Limestone and caliche
Shallow rock limits trenching. We use conduit, careful routing along beds and walls, and fixtures mounted directly on stone where it makes sense.
Austin Service Area
Landscape Lighting in Austin, TX
Custom low-voltage LED landscape lighting for Austin homes, designed for limestone, live oaks, rocky soil and the Hill Country night sky.
Lighting that fits Austin's landscape
Austin homes tend to be built around the land: oak-shaded lots, limestone ledges, sloped yards and views west into the Hill Country. Landscape lighting here works best when it respects that setting, highlighting the trees, stone and architecture while keeping the evening sky dark and the mood relaxed.
Texas Landscape Lights designs and installs custom 12V LED lighting for homeowners across Travis County and the edges of Williamson and Hays County. We work in Tarrytown, Old West Austin, Pemberton Heights, Travis Heights, Barton Hills, Zilker, Hyde Park and Mueller, plus West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Rob Roy, Steiner Ranch and Circle C Ranch. Every project begins with a free consultation and night demo, followed by a written proposal.
Limestone, stucco and modern lines
Austin's homes cover a wide range. Tarrytown and Pemberton Heights have classic brick and stone traditionals. Hyde Park and Travis Heights are known for bungalows and cottages with wood siding and deep porches. Westlake and the Lake Travis area lean toward Hill Country style: cream limestone, standing-seam metal roofs and big windows. And across the city, modern homes in stucco, steel and wood keep going up.
Rough-cut limestone is one of the best surfaces to light. A fixture placed close to the wall grazes the stone and brings out every ledge and shadow. Modern homes usually call for fewer, more precise lights, step lights in board-formed concrete, and soft washes across clean planes.
Live oaks, cedar and native plantings
Austin's signature tree is the live oak, often with a wide, low canopy that is ideal for moonlighting. Cedar elms, Texas red oaks, pecans and Ashe juniper (what locals call cedar) are common too. Native and drought-tolerant gardens with agave, yucca, sotol, Texas mountain laurel, salvia and ornamental grasses are popular, and they look striking with small, low-angle accent lights that throw dramatic shadows.
Oak wilt is a real concern in Central Texas. Many arborists recommend avoiding pruning or wounding oaks from roughly February through June, so we plan trenching and canopy mounting with that in mind. Our tree uplighting guide covers how we light oaks without harming them.
Flash Flood Alley
Central Texas creeks rise fast. We keep transformers and connections out of drainage paths and low spots near creeks and slopes.
Long, dry summers
Weeks over 100 degrees bake cheap fixtures. Solid brass or aluminum LED fixtures last longer and stay cooler.
Dark-sky friendly design
Many Austin homeowners love the night sky, and several Hill Country communities west of the city, such as Dripping Springs, have adopted outdoor lighting rules to protect it. Even where no rules apply, we design with shielded fixtures, downward aim, warm 2700K light and schedules that turn most lights off late at night. The result is a calmer, more natural look. See our warm white vs cool white guide for why color temperature matters.
Sloped lots, stone steps and views
Few Austin yards are flat. West of MoPac, and especially in Westlake, Barton Hills, Rob Roy and the neighborhoods around Lake Austin and Lake Travis, homes step down hillsides with stone stairs, retaining walls and terraced beds. Those changes in grade are where most trips and falls happen after dark, so we start with safe, low-glare step and path lighting, then layer in accents.
Views are the other big factor. If your deck or patio looks out over the hills or the water, the goal is to light the foreground softly so your eyes can still see the view beyond. Bright fixtures pointed outward wash out the scenery and bother neighbors downhill. We keep light low, shielded and aimed back toward the house, and we often light a single framing tree at the edge of the view instead of the whole slope.
Retaining walls in cut limestone also make great mounting surfaces for small wall lights that tuck under the cap and wash the steps below.
HOAs and neighborhood rules
Communities like Steiner Ranch, Circle C Ranch and many Westlake subdivisions have HOAs with architectural guidelines. Low-voltage landscape lighting is usually straightforward, but some associations ask for a simple submission. We can provide fixture details and a layout to make that easy.
Austin sunset times
Sunset in Austin ranges from roughly 5:30 pm in early December to about 8:35 pm in late June. Patio season stretches late into fall, so a controller that tracks sunset is worth having. Our sunset timer planner shows how the schedule shifts through the year.
- Tree and garden lighting for live oaks, native beds and sculptural plants.
- Architectural lighting for limestone and modern facades.
- Patio and pool lighting for outdoor living spaces and view decks.
- Pathway and step lighting for sloped lots and stone stairs.
Austin and nearby areas
We also serve homeowners north in Round Rock and south along I-35 in New Braunfels, with the same Hill Country approach to design.
Curious how your trees and stone will look at night? Call (281) 704-7210 or request a free plan, and we will schedule an evening visit at your Austin home.
Keep exploring
FAQ
Landscape lighting in Austin: FAQ
Can you install landscape lighting in rocky Austin soil?
Yes. West Austin lots often have limestone just under the surface. We adjust the install with shallow trenching where possible, conduit along walls and beds, and surface-mounted fixtures on rock, so you get a clean result without tearing up the yard.
Will trenching for lighting hurt my live oaks?
It should not if it is done carefully. We route cable to avoid cutting major roots, hand-dig near trunks, and follow the common Texas guidance to avoid wounding oaks during the spring oak wilt season.
Is landscape lighting dark-sky friendly?
It can be. Shielded fixtures, warm color temperatures, downward aiming and sensible schedules keep light on your landscape and out of the sky. That approach also looks better.
Do you serve West Lake Hills and the Lake Travis area?
Yes. We serve Austin homeowners across Travis County and nearby Williamson and Hays County, including West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Steiner Ranch and Circle C Ranch.
What time does it get dark in Austin?
Sunset in Austin runs from roughly 5:30 pm in early December to about 8:35 pm in late June. A smart controller or astronomical timer adjusts to that automatically.
Request your free lighting plan
Tell us about your project
Share a few details and we will reach out to schedule a free consultation. We will talk through your goals, look at the property and, where it helps, show you a night demo before you decide anything.
- Custom design for your home, not a preset package
- Written proposal with fixture locations and pricing
- Warm, low-glare 12V LED systems built for Texas weather
- Final aiming visit after dark
Free consultation request
Free consultation
Ready to see your home in a new light?
Talk to Texas Landscape Lights about a custom lighting plan for your property, anywhere in Texas.
