Our exterior light situation is a little ho-hum, as evidenced by this tiny fixture outside the back door on our garage (don’t mind the grimy green brick that’s screaming out for some scrubbing).
And yes, I realize the door itself is looking a little rough. It originally sported a rusty, loudly-banging storm door (not just a medium bang, this was SCARE-YOUR-NEIGHBORS LOUD) that we removed. So we’re getting ready to repair some of the trim and prime/paint it white to match the door in the sunroom veranda that we already updated.
But let’s turn our attention back to the light. It was too small and very weather-worn, so we decided it was time to make an upgrade. Choosing the fixture to upgrade it with proved a bit more challenging than we expected. Maybe because we’re not really used to shopping for them. I think we might have bought three exterior lights in the course of seven years. So after hitting up a local outlet and some big box stores without anything screaming “I’m perfect!” at us, Sherry took the hunt to a few online sites to see what she could come up with. After about an hour of clicking around (and waaaay too many windows being open at the same time which led to not one, but two browser crashes) there were eight contenders:
- Black lantern $69 here (inspired by the ones here)
- Seeded glass lantern $75 here
- Outdoor wall lantern $87 here
- X-Lantern $37 here
- Bronze cross-cross sconce $35 here
- Bronze lantern $79 here
- Antique copper wall light $219 here (purely just for eye candy, since it’s way above our budget)
- Bronze lantern $117 here
Making that mood board didn’t give us a eureka moment either. But what did was strolling through the lighting aisle at Home Depot and Lowe’s again, and discovering that Option #1 had gone on sale (down to $59). It had been my favorite all along anyways (Sherry was really into #6, but it was significantly smaller) and my argument for #1 was that we were looking for something large and in charge, and it was the second biggest of the bunch while also being among the three most affordable ones in the roundup. Sherry gave me one of those “hold on I’m thinking” faces and then said “ok, let’s do it.” And into our cart it went.
Installation was just like installing any other fixture:
- Step 1: Turn off the power
- Step 2: Remove the old one after staring at the wires to see how they’re connected (or even grabbing a photo of them with your phone if it’s your first light-switching job)
- Step 3: Connect the new one to the same wires the old one had been connected to
- Step 4: Tuck all of the wires into the backplate and use the provided screws to adhere the light to the house
- Step 5: Turn the power back on and make sure the light is connected well and working correctly
So installation went nice and smoothly, and you can see from this photo that it’s a big improvement. Well, not the door. Or that green wall. But at least the light is no longer rusty and small.
You think I’m joking about the size difference, don’t you? Here’s a side-by-side with the old fixture so you can see just how much more substantial the new fixture is compared to the old one.
We personally like an outdoor fixture that has lots of visual presence, so this guy is doing the trick for us. Just imagine this with a freshly painted door and non-green bricks and a nice welcome mat and some plants on either side. I know… that’s a lot of imagining. We have a long way to go back here.
I like this shot the most, since it helps to show the size of the light, along with the traditional shape, which we think is pretty fitting with the exterior of our house (we’ve admired it on a lot of our neighbor’s homes, and also were inspired by this photo of an outdoor space with similar ones). At one point I suggested that we put them in The Artist Formerly Known As Prince The Veranda Formerly Known As The Sunroom (we’re looking for four sconces to go on the posts in there to provide some eye-level light) but after holding them up they didn’t look right – so we’re still on the hunt for what might work in there.
I’ll share just one more “after” photo of this guy because when I came out to take this picture I opened the door to find a herd of deer standing right outside. Of course they ran away at the sight of me.
But they didn’t go far and still make an appearance in the background of this picture.
Here they are, just giving me the ol’ deer staredown, when I stepped a little closer. If you’re on the edge of your seat for more of my stellar wildlife photography (or are just a fan of Where’s Waldo: Deer Edition) we’ve got this post on Young House Life for your deer-loving pleasure.
Sorry I keep getting sidetracked. Lights. We’re talking about lights. And obviously that back door isn’t our only outdoor fixture. We’ve got one more wall-mounted one above our garage. It was also looking a bit worse-for-wear and was also on the diminutive side.
