FAQs

The best landscape lighting is not visible during the day, it should be designed to blend into the landscape and just come to life in the dark when and where it is needed.

This depends on whether safety or feature lighting is required. As always avoid unnecessary brightness, glare or duration while maintaining adequte safety and security for the residents and visitors. Remember that a high level of glare can actually blank out the immediate area whereas carefully selected downward lighting increases visibility and safety.

This depends on the location and frequency of use. Where a high level of illumination is needed lamp posts can be installed with nature friendly lighting, and where a lower level is required lighting bollards will be adequate.

To avoid unnecessary brightness, glare or duration, 3000k brightness or below with zero upward light reflection (0ULR) is considered effective. In addition amber lighting is less disturbing to wildlife.

The 6 main categories of outdoor lighting are: Vehicle safety, pedestrian safety, building safety, floodlighting, spotlighting, feature lighting

Note that the characteristically golden shade will fade relatively quickly once installed and the timber will ‘silver down’ over time.  This can be overcome by regular treatment with a UV-inhibiting surface coating.

Certain timbers such as oak have a high tannin content which is most common in fresh-sawn sections.  Tannins appear as black streaks and markings and these will disappear as the timber weathers down.  They can be sanded off when the timber is dry, or treated with a weak Oxalic Acid solution (maintaining suitable safety precautions).

Timber is a natural product and changes according to moisture levels.  Once it is cut it can be used fresh-sawn or it can be air-dried/kiln-dried.  However, all timber can split as it dries – this should be recognised as a natural feature and doesn’t weaken it structurally.

You might find our blog helpful.

HardRok is a premium graphics panel, formed by printing pin-sharp graphics onto an aluminium panel and encapsulating it within a specialist lacquer.  This gives it superior vandal resistance and a 10-year anti-fade guarantee.  HardRok panels can be supplied as a flat panel or a tray and have been used very successfully in many products at locations from the Scilly Isles to the South Downs to archaeological heritage sites in deepest Lancashire.

Take a look at our blog to find out a bit more.

This depends on many things – the type and quality of timber, ground and atmospheric conditions, shady or sunny locations – making it impossible to give a definitive answer.

We use good quality hardwoods such as oak, chestnut, greenheart and iroko, and in a good environment (avoiding damp ground and shady conditions) our products can last many years.

We’ll arrange a virtual meeting to discuss your requirements, then a site visit to photograph and absorb the atmosphere and really get a feel for the place.  The next stage is a discussion with our design team and the production of some concepts.  If you like them we’ll do a quote and take it from there; if you don’t like them we’ll go back to our design team and have another go until you’re happy!

We want to work with you.

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