the entire territory on a fence or special posts.
  

  What should you pay attention to when choosing a projector? Everyone, of course, looks at the power and brightness of the lamp.

  But at the same time, they forget about such parameters as:

  • dispersion angle
  • degree of moisture protection

  Such spotlights give a bright light spot with sharply defined borders. This is not a lamppost that can diffuse light 360 degrees.
  

  Depending on the angle of dispersion, you will be able to illuminate a larger or smaller area in front of your house. Because of this alone, somewhere you may need two spotlights, and somewhere you can get by with one.

  At the same time, their power will be the same, and the installation height. The whole difference will be related only to the scattering angle.
  

  Therefore, under all the same conditions, try to choose models with large angles of illumination.

  In the case of highlighting the buildings themselves, you need to guess with the correct location of their location. You should never place a spotlight so that it shines directly into windows or balconies.
  

  Otherwise, going out to the loggia or just looking out the window, you will not see anything but the blinding light of your searchlights. All the beauty will be for the neighbors, but not for you.

  Also, do not place them exactly at the four corners of the site fence. At night, you will have an oppressive feeling of a zone, a closed space and isolation from the outside world.
  

  Almost all spotlights are equipped with moisture protection. But remember that for outdoor installation they must have a minimum of IP44.

  Check this in advance in the store so that you don’t have to build all sorts of makeshift visors and awnings later.
  

  LED spotlights use different types of LEDs. It can be:

  • COB matrix
  • matrix on SMD elements

  Choose any model. In terms of consumer qualities - price, power, light level, there are not so many differences between them.

  True, COB models heat up more, but it all depends on the manufacturer. And as long as you provide a good cooling pad, you won't have any problems.
  

  The average power of LED spotlights used for a country house is from ten to one hundred watts. In this sense, they are much more effective than all other types.
  

  For example, the brightness of an LED lamp with a power of 20W corresponds to the brightness of a halogen spotlight of 150W. At the same time, their heat dissipation is several times less, which means that they can be mounted in much larger places.

  There are varieties of spotlights, in which motion sensors are immediately mounted in the body. You do not have to purchase them as separate components, and there will be no problems with connecting and supplying power wires.
  

  The use of built-in motion sensors will significantly reduce the cost of electricity and cable footage.

  By the way, spotlights are also for installation directly into the ground.
  

  They are fixed on a kind of peg that can be stuck anywhere.

  

  Such sources are used to illuminate shrubs, flowers and trees.
  

  Solar lamps

  This type of street lighting can be:

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Their work time usually does not exceed 8 hours, or even less. Therefore, it is better to use them in conjunction with motion sensors. External or built-in.
  

  Thanks to the LEDs, the backlight from them can be made not only white, but also multi-colored.

  Just don't neglect red and purple. They do not go well with greens.
  

  Such illumination in the form of decorative figurines is also widespread.
  

  Such interior elements will not only provide lighting for the paths, but also decorate the surrounding landscape in the daytime.
  

  Don't want to buy big spotlights and run wires to them? Please, there are models for solar charging with a built-in battery, which, in form and functionality, are designed to replace similar 220V lamps.
  

  Their main advantage, in addition to the lack of a web of wires for connection, is the built-in motion sensor.

  You can mount such a model on any surface, as long as direct sunlight gets there during the day for recharging. You can order them from the Chinese at very humane prices.

  It would seem that "solar" lamps have a lot of advantages, so you need to choose them and not bother with wires, switching equipment, wiring diagrams, etc. However, firstly, you will never achieve such a level of illumination from them as from full-fledged 220V models.
  

  And secondly, they do not like to work at negative ambient temperatures. There is no talk of any 8 hours here.

  God grant that the battery is enough for at least a couple of hours of full-fledged light. And even then, a lot will depend on how many degrees overboard -5 or -25C.

  Thirdly, they are not recommended to be installed in shady places or under branchy trees. As you understand, with a lack of sun, they simply will not charge to the desired level.
  

  And there may be plenty of such places in the garden. Therefore, when choosing street lamps for a country house, calculate in advance and familiarize yourself with all their positive and negative aspects of operation.

  It may turn out that in the long term, it is much more profitable to invest in underground electrical wiring, with the installation of a complex and branched power circuit, than subsequently every year, to change individual elements of lamps, or to buy them completely new.

Many people put this aspect in the background, after finishing and repairing. However, as practice shows, this conclusion is incorrect. In this article we will figure out how to organize the lighting of a summer cottage.

Reference

To plan any construction procedure, it is necessary to obtain the necessary knowledge. Only then can they be successfully implemented in practice. We understand this very well, so first of all we will analyze some theoretical aspects ().