So we purchased a second one to match the one we added to our backdoor. And… the results were a little less impressive.
Even though it felt nice to have a sparkly new light up there – and the ORB finish commanded a bit more attention than the rusty gold – the size wasn’t reading as much of an improvement between those two giant garage doors (we’ll be painting those black or charcoal if that helps you visualize where things are going). And yes, we have more green stuff to attend to on that concrete driveway pad. Yeehaw, I smell some power-washing in my future…
But back to the light.
It’s not terrible, but it’s not exactly what we were hoping for. It just looks kinda lost on that big brick wall with those big garage doors. And I’ll admit we’re feeling a little defeated because of all of the lights that Sherry mood-boarded, it was among the largest of them all (it’s about 19″ high, and the biggest – and most expensive – was only 20″). Update: We also have a pergola planned for over the double garage and we want to add shutters to all of the windows on the side and back of our house eventually (as seen on Listy McListerson) so those are things to consider for this side of the house too.
Part of us feels like we should just stick with this one for the time being and withhold judgement until we can do some other things to the garage side of the house (like the paint the doors). And the other half of us feels like we should just return it if we don’t love it there, and not settle for something that we might later end up regretting.
What do you guys think? Would you keep it or return it in the hopes of finding something better? Any tips for where else to look besides local lighting shops, Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Overstock?
Alex - Old Town Home says
I think the new one is definitely better than the old and would keep it if you think it can be the final light. However, there’s always the option to be a little more spendy and do a nice electric copper lantern. It would work wonderfully with the style and aesthetic of your house and it would patina wonderfully over time. We’re looking to change out our front light with a gas copper one from a company in NOLA. http://www.oldtownhome.com/2013/1/16/Gassing-Up-Our-Curb-Appeal-with-a-Copper-Gas-Lantern/
You could get in touch with them and see if they have anything that can work for your place. They’re all beautiful and classic designs.
Also, over the garage, I think it would balance it a lot more if you could install two more lights on either side of the doors.
Of all of the lights you have listed, I like #7 ($$$ I know) and the one you chose as it fits with the style of your house. Most of the others all would look more appropriate on houses that are not colonial.
Kathy says
I think the light is fine, especially looks better when lit…don’t pet the sweaty things, haha.
Elle says
I know this isn’t what you asked, but might I highly recommend a motion detecting light? We got ours from Home Depot and Lowe’s and switched all out all of our outside lights. It makes it SO much nicer when walking up to the house at night and I feel a bit of added security. Ours are around the size of your new lights and in the same price ballpark. Just a thought!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the ideas guys! We have a lot to think about! Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Rissa says
I replaced 4 outdoor lights last year and they just never looked right, i now know why, i should have used down facing lights, they all sit too high.
Liz E. says
We just installed the Same lights (but the pendant style) on our front porch. I love the clear glass. They looked great at night. We shopped for months and didnt wanted to spend over $100 for each. When we saw these at Lowes we knew they were perfect. They look great!
Julianne says
Your garage door area reminds me a lot of mine, except, mine is at the front and centre of my house, lol! I don’t know if you recall the photo I sent to you and you so very nicely helped me decide what to do with my 80’s wood panelled garage doors, but they look great. I mention this, because once I stained them the dark chocolate colour you suggested, things started coming together.
Like you, I have windows above the garage doors, but most of the wall is plain brick. A thought that may look nice for you, too, is to consider shutters for your window (and, or a flower box under the sill), move the sconce to the side (adding one on the other side for balance, of course), and place an address plaque right over where you fill the hole from where the original sconce was in the middle. So far we’ve done it all except the shutters/flower box and it’s coming together.
May be overkill for you because we’re trying to dress up the front of our house and not the side, but it would look so cute! Either way…what you’ve done so far looks nice, too! :0)
robyns says
Maybe see how much it would cost to wire in more lights? And add details to the doors once you settle on paint colors.
Laurie says
I’m not sure any light will look better because I think that area might be underlit in general. Maybe having the same light on either side of the garage doors will help (both visually and lightingly).
