A lighting upgrade turns a new deck, patio, or pergola into a space that comes to life after sunset
By Jeff Showman, Owner, Showman Hardscapes | Licensed Electrician (PA #078247)
If you’re like most homeowners I work with, lighting is the last thing you think of when considering a deck, pergola, or outdoor kitchen. My message is simple: let’s talk about lighting before the build. Even if you decide to put it off for now, knowing your options upfront is something you’ll thank me for.
When lighting is designed into a project instead of being an add-on with no previous prep or consideration, it ends up costing less, looking cleaner, and being more useful for the purpose. It’s the one upgrade that gives you something none of the others can deliver on their own — wonderful evenings outdoors!
The Add-On Most People Plan Last
Most homeowners build their project around the big ideas. They decide on the deck, the size of the patio, whether there’s a pergola, or make of the new grill. Lighting is almost always an afterthought. It’s something to figure out once the “real” decisions are made.
I understand why. Lighting feels like a finishing touch. It’s somewhere between new throw pillows for the couch and what color the planters should be. But it isn’t a finishing touch at all, and in my mind the reason why is important.
It’s infrastructure.
Think about it. The wiring that carries power has to live inside your new outdoor space — under the deck boards, beneath the patio base, up through the pergola posts. And the only easy time to put it there is while those things are still open.
That’s why I ask homeowners to think about lighting on day one, not next year. Not because you have to install all of it now, but because planning for it now keeps every option on the table later.
Why “Designed In” Beats “Added Later”
When we design lighting into your build from the start, the wiring disappears into the project. We run conduit while the deck framing is open. We set low-voltage wire under the patio base before a single paver goes down. We pull lighting runs up through pergola posts before they’re ever stood in the ground. When the project is finished, you see the light and never the wire.
Lighting added after the fact is a different story. Now we’re drilling into finished surfaces, running conduit along the outside of posts and joists, and patching decking or masonry that was never meant to come back apart. It costs more in labor, and it never looks as clean.
A retrofit always looks like a retrofit.
Designed in from the start, lighting costs less and looks better. Added on later, it costs more and looks like an add-on.
One Crew, One License, No Subcontractors
Here’s where a Showman project is different too. We don’t have to rely on an electrical subcontractor who doesn’t know our methods, our rhythm, and isn’t working on our schedule. I’m a licensed Pennsylvania electrician (PA #078247), and the lighting on your project is designed, wired, and installed by the same crew that builds the structure it lights. We don’t hand the electrical off to an outside contractor.
That matters for three reasons. There’s no marked-up subcontractor labor on your invoice. There’s no scheduling gap where the build sits and waits for an electrician to show up. And there’s no risk of a sub showing up after the fact and drilling through finished work to chase a wire. The trade that builds it is the trade that lights it. You can read more about how we approach this on our Outdoor Lighting page.
What Integrated Lighting Looks Like on a Real Project
Integrated lighting isn’t one fixture. It’s a handful of small, well-placed elements that work together. The ones I recommend most often:
- Stair and step lights. Recessed into risers or tucked under treads, these are a safety feature first: they prevent the missed-step stumbles that happen on a dark deck after a get-together. And they are absolutely beautiful.
- Post-cap and railing lights. These trace the edge of a deck or patio so your eye finds the perimeter from across the yard, and they give the railing a finished, architectural look. See our Decks and More page for how this fits a new build.
- Overhead lighting on a pergola. String or pendant lighting under a pergola turns an open platform into something that feels like an outdoor room. We run the wiring through the posts during framing, so there are no extension cords and no surface-mounted conduit. Our Pergolas give you more info.
- Task lighting at the grill and bar. If you’re cooking outside, you need to see what you’re cooking. Targeted light over the grill, the prep counter, and the bar makes an outdoor kitchen work after dark.
- Accent lighting around a fire feature. A few low-voltage fixtures around a fire pit or fireplace define the gathering area without washing out the glow of the fire itself. See our Fire Pits & Fireplaces
- Pathway and walkway lighting. Soft light along the steps and walkways guides guests in and ties the new space to the rest of the property.