Lighting

First, let's talk about what light sources can be:

• incandescent lamp(everyone knows the light bulb "Ilyich"). The price of such a device is the lowest, however, it consumes a large amount of electricity. In addition, it cannot create a pleasant atmosphere, so we do not recommend using this device.
• Energy saving lamp. It costs more, but at the same time it is much more modest in “appetites” and has a very long service life. With its help, you can perfectly decorate, for example, the lighting of the veranda in the country.

• Light-emitting diode. Undoubtedly, it looks like a more rational option compared to the previous two. Firstly, significant savings, and secondly, the widest decorative possibilities.

Note! Solar-powered lamps stand out among the lighting devices for the summer cottage. They are an excellent solution if you want to create lighting for a summer house without electricity.

Form

Above, we examined the varieties regarding the energy source used. However, fixtures can be divided according to the method of fastening.

In particular, there may be such options:

• Wall. Great for decorating entrance doors and general lighting of the building. They are very compact and versatile.
• Floor lamps (mounted on a support). They have an unusually large number of variations, so their scope is wide. However, most often such devices are used to decorate alleys, arbors and paths.

Tip: try to give preference to natural glass shades. In this case, the light will turn out to be more pleasant, creating comfort.

In this photo you can see how the garden path is decorated.

• Ground (mounted directly into the ground or along the roadside). They give light from top to bottom, which creates a stunning effect. With their help, create lighting paths in the country.
• Suspended (mounted in much the same way as chandeliers). The scope of their application is almost limitless.

Regardless of the chosen category, you must follow the basic requirements for any lighting fixtures:

• Increased resistance to aggressive environmental conditions (precipitation, high moisture, temperature changes).
• Safety. In particular, they must have a protective mechanism that prevents an explosion (scattered fragments can cause injury).
• Resistance of material from high (low) temperatures and high humidity.
• Ease of installation. If you started to implement lighting in the country with your own hands, then this aspect should be of very serious importance.

Let's move from theory to practice. In particular, we decided to consider some useful practical tips on how to independently implement lighting in a summer cottage. We will reveal the options for making lamps from the simplest materials at hand.

Second life for a glass bottle or jar

Such a product, for sure, can be found in everyone. However, many people do not realize to use it for decorative purposes.

We suggest doing the following:

• Find a fancy-shaped or colored bottle.
• Fill its bottom with some small multi-colored elements (shards, glasses, balls, beads, etc.). These elements will reflect the light.
• Then take a multi-colored wire, wind it around your finger, so that you end up with a kind of spiral. We put them in a container.
• At the end, you need to install a flashlight. You can fix it with glue or sealant.

You can also add an old garland to the bottom. She will create an unusually pretty look.

Remains of building materials

Now let's look at how to make street lighting poles for a summer residence from the remnants of building materials. In almost every house you can find them: it can be excess cement, siding, slate, etc. In most cases, they are thrown away, but we will tell you what can be made from them.

Let's consider several options:

• Steel pipe. It will need to be cleaned, painted with the appropriate varnish. From above we install some kind of lighting device, and we throw the wires inside the pipe itself.
• Cement. With it, you can mold a kind of column or baluster. To do this, it will be necessary to make a mold from metal (for example, the same pipe).
• Professional sheet. From it you can make pillars of various shapes. To do this, it needs to be bent in certain places and connected with special fasteners.

Also, old boards, siding, etc. can be used. The main thing is to show imagination and the result will not keep you waiting.

Tin can - an exclusive facade decor element

After drinking a can of beer or soda, almost every one of us throws out this tin. But only a few know that it can be put into action and create a very attractive lamp.

Let's look at exactly how:

• We draw some kind of sketch on paper (it is desirable that it does not turn out too complicated).
• Then we place a piece of wood of a suitable shape in a jar in order to prevent its deformation.
• Now we attach a sheet of paper with a pattern to the jar and make equidistant holes along its lines.
• We take out a piece of wood, install a light bulb inside and seal all the resulting cracks.

A few words about alternative energy sources

Recently, solar-powered lighting has become very popular. However, still the lion's share of us knows little about him. Understanding this, we decided to reveal its main subtleties.

First of all, let's reveal its key advantages:

• Huge savings. Such lamps do not consume electricity, which reduces the cost of their maintenance to zero.

• Possibility of dismantling. If you suddenly need to move, then they can be easily removed and installed in a new place.
• There is no need to make eyeliner for each element. This saves a lot of time and effort.
• Long service life.

Tip: manufacturers give a guarantee of an average of 10 years. After this period, you will need to change the battery.

• Very soft and pleasant light.
• Most models are equipped with special relays that turn on when it gets dark. This means that you no longer have to run around the yard at dusk.
• Absolutely not afraid of sharp temperatures.

Unfortunately, even such an attractive at first glance, the product has its drawbacks.

• High cost, as this technology is innovative. On average, for a high-quality and sufficiently powerful product, you will have to pay 3-5 thousand rubles.
• In inexpensive models, LEDs are often very weak. As a result, you will get a blurry spot, and not the expected decorative lighting.
• Nickel-cadmium batteries, which are used in them, must be properly disposed of. Often this causes serious problems for a person.