Also, I think you had planned on the awesome pergolas over the doors which will help that big ole wall visually.
Cair says
I think that is the wrong type of light fixture for that location. To me that kind of light fixture doesn’t work right when it is mounted above, it’s more like spotlights pointed downish would be more suited for lighting from that spot. So if you could find a cool down pointing fixture that’s what I would do.
What I really think would look great there is to remove that fixture all together and replace it with three fixtures, one on each side of the garage doors and one in the middle, about the height of the one you installed next to the man-door. It would give it a bit of a carriage house look.
Jackie & Denny says
I was thinking about outdoor lighting recently as well. Just ordered this guy last night from Golden Age USA.
http://www.goldenageusa.com/brushed-nickel-outdoor-wall-1-lights-9021ni
I really like this company because of the following:
1. I got 10% off for buying a Kichler light
2. Free shipping
3. No Tax (unless you live in FL)
4. And the best part is as you buy stuff you earn rewards points for more light / fan purchases. :-D
Hope this helps with future lighting purchases for you guys!
I found out about them from Katie Bower’s blog. Thanks Katie!
Amy says
I think that the light looks great but if you aren’t sold, it would almost be better to return it until you’re able to paint and power wash so that it’s fresh and you can make a final decision.
Crystal says
love the light in the back, not so much between the garage doors although I do think the stepped back pic looks a lot better than the close up pic. I would return it if your not in love with it. have you thought of maybe replacing it with a light that drops down from the connection point like #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 instead of rising up like #1, and 7? I’m thinking it might bring the focal point back down to the garage door part of the house instead of sticking the light up into no man’s land where you have the large expanse of brick, which might be making the light look even smaller.
Elizabeth says
It will require some electrical work, but my vote is to replace the one at the door with something that casts light downward, then use both lights on the garage, one over each door.
Denise says
First, can’t believe the amount of leaves on your driveway! You do have a driveway there don’t you lol?
OK, I think a combo for the whole garage area is in order:
shutters flanking the window so it’s not floating off by itself; definitely large lights on either side of the doors and perhaps one in the middle. Since you plan on this being your “forever” house, sometimes it’s better to bite the bullet and do it “right” the first time. While I like the light itself, in that total area it just looks too small and I don’t think it will offer the lighting you require.
YoungHouseLove says
You guys are awesome. Thanks so much for sharing all of the tips and suggestions!
xo
s
Kelli says
We have #4 in ORB- Lowe’s sold it a couple of years ago. It’s by the side door and there was a much larger version of the same light that we used by the 2 garage doors. We have one between and one on each side for a total of 3. It looks fantastic!
Jennifer S. says
Have you tried Lighting Universe? http://www.lightinguniverse.com
They have a large selection of all kinds of lighting fixtures but make sure you sort by price – otherwise you will fall in love with something and then find out that it costs $700. Ugh. I found a great matching set – one for our lamp post and one for the front of the house and they shipped them to Canada for free. All in, it cost me less than $200 for the two of them which felt like a lot at first but I am really happy with them and they are a huge improvement to our curb appeal over the mismatched ugly, too small ones that were there before!
Lisa says
Love that light!
Lisa says
We had coach lights flanking each side of our garage door. Loved them. With our new (old) house we just have a flood light in the middle above the door (don’t love). I have been wondering if it is possible to add coach lights on each side, but I have brick as well.
Sara says
I really love the look of #6 too, but I definitely agree that in your case bigger is better! Also, something to keep in mind, my family had one of the pretty hanging type of outdoor light near our front door growing up, and it made THE creepiest squeaking sounds when the wind blew! Like, straight out of a horror movie creepy.
Heather says
Other lighting: You can search really nice lighting on Houzz.com by style/price, etc. In the search box just put “mounted” or “wall mount” after you nail it down. Bellacor also has some nice options.
LisaV says
I think this light looks all wrong for the space. You need a fixture which shines the light down. Also, possibly two flood lights that you can spotlight each garage door. Wait for the right one, you two will come up with the perfect solution.
