Company highlights homes' architectural features

Roberts’ background lies in English and art. Working with his father in developing property sparked an interest in highlighting the architectural beauty of homes at night.

Where others see a darkened residence, Roberts sees an unused medium.

“I had the opportunity to work on developing some property with my father five or six years ago. So I had an interest in construction and building, but my primary interest is more directed towards aesthetics and things of that nature. So I did some research and sort of stumbled into lighting as an industry, so I started this business as an aesthetic approach to lighting as opposed to a security approach,” Roberts said.

Roberts noticed the lack of aesthetic lighting in Springfield because of a friend who worked in the field in Virginia.

“He kept telling me how successful it was, and I initially looked into purchasing a franchise. Through further research I learned that I could learn the trade through (outdoor lighting manufacturer) Nightscaping. About 80 percent of the fixtures that we use are Nightscaping … . To see that there was a need for this all you really had to do was to drive through any of the major subdivisions. You’ll notice that probably only 10 percent – maybe less – have outdoor lighting,” Roberts said.

The systems Roberts uses are designed to be cost effective and adaptable. Roberts said that most houses have a system in both the front and back of the house, which operate independently of one another.

“Each system has a transformer which controls that system. It has a photocell and a timer. The transformer sends electricity to all of the fixtures. Basically, it takes power from your house and converts it to 12 volts as opposed to 120,” he said.

Low-voltage systems such as the ones that Roberts installs mitigate the cost that would be accumulated by high voltage systems because the underground cables that power the low-voltage systems are not required to be enclosed in a conduit. They are also more versatile because they are safe to work with while they are on.

Highlighting architecture

All of the 130 homes that Creative Outdoor Lighting has lighted have been newer homes in the $300,000 price range.

“We approach our work as highlighting the architectural beauty of the home. A lot of the homes we work on have had a lot of attention paid to developing the outside of the home and the landscaping. Being able to enjoy these things at night with the right kind of lighting just doubles your pleasure. It doubles the value of your investment. We don’t want to just spray light over the front of your home like a commercial structure. We want to do it in a way that looks pleasing,” Roberts said.

Roberts, with his affinity for aesthetics, is able to assist homeowners with the design of their lighting systems.

“It is important for the homeowner ... to take a look at their landscaping and find features that are interesting to them in terms of shape. Also remember that not everything needs to have light on it – some things look better silhouetted with light behind it. It comes down to the design element of lighting, highlighting some things, shadowing some things, casting light through things to create shapes and patterns on the wall,” he said. Intuitive use of up-lighting and down-lighting achieves these affects on homes of varying architectural styles.

Ethridge was pleased with the work Roberts did on his lighting system.

“My system was in serious disrepair when I found him and we wanted to make some additions. It’s a rather large system and he just stayed with it once he started until it worked exactly right. Plus he did it in a manner of trying to keep my bill down,which I was impressed with. I have recommended him to friends since then and they have been just as impressed as I was,” Ethridge said. He was similarly impressed with Roberts’ professionalism.

“He’s a young entrepreneur who understands that he is building a business based on the quality of his work and the reputation he builds with that,” Ethridge said.

Costs

The cost of installation for Creative Outdoor Lighting’s systems runs about $1,500 to $2,000 per side of the house.

“That would be for just a typical, basic system with maybe eight to 10 lights. Very often though, once a homeowner establishes the basic system, they see areas that need more attention and want to refine what they have. It is not uncommon for the front of the home to run $2,500 once the homeowner refines what they want,” he said.

Company growth

Roberts said that Creative Outdoor Lighting will gross around $160,000 in revenues this year, and that the business has grown approximately 30 percent each year that it has been open. The company handles some Christmas lighting for both businesses and residences, but Roberts said that the company’s true specialty is aesthetic lighting.

“We uncover the hidden beauty of people’s homes. That pretty much sums up what we do. We show people something about their homes that they would not possibly be able to see during daylight.”