• At extremely low temperatures, they will be discharged several times faster.
• According to the instructions, they need direct sunlight for 6 hours. Therefore, you can not install them anywhere. In addition, in many regions of our country they become useless in winter and autumn.

That's all. Whether or not to purchase such a product is up to you. We only gave objective information on this matter.

Finally

Well, that's all, now you know how you can make lighting a summer cottage with your own hands. However, if you did not manage to understand all the subtleties, then do not worry ().

In the video presented in this article, you will find additional information on this topic, which will help you understand everything.

Private Garden at Sunset, Autumn

Disclaimer:
I don't know much about electrics, so I'll write as I understood it. If you want to do something similar, it is better to call an electrician or read the relevant literature.

Low Voltage Lighting Solution:
So, it's dark. I decided to put garden lanterns because the lanterns from the sun do not really shine and they last for 1 season. I bought garden lamps for 220 volts. (I did not find 12 volts). At first I thought to run it at 220v, but after reading the GOST and the cable laying standards for 220, as well as after consulting with an electrician, I abandoned this idea. Firstly, if you put 220v into the ground incorrectly, you can get an electric shock. Secondly, if someone forgets that there is a cable and digs, there will be an akhtung. Thirdly, I thought that if all the same I do something wrong and someone is shocked, I will not forgive myself for this. Therefore, it was decided to make a low-voltage lighting system.

Work process:
1) Calculations
a) Formula from physics P \u003d I * U (power (watts) \u003d current (amps) * voltage (volts);
b) I decided to put 3 lights with halogen lamps of 20 watts (in the future I may switch to LEDs "corn" of 2 watts). Accordingly, the power of the lamps is 20 + 20 + 20 \u003d 60 watts
(+) the ability to expand, if necessary, a couple of three lamps - another 60 watts
(+) wire losses. For the loss, I took the table of heating losses in the wires, for a cross section of 0.5. = Resistance is about 0.02 ohms per 1 m of length. For me, the length of up to 3 of his lanterns turned out to be about 20 meters - which means there and back 40 meters. 40 * 0.02 = 0.8 ohm.
=Now we consider the current passing through the cable. P \u003d I * U, 60 \u003d I * 12 volts, I \u003d 60/12 \u003d 5 amps.
\u003d Voltage loss in the wires U \u003d I * R, U \u003d 5 * 0.8 \u003d 4 volts.
=Then power loss P = I*U, P=5*4=20 watts.
= It turned out that the stock should be taken about 20 watts. That is, the total total power is 60 + 60 + 20 \u003d 140 watts. I made a reserve for everyone and bought 150 watts.

2) Blanks
Since the lights are designed for 220, then the cartridges are there for e27 socles. Honestly - I did not find e27 flashlights for 12 volts anywhere. Therefore, I remade the cartridge for G4. G4 adapters can be bought either at the radio market or at OBI. (radio market - 1 piece = 30 rubles; OBI 2 pieces (1 pack) = 210 rubles).

3) Work
I drilled holes in the house for a corrugated pipe. I pulled the cable through the corrugated pipe - a separate hassle. He stretched a cable with a corrugated pipe under the house and led it into the ground. I dug and laid the cable into the ground. I dug squares for the lights. He poured cement, brought out the corrugated pipe and inserted wooden dies. Connect the wires in parallel to the next lamp. In a week (so much cement gets cold). Attached lights. The lanterns lit up.

4) ERRORS
a) I originally bought a UNIEL transformer for 210 watts = 220 (~) - 12 (~). This marking is for variable 220 to variable 12 (for halogen lamps). For some reason, such a transformer could not be checked with a tester = (see photo) and most importantly at a distance of 5-7 meters from the transformer. the lamps stop glowing. I solved the problem like this - I bought a transformer 220 (~) - 12 DC (direct current there is a line like this and three dashes at the bottom) the manufacturer is also UNIEL, but I think others can also. The new transformer has adj (adjustment), by turning which you can set the desired voltage. This helps, you can adjust the brightness due to voltage, since there is a loss of voltage on the wires (in fact, it turned out to be around 1 volt and not 5 as in the calculations - I probably didn’t count something correctly). The advantage of the DC transformer is that at a distance of 20 meters there is an acceptable glow. Yes, it is lower than on the 1st lamp, but not critical. (see photo).
b) Initially, I poured concrete into the level with the ground and when it rained, the water flooded the lantern. Therefore, I had to make spacers from concrete blocks.