MikeLove says
John and Sherry,
I know you probably don’t like it when reader have suggestions. Although the choice of fixture was AMAZEBALL, I was disappointed in the placement of the fixture on top of the garage doors. I think it would have look fantastic on each side of the doors. I think it would make for a great DYI blog moment as well, being that that’s what I’m looking to do as well, but have no idea where to start. ;)
I’m at work and I don’t have a any fancy photo edit skills, but here’s my attempt.
YoungHouseLove says
We love reader suggestions! We actually solicited advice/suggestions right at the end of this post, so we really appreciate yours! We’d love that double light placement too, but we’re not sure how involved/pricey drilling through all of that brick could be (someone with siding might have a much easier go at it though)! We’ll have to look into it. Also since we’re planning a pergola down the line we don’t want to pay to move the lights and then have to move them again if they interfere with that plan, so we’ll have to think it through a bit more and see what makes the most sense!
xo
s
MikeLove says
Bethany says
I think you should keep the light and add two motion detector lights on the sides. It will fill in the space and provide lighting for the sides as well.
JenW says
I think the light is too high…it looks like it’s floating above the garage (and back door, IMO, but esp the garage) and seems disconnected. Adding two more at either end of the garage would help, I think…but I think more downward fixtures vs the upwards one you chose would look more cohesive over all.
Suzie says
Totally unrelated to the light (which I love by the way) I thought I would share a tidbit of deer info. We have somewhere around 678 BILLION deer in our neighborhood (roughly). We recently bought deer corn and spread it in our yard every evening. While the deer are eating, we put some corn in a plastic tub, quietly go out to our porch, and shake it so they get used to the sound…which they eventually equate with getting to eat some free corn (Pavlov anyone?). So now we have them trained…we go outside, shake the corn in the plastic tub, and they come running (literally running) to our yard. It’s so fun to watch…and I’m sure Clara would love it too. You should try it!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! That’s amazing! I don’t know if feeding the deer is encouraged in our neighborhood (they tend to eat people’s shrubs and some neighbors loathe that) but we love when they stop by. Clara’s so into them!
xo
s
Cf Betcher says
I would keep it and call it a “phase one” upgrade. It looks really pretty on.
Em says
It’s not the fixture that’s the problem, it’s the placement of the light that has to change. It’s up too high. I think it should either be lowered so it’s between the two doors (not above them) or else have two lights – one on either side of the garage doors. Since you guys are planning on doing a trellis over the doors down the road, you’ll probably have to move that light anyway.
Laura says
I say go ahead and return it. Even with the pergola, I think it’s a little on the small side and will look a little lost. (Just my 2 cents, whatever you guys end up deciding on, I know it will look great. I definitely trust your judgement.)
Adam says
Looks great. But are they black or ORB? You made a mention about it being ORB halfway down, but it says black at the top.
Also, what bulbs will you use? We have similar (albeit much older) lights by our front door that uses the same small incandescent light bulbs. The main problem aside from being energy suckers, is that they burn so hot they actually leave burn marks on the little candle stick holder part (which are plastic and replaceable on ours).
I finally found led versions, but they’re just expensive, especially when considering we’d need 6 total.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re right! I think they’re technically black but they’re sort of a brown black so they look a lot like ORB. For example, ORB hardware on the garage doors would totally work with these lights. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Heidi P. says
What if you add two more of those lights to the garage, one on the far right and one on the far left of the garage doors? Three might make it feel less lonely and a little more substantial, even though they wouldn’t be right next to each other. ??
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the ideas guys! We’re not sure how involved/pricey drilling through the brick for new lights on either side would be, and we’re not sure they’ll get in the way of our eventual pergola plan, so we might have to look into that and maybe do some photoshopping to try to picture things…
xo
s
Randi says
The light might be small, but any bigger and it might take over, so I think it’s OK.
I’m wondering why you didn’t go with a CFL or LED light bulbs?
