Of all the homebuyers in the market, people who choose to build their homes from the ground up are the only ones who will actually invest their money and other resources to make sure their home is truly special.
But as a custom-home owner, after choosing to wait longer to get your dream home, the last thing you want is for that home to not do everything you expect it to. This can happen when you don’t pay attention to one of the seemingly minor aspects of custom home design.
When designing a custom home, your focus is typically on features like floor-to-ceiling windows, a decked-out kitchen, abundant storage, ample room for entertainment, personalized countertops, high ceilings, an outdoor pool, and more.
In the bustle of building your home, it is easy to overlook something as vital as how you will light the house. Lighting systems are often treated as an afterthought, which is why the lighting systems in many custom homes differ from the rest of the house, explains Real Canadian Property Management.
Since the lighting was not intentionally designed with the home’s unique needs in mind, it doesn’t do justice to the home’s standout features. A custom home needs custom lighting. The lighting must include the four layers of lighting required in any home:
- Ambient lighting: General lighting that serves as the main source of lighting in rooms. Ambient lights include natural lighting as well as artificial lighting.
- Accent lighting: For the imparting character to rooms or an area. Accent lighting highlights specific areas of the home or draws attention to objects.
- Decorative lighting: These are décor that doubles as lighting. They beautify the room or area more than they provide illumination.
- Task lighting: Used to light up workspaces and brighten areas of the home when they are being used. Examples include pantry lights and under-cabinet lighting.
In addition to these four layers of lighting, a custom home will often have its own particular lighting needs. These will be determined by the features designed for the home and how you want your home to look.
Common features that influence custom home lighting systems
1. Home automation
In all probability, the home will be partly or entirely automated. Home automation – controlling and monitoring the home remotely – is one way to set a custom home apart from other homes. But smart home lighting systems are different; the home must be purposely wired to make automation work flawlessly.
2. Energy efficiency
Building a custom home lets you avoid the pain of retrofitting an old house for energy efficiency. You can incorporate energy efficiency from the get-go. But the type of lighting and the placement of lighting fixtures is a key parts of the design that you must consider early on.
3. Exterior lighting
Lighting up the home’s exterior should be approached the same way you approach lighting a painting. How detailed the exterior lighting is, in terms of types of lighting, their position, color, and intensity, determine how appealing the final effect will be.
4. Landscape Lighting
Landscaping will be a focal point of attention during design. It is a huge part of what gives your custom home its identity. Whether you have an outdoor kitchen, custom pool, or sports area, how you light it determines how evocative the scenes will be and how many hours you can use it after sunset.
5. Lighting for safety and security
Well-placed motion-activated lighting enhances outdoor safety and security. The lighting should make navigating your property easy and safe for residents or legitimate visitors. It should make it impossible for human and animal intruders to disguise their presence.
Making your lighting system work
Although the lighting system should be planned at the inception of the design, the actual installation comes toward the tail end of the project. However, there is an aspect of lighting that comes a lot earlier: the electrical wiring for your lighting system.
The electrical wiring is the veins and nerves that give the lighting system its ability to function as expected. The design and construction of the electrical systems are the foundation of the entire lighting system. The wiring must be robust and made to order for the custom home.
It must include capabilities to support the home’s immediate and future lighting needs. You should not need major renovations to extend the functionality of the lighting system. But to design this kind of wiring, you need an electrical contractor who understands custom homes.
If you are building your custom home in Toronto, Richmond Hill & Vaughan environs, you will want to talk to Hotwire Electric. Hotwire Electric has 20 years of experience in the industry and has won multiple awards on Homestars, Houzz, Top Choice Awards, and more.
Our company has in-depth knowledge to help you explore the best lighting options for your custom home. Our quality workmen will masterfully execute the most complex of projects. We will work with you from the very early stages of design all the way to the final implementation.