On most projects we use Kichler outdoor lighting, along with Special Lite products. Both are built to handle Western Pennsylvania weather and to last for decades.
Endless Evenings — More Hours, More Seasons, More Value
Here’s the part homeowners feel the most once the project is done. Lighting is what keeps your new space open.
A deck or patio without lighting is a daylight-only space. The sun sets, and everyone moves back inside. Add the right lighting, and the same space stays in use for the whole evening: dinner, conversation, a quiet hour after the kids are down. It stretches the calendar, too. On cool spring and fall evenings in Western PA, a lit, comfortable space invites you out when an unlit one would sit empty.
Last month we wrote that a deck is a room you add to your home. Lighting is what keeps that room open after dark. It’s the difference between square footage you use six hours a day and square footage you use sixteen.
That usability is also where the value lives. The NAR/NARI Remodeling Impact Report on outdoor features consistently ranks outdoor lighting and outdoor living projects among the upgrades homeowners are happiest with (and that home buyers respond to). Walking a property at dusk, they notice the difference between a dark backyard and one that glows. A well-lit outdoor space reads as finished, cared-for, and ready to enjoy. That impression carries real weight at resale.
“Jeff just finished an extensive backyard project for us — a large paver patio, gazebo, natural gas fire pit, seating wall, and patio steps, with pillar lights and lighting for the steps, gazebo, and wall. Jeff and his team did an amazing job. He does artistic, individualistic, not ‘stamped-out’ work at a more than fair price. You will not be disappointed by hiring Jeff!”
— James Sinwell, Google Review
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I add outdoor lighting when I build a new deck or patio?
Yes. And the best time to decide is before construction starts, not after. The wiring for outdoor lighting runs inside the structure, so it’s far easier and cleaner to install while the deck framing is open or the patio base is being prepared. You don’t have to install every fixture on day one, but planning the lighting into the project keeps every option available later without tearing anything up.
Does outdoor lighting add value to a home?
It does, in two ways. Day to day, it adds usable hours, because a lit outdoor space gets used in the evenings and across the cooler shoulder seasons, when an unlit one sits empty. At resale, buyers consistently respond to outdoor spaces that look finished and ready to enjoy after dark. Outdoor living improvements rank among the projects homeowners are happiest with, and lighting is a big part of why.
Is it cheaper to install outdoor lighting during construction or after?
During construction, almost always. When we run wiring while the structure is still open, the labor is straightforward and nothing has to be opened back up. Adding the same lighting to a finished deck or patio means drilling, surface-mounted conduit, and patchwork. It’s more expensive labor, and a result that rarely looks as clean as lighting that was designed in from the start.
What kind of outdoor lighting works best for a deck or patio?
It depends on how you use the space, but a few elements show up on almost every project: stair and step lights for safety, post-cap or railing lights to define the edge, overhead lighting under a pergola, task lighting at a grill or bar, and soft accent lighting around a fire feature. The goal is layered, low-voltage light that’s warm and inviting rather than a single bright floodlight.
Do I need a licensed electrician to install outdoor lighting?
For low-voltage landscape lighting, much of the work doesn’t require a separate permit, but it still needs to be installed correctly and to code. Because I’m a licensed Pennsylvania electrician (PA #078247), the lighting on a Showman project is designed and installed by our own crew — no subcontractors, no marked-up labor, and no one drilling through finished work after the fact.
Ready to Plan a Space You’ll Use After Dark?
If you’re planning a deck, patio, pergola, or outdoor kitchen in Westmoreland or Allegheny County this year, the most useful thing you can do is decide on the lighting before the build begins. We’ve been designing and installing outdoor lighting across Western Pennsylvania since 1997, and a first conversation costs nothing.
Call: (724) 523-8422
Email: info@showmanhardscapes.com
Request a Consultation: https://www.showmanhardscapes.com/get-a-quote/