Also, are these on timers or switches? I have a front outdoor light on a timer (which works ok), and back light on motion sensor (which does not work well). One is halogen, one CFL. And after Katie Bower’s influence my laundry room has an occupancy sensor! You are usually so thrity I figured you’ve taken that into account and I’d love to hear your perspective. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Ours are on switches, but we love LED and the idea of a sensor (we had one of those at our last house)! We eventually want the entire house to be run fully on LEDs, we just had these bulbs on hand and have to save up for LEDs since they can be a lot pricier!
xo
s
Jan says
The fixtures that came with our house are a lot like your old ones … I just hit them with Rustoleum ORB spray and they look as good as new … did three plus a bunch of doorknobs with one $7 can of paint ;-D
I like the new lights but the one on the back door is giving me the willies because the top doesn’t line up with the top of your door like the old one did. Sorry, I hang around with too many graphic designers! Three lamps at the garage might be overkill, and if your neighbors have bedroom windows facing your garage, they might not be too happy with a lot of wattage.
Josie says
Hey Youngsters. I too have a rusty, loudly-banging storm door and thinking of removing it after reading this post. Do you plan on replacing the storm door at some point in the future or leave as is. I am just trying to determine if I really need to keep the storm door. Thanks for your input.
YoungHouseLove says
Since it just leads to our garage, we weren’t leaving it open to let light in or anything, so because it had no function to us we just removed it.
xo
s
Helen D says
Love the new light fixture. Amazing how a seemingly little change can make such a big difference!
And I’m only mentioning it because its worked so well for us in the past, I hope you dont mind. About the green brick, can I suggest Wet It & Forget It? We got some at Costco, but I’m sure you could find it at Home Depot or somewhere else. It worked great on our home’s exterior green and brown stains. We don’t have a brick exterior, our’s is stucco, so you may want to verify that it’s safe for brick before you decide to buy.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip!
xo
s
Cathie says
Ok, I feel strongly about exterior lights! Where I live and work we require that all exterior lights be downward cast and shielded so that all light is directed down. Another commenter linked to Dark Sky and this is the same priniciple. The idea is to preserve the night sky so that you can see the stars! I also think the illumination is better and more attractive from a downward directed fixture.
Here’s a source for lights that I LOVE–http://www.barnlightelectric.com/wall-sconce-lighting/barn-wall-sconces/
And here’s some pinterest ideas to inspire–
http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=barn%20light%20garage
Sara says
What about something like this but maybe ORB?
http://www.houzz.com/photos/1321533/Country—Cottage-Budapest-12-quot–Wide-Galvanized-Outdoor-Wall-Light-traditional-outdoor-lighting-
By the way, I was so sad when you guys sold your second house. I loved it. But I’m totally enjoying following along with you as you make this house your house. We just bought our first home in April 2013 so I feel like I’m right there with you. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Sara! Thanks to everyone for sharing the links and tips! I’m totally taking notes over here!
xo
s
erin says
My mom has basically an identical garage door situation going on and she put a big huge ceramic barrel in the space in the middle. It makes SUCH a big difference and she changes out the plants per season (colorful mums in the fall, tall grasses in the spring and summer, and evergreens in the winter). Just an idea I thought I’d share :) It takes up a lot of the blank brick wall space.
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds really pretty!
xo
s
Katie says
Unfortunately, I agree with the other readers that suggested returning them. First is just the principle that if you don’t LOVE them it’s worth looking for something you do love. Second, I work for a lighting store and I cannot stand when people settle for lights that are less than stellar for their spaces. There are SO many manufacturers out there that offer “families” of fixtures that have multiple sizes available. Try looking at manufacturers like Kichler, Progress, Seagull, Hinkley, Murray Feiss, Quoizel and then go to a lighting store to get quotes. I can tell you that places like us (Denney Electric) are very competitive with their pricing and can usually beat out Amazon pricing. It is worth doing the research and consulting an actual lighting store to find a fixture you both really like. It is also good to note that your fixtures would probably look more balanced hanging below the junction box, not standing above the door frame and garage doors. You want the light the look like a package deal with the side door (and garage), like they belong with each other. And right now they just look disconnected because they are too high. The fixtures themselves are great! If only they were “hanging” down not standing up they would look much better.