To implement the project you will need:

1) Tools
a) Watch screwdrivers - 1 set;
b) Knife blade - 1pc;
c) Spatula - 1 piece
d) Screwdriver - 1 pc.
e) Tool for mixing cement - 1 pc.
f) Drills for holes for corrugated pipe

2) Materials
a) Garden and park lights - the required number
b) Wires 0.5 - required length
c) Sand concrete - 1 bag (25 kg)
d) Corrugated pipe - required length
e) Transformer 220 - 12 AC / DC with UNIEL regulation (as in the photo)
f) Junction boxes - required quantity
g) Crackers - the required number (constantly run out better a lot)
h) Switch - 1 pc.
i) Bucket for cement - 1 pc.
j) Water - necessary for cement
l) Wooden dies - quantity required
m) Screws
m) Insulating tape - 1 pc.
o) Adapter G4 - number of lamps
o) Holders for corrugated pipe

Do-it-yourself street lighting installation is a complex of labor-intensive activities that even a novice electrician can do.

Main installation steps:

1. Workplace preparation
2. Wiring method definitions
3. Selection of street lamps
4. Calculation of the cable and other elements
5. Schema creation
6. Installation of lampposts
7. Connecting light sources
8. Automation installation

To begin with, we will consider the main types of lamps, supporting structures and methods of laying wires, after which we will provide you with detailed instructions on how to make street lighting in a private house or in the country with your own hands.

It is important to know

What is the lighting like?

Today, outdoor lighting can perform decorative and technical functions.

As for the types of street lamps, we recommend giving preference to the following products:

• illumination of garden paths - solar-powered lanterns;
• porch of the house - lanterns on brackets installed on the front side of the building;
• fencing - light from lanterns on poles;
• in the garden - decorative lanterns on legs and in the form of garden figurines.

Step 3 - Creating the Schema

After determining the number and type of fixtures, it is necessary to make a street lighting scheme at their summer cottage. To do this, it is best to use the cottage plan, which indicates the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe yard, all garden buildings and communications. All that is needed is to photocopy the plan and apply your scheme to the copy.

• should be carried out at a depth of 0.7 meters. Moreover, the distance from the buildings should be 0.6 m; from the pipeline - 0.5 m; from parallel cables - at least 0.3 m (preferably 0.5 m).
• Aerial cable laying should be carried out at a height of 6 m from the carriageway and 3 m from garden paths.
• The light from street lamps should not “hit” through the windows and enter the territory of the neighbors (suddenly they will be against it).
• The lighting radii should not intersect at several lamps, it is better to move them a little apart so as not to overpay money for electricity in vain.
• It is best to use LED lamps, they are more durable and do not harm the environment too much. In addition, they have high efficiency and light output.
• All light switches must be connected in places protected from precipitation. If this does not work, protect the product outside with a plastic container.
• Try to use copper wires, they are not so prone to mechanical damage.
• Required for all lighting fixtures.

Step 4 - Installing the supports

First you need to install street lighting poles. If they are represented by wall structures, drill holes in the wall for the anchor and fasten the support.

Please note that the installation of supports must be carried out using the building level. Any misalignment can adversely affect the efficiency and durability of area lighting.

For the installation of vertical poles for lanterns, it is necessary to fill the foundation. To do this, a well breaks out (with the help of a rotator), sand is poured to the bottom and carefully compacted. Next, a wooden formwork is installed, inside of which a plastic pipe is placed (it will leave a hole in order to lead an underground cable to the lamp through the foundation). The ends of the pipe are sealed so that the solution does not get inside. The formwork is poured with concrete mortar, and until it has hardened, an anchor is installed strictly vertically in the center for fastening the column. When the cement is fully set, you can move on to installing the support and installing street lighting fixtures.

Step 5 - Connecting Lights

Approaching the final part, it is necessary to install lamps on poles, connect them to the electrical wiring, and also where necessary. Best of all with the help of terminals, which must be insulated with a heat shrink tube or other waterproofing product. When all the fixtures are installed in their places, a control check of all connections, zero resistance with phase and power on is carried out. In theory, everything should work out and by the evening you will be able to enjoy your work. As you can see, making street lighting with your own hands is quite realistic and not very difficult.

Do you need automation?

Automatic control of street lighting is increasingly being used in private homes and summer cottages. This is not only convenient, but also allows you to significantly save energy. With manual control, as a rule, in the evening you turn on the light on the street, and when you wake up, turn it off. At the same time, all night long, the lanterns are used only to scare ill-wishers away from the dacha.

To date, automatic photorelays - light sensors - are also popular. These devices allow you to turn on the light when moving within the range of the sensor, as well as when it gets dark. In simple words, if no one enters the yard, the sensor will not work. When motion is detected, the lights throughout the area will turn on. So you can control the safety on the site and at the same time save electricity. turns on when it gets dark. Again, very convenient, because if you leave a private house, the light will automatically turn on and off.

That's all I wanted to tell you about how to make street lighting with your own hands. We hope that the provided step-by-step instructions were useful and new for you.

Related content: