Whether you are thinking of putting your house on the market or just ready to spruce it up a bit, you need to think about the outdoor lighting fixtures. What style you choose and the placement you enact are important in determining the success of your home improvement project.

First, you need to decide what needs replacing. You can save yourself a bundle of money if you can simply swap out light fixture for light fixture and avoid the need for an electrician to come to your house. Do not take risks with your wiring; if you need to call in a professional, you should do so. Depending on the age of your house, the wiring could need an upgrade and only a certified professional electrician can help you. Often, especially with older homes, you will need to add lighting. Especially when we are talking about outdoor wall lights, in all likelihood you will need to add some. Houses built in the 50s, 60s and 70s are not nearly adequately illuminated on the outside. We have come a long way in designing effective outdoor lighting.

The outdoor sconce, once simply a fancy way to say porch light, is an essential feature in any quality lighting design. Having the right amount of lighting for the porch or entryway, positioning the lights so that they enhance your ability to see clearly, and allow your guests to safely navigate your walkways requires some planning. You may decide that a tri-fold scheme is the answer. This consists of an overhead porch light and outdoor sconces on each side of the door.

The outdoor wall sconces you decide to use will depend on several factors, height, wattage, style and price are the major ones. For instance, outdoor lanterns might fit your personal decor the best. The style you have chosen for your house, the colors and the design elements, need to be complimented by the sconces. If you put Mission style sconces on a Cape Cod house it will look odd. Once you have fixed your design, you can enhance the style with color shades. Of course, price will be a factor for you. We are all trying to economize these days and that goes for decorating too. Perhaps the order should be price, style, design and then wattage.

There is a good chance you will find the perfect outdoor lighting fixture at a home improvement store. The selection and prices are hard to beat. Worst case, you may find yourself at a specialty store or an antique store, but chances are that you will find what you want at a Home Depot or the like. There is no lack of good, reasonably priced outside lights. So, what are you waiting for? Go take a look and find your next outdoor sconce!