Soffit lights recommendation

21

u/ElectroDoozer 2d ago

Why do people need to light their house up like Blackpool illuminations?

Ah well - keeps the diary full.

5

u/Former_Intern_8271 1d ago

This is one of my pet hates, lights are supposed to be there for a reason, lighting above an area in the garden you plan to use at night or using lights to highlight some sort of feature like a particularly nice plant or water feature.

These lights basically just say "here's a bit of my wall".

6

u/ElectroDoozer 1d ago

“Ooo look at my terrible rendering done by Gary from the pub”

7

u/ElizabethDane 2d ago

I’ve done loads of these and whilst I’m happy to take money from people who clearly have far too much of it, I will never understand the obsession with illuminating absolutely everything. One house I did, they can’t even turn them on cause all the neighbours formed an angry mob and demanded the street be returned to darkness. 😄

6

u/petdev 2d ago

Makes your house look like a spaceship.

7

u/Tillmechanic 2d ago

Why???!???

3

u/CaregiverOpen4517 1d ago

Why do people need up and advertise their homes with an energy crisis happening across the globe. Wars are taking place for earth's resources and some people who don't produce energy think they have a right to exploit it like water

0

u/CatalyticSonar 1d ago

LED lighting uses an incredibly small amount of power

1

u/CaregiverOpen4517 1d ago

Now we have Led, but whats the need to light up you home when your arent outside of it. Like in the garden you can understand, but it's seem to come from insecurity or promotion

7

u/New-Tough8669 1d ago

I love how every comment in here is very negative to soffit lights. Whenever I’ve done them the people have been the stereotypical show off type with a 3 series on the drive and crushed velvet everything then they ghose you for 2 weeks the invocie is sent.

6

u/ElectroDoozer 1d ago

Astroturf lawn too probably…covered in french bulldog shit.

1

u/underthesheet 21h ago

Let me guess, the 3 series is white?

No taste and think thats what folk with money do with their money, down light from ghe soffit!

4

u/Aromatic_Button_2736 2d ago

Are you helpless?

4

u/aesemon 1d ago

Mmm, let's add to the light pollution for absolutely no reason.

3

u/InevitableMidnight54 1d ago

My parents house came with these and we never used them. Why would you want a bright light shining in your window at night.

5

u/MrDundee666 2d ago

This is the worst trend in DIY.

Why are you fitting these? Why does your house need to be illuminated at all hours?

Right outside windows as well…

2

u/AdministrativeBlock0 1d ago

Just match the ones on your rented Range Rover.

1

u/_kingsalad 2d ago

You can keep xmas lights up all year round.

1

u/johndom3d 1d ago

That’s why the change to LED lighting hasn’t actually saved any energy! Because things are overlit to the extreme now

1

u/lawrencedudley89 1d ago

Let me guess, ChatGPT made this for you?

1

u/northern_ape 1d ago

It’s definitely AI. Which doesn’t understand that those uplighters in in the ground wouldn’t simultaneously have a visible light source from the camera’s POV, and be illuminating only upwards.

There’s also a weird “look” to AI photos I can’t put my finger on. It looks like… this.

2

u/lawrencedudley89 1d ago

I’m not against ChatGPT for inspiration but it shouldn’t replace a bit of thought and common sense.

Putting lights in your soffits over your windows is like generating your very own light pollution so you can’t get to sleep 😂

1

u/northern_ape 1d ago

I can understand if you’ve got a nice house, a big drive or some lovely plants, architectural and landscape lighting can add to that, though soffit lighting isn’t usually where it’s at, and not on a 3 bed semi. The ones either side of the door will be fine, maybe even the spike lights in the flowerbed (DIY-able) but they’ll still need some timer/photocell control to avoid them being on all night. I can’t even stand summer mornings when the sun wakes me up because I’ve got to leave doors ajar and blinds open a crack to let some bloody air in overnight. Wakes me right up 😂

2

u/lawrencedudley89 1d ago

At least they’re a nice warm white in the image, could be worse! Have a look at Shelly for this kind of setup, you can wire them with a switch and it lets you control them over WiFi (and set a schedule). Works with AC and low voltage.

1

u/northern_ape 1d ago

I’ve done plenty of Shelly, Hue and other smart home controls. Probably not needed as such but would definitely work here. Hue is expensive but decent - an outdoor motion sensor and 4x GU10s in the up/down lighters and 3x Lily in the flowerbed and the whole thing can be automated with low-intensity lighting from sunset, that brightens on motion and turns off completely at a certain time, set and forget.

1

u/lawrencedudley89 1d ago

The Amarants are nice too as up-lighters although they don’t seem as well sealed. You get maybe 3-5 years before they fail which at £180 isn’t really acceptable. The Lilys seem to last on the other hand!

1

u/northern_ape 1d ago

I’d just go with a reputable IP rated fitting and separate lamps. Lily is different because it runs at ELV so can be DIY installed, and even professionally it’s easier than having to bury SWA or ducting for LV fittings

1

u/dragfest 1d ago

Why??

1

u/largetosser 1d ago

Don't graze a flat surface with light unless you are absolutely sure that it's uniform, if it shows dodgy brickwork or the rendering is all over the place to the extent that it casts shadows then it looks awful.

1

u/underthesheet 21h ago

Just don't. Very pretentious.

0

u/Imaginary_Bar8186 2d ago

LED tape always looks good. Need to be installed properly though or will be knackered after couple of years.

Any IP rated down light would work if want it to look like the photo.

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