I also agree that everything will look a lot more balanced once some potted plants, shutters and other accessories are involved.
Sorry for the terribly long comment…I can’t help it when lighting is involved! Thanks for taking the time to read it! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tips guys! Thanks again for taking the time to share them!
xo
s
Kristin F says
I don’t think you could go much bigger without it looking like some unnatural source of light. Your garage looks much wider than most two-door garages I’ve seen up close. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I would say you need to remove that single fixture and add two outlets either above each door or to the side of each door. With my preference being to the sides of each like carriage lights.
Amy says
I agree with Kelly from earlier.
Also, when we were building our house, we went to one of those fancy schmancy lighting places. The guy there recommended non clear glass for outside fixtures. The light is much softer and more diffused and not in your face when it is dark outside.
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting!
xo
s
Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate says
This kind of project can be categorized under “good enough.” No one will ever complement you on the light, but it will never catch anyone’s eye as less than enough. But that’s okay. If everything is the centerpiece, then there is no center.
It’s not your front door, so call it good and move along to what matters.
I have a joke blog idea called “The Inoffensive Decorator” where I blog about making things good enough.
http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2013/02/the-inoffensive-decorator-strikes-again/
And your outdoor lights? They’re good enough.
Katy
YoungHouseLove says
So funny Katy!
xo
s
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
I think that for the price, it’s worth it to keep it for the time being. When it’s turned on, it looks quite lovely!
Cassie says
What about something similar to these?
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/wyndmere-collection-antique-bronze-10-and-one-quarter-inch-high-wall-light__35328.html
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/barn-wall-urban-bronze-outdoor-wall-sconce__w4596.html
YoungHouseLove says
Alas, I can’t get John on board with any goose-necked/farmhouse style lamps since he thinks they don’t go with the style of our house.
xo
s
kati says
Totally agree with Kelly’s (and Lisa’s) comments. I think having a light by the back door that does not extend in height above the door frame will look much better and less out of balance. Of your contenders, I also think that the darker metals (black, dark ORB) might look better with your brick and shutters than the lighter metals (bronze and copper). Good luck!
Ellen says
I’ve spent a lot of time looking at lighting online too – it’s ridiculously hard to nail down what you want. Personally, I think you should go with a fixture that hangs down (over the garage) because that’s what the old one does and the new one goes up, which makes it look likes it’s up too high. Also, I’ve had two sets of fixtures now that use those candelabra bulbs and I will never have them again. The bulbs wear out way too fast and are really expensive and the LED alternatives don’t look good. Just my experience. I realize that makes it even harder to find what you want!
Hope says
Return and wait!!!! We didn’t and I hate the light above our garage! Also, something to consider, getting a light that shined the light downward, onto the door and driveway. Ours points upward, like the one you purchased, and it feels like there isn’t a light there at all sometimes b/c its all shining up towards the roof.
Good luck!
Lindsey d. says
Check out http://www.bevolo.com for gas and electric lights. They are family business in the New Orleans French Quarter that has been making amazing lights for nearly 70 years. My parents have a couple and they are worth it. More than 10 years in and looking great!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the tips and links everyone!
xo
s
jeannette says
if you really don’t like it after a couple of days, i’d return it while you still have the mojo working for you.
i think everything will be different when the garage doors are painted and the pergola goes up. then you’ll be able to make a real choice.
Bonnie says
I think I would keep it for now. It is still an improvement and wasn’t very expensive and it might be awhile before you can make those other improvements to that area.
Emily says
I think that for what you are describing you should return the light and pony up to move the wiring to be able to do something more fun/better over each garage door.
Would be fun and probably more useful as well. Especially after you put the pergola over the doors – will need more light than just that one source possibly.
Just a thought!
Robyn J. says
Looking at it from a planning for the future stand point, I would not keep the garage light. From the pictures, it looks as if the light and a pergola would crowd each other. I’d keep looking for something that may hang down or could be mounted between the heads of the garage doors so that it will not interfere with future plans. The light on the back is a great improvement thought and I am headed to check out the deer post because I love the Where’s Waldo Wildlife version!