Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Outdoor Yard Lights for under $150!


Let's talk about outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting creates the perfect ambiance. It brings a little magic into your evening. It makes you want to stay a little longer, and is the perfect touch to any yard. I might even go as far as to say it's a necessity! 



I liked my patio, but it wasn't really a place I wanted to spend any time, and I wanted a place where my kids would want to hang out with their friends all summer. The lights were just what we needed to make our patio feel like an outdoor room.


I researched so many ways to do this on Pinterest. I even talked to our contractor about building a simple frame pergola out of 4x4's. We didn't want to spend that much. This DIY project came in under $150, including 2 sets of lights.


First, you'll decide how many poles you need to support your lights. We needed 8 total, 4 on each side of the patio.

SUPPLY LIST:

8 - 3/4" galvanized electrical tubes. We paid $4.25 for each 10 foot section at Home Depot.

8 - 5 foot pieces of rebar. We bought 4, 10 foot pieces and cut them in half. They are $1/foot at Home Depot. So, they were basically $5/piece. My husband cut them in half with his multi-tool.

8 clothes line hooks. These were also from Home Depot, and worked well because they come with a washer that tightens to hold the hook in place.



Outdoor string lights. We got ours at Costco for $29/each. We used 2 sets. I recommend getting them at Costco because they are a great price, but also because they are long, 48" compared to the 12" kind you length you find in many stores.

We measured where we wanted everything to be, and my hunky husband pounded the rebar into the ground. He pounded it in about 2.5 feet deep.


Then we simply slipped the metal poles over the rebar. 




The outdoor room was beginning to take shape.



We, and when I say we, I mean, he... My husband drilled holes int the top of each pole, and put a hook in the top. These were from Home Depot. 


We tried multiple types. The type we landed on is, clothes line hooks, sold individually, just like the one in his hand. You find them in the open screw bin area of Home Depot.


We did this on Memorial Day, and Costco was closed, so we had to wait to pick up lights. I hate waiting! We put them up after work the next day. Who needs daylight?


The lights attached to the hooks so easily, because they have a little loop on top of each one.


We ended up moving the pole next to my stairs closer to the stairs because we had more cord left on that side and it was droopy. 

BEFORE:



AFTER:

I don't think anyone would notice that the pole is not perfectly lined up.



 We did run an extension cord up to the lights. I don't really see it at night.


It's pretty at night. It's pretty in the evening. I even like it in the day time!







It's my new favorite place to be. I find myself looking for excuses to hang out on the patio at night now. The lights are bright enough, that we canst out on the table and play a game without and additional lights needed.


My daughter had some friends over the next night, and they all ohhed and awed over the lights as soon as they saw them. The girls even wanted to take selfies with the lights.


Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a Happy and Creative Day!



Risa

1 comment:

Kami G said...

Dreamy and perfect... i love the height. .. awesome outdoor room

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