Contact Ambiance Outdoor Lighting

Getting in touch does not commit you to anything and does not put you into a sales sequence. Whichever way you reach us — phone, email or the form at the bottom of this page — you get a reply the same working day, and it comes from Elwin Brown or someone who has actually been on the crew, not a call centre.

The first conversation is short, usually ten or fifteen minutes. We want to know roughly where the property is, what bothers you about it after dark, whether there is any existing lighting in the ground, and what sort of budget range you have in mind. That last question is not a filter — it is the fastest way to tell you honestly whether what you are picturing costs three thousand dollars or twelve, before either of us spends an afternoon on it. If what you want is outside what we do, we will say so on that call rather than three visits later.

The design visit is free and there is no charge for the night demo. We usually get out within a few days of the first call. The visit happens in two parts: a walk of the property in daylight to see the architecture, the planting, the grades and where power sits, and then a return at dusk with fixtures in hand. On the night demo we physically place fixtures on your trees and your facade, switch them on, and move them while you watch. You see your own house lit before you have agreed to buy anything. Almost every decision that matters — how bright, how warm, which tree, whether the front elevation needs grazing or uplighting — gets settled in that half hour, and it is far more reliable than choosing from a catalogue.

What comes back afterwards is a written proposal, not a one-line number. It lists the fixture count and type, transformer sizing, the wire runs and gauge, the control method, what is covered by warranty and for how long, and a firm price. Most residential landscape installations are finished in one or two days on site. Permanent roofline lighting usually takes a single day. Christmas installations are booked to a date and we are in and out inside a morning. You can see typical ranges on the pricing page before you call, and if you would rather read up on the system itself first, start with what low-voltage landscape lighting actually is.

A few things are worth having ready when you call. A rough idea of what you want fixed — a dark walkway, a flat-looking front elevation, a back garden nobody uses after seven — is more useful than a fixture list. Any HOA or deed restriction that governs exterior lighting is worth mentioning early, particularly in River Oaks, Memorial and West University Place, because it can change what we mount and where. If you have photographs you like, send them; if there is old wiring in the ground from a previous installer, say so, because it often changes the approach and sometimes saves you money. And if your existing system is simply failing rather than missing, the repair and restoration route is usually far cheaper than a replacement.

One note on timing. Landscape, low-voltage, pathway and bistro lighting are installed year round and there is rarely more than a week or two of lead time. Christmas and holiday lighting is different — the calendar fills through September and October, and by the middle of November the good installation dates are gone. If the holidays are what you are thinking about, call early; the guide on when to book Christmas light installation explains how the season actually runs in Houston.