LOCKED
highest-ROI infra move
LDD-16 · Exterior Lighting Infrastructure
One-line intent
Lighting is infrastructure — not add-on. No future trenching ever required.
Locked decisions
- Underground conduit network with central hub
- 1" branches; 1.5–2" trunks
- Pull strings + tracer wire in every run
- 3 install phases: rough-in (before slab/landscape), structure (during build), landscape (fixtures after grading)
Open items / engineer review
- Conduit hub location (likely adjacent to main electrical panel)
- Number of branches + target fixture locations
- Voltage strategy (12V / 24V landscape · 120V security)
- Fixture spec at install-time
- Photocell + scene control integration
- Future feature accommodation: fountain, pool, sauna pad, EV pad, garden, holiday circuit
Cost drivers
Underground conduit network (rough-in only): $4–12K. Pull strings + tracer wire $0.3–1K. Stub-outs at fixture locations $50–150 each. Hub junction boxes + transformers $1–4K. Rough-in only: $5–18K. Fixtures + control add $8–25K at install. Complete: $15–40K.
Air-gap concerns
- Trenches can't undermine PEMB footings. Coordinate with structural before any trench.
- No landscape design = stubbing toward "approximately." Get even a sketch before rough-in.
- Solar PV interaction if ground-mounted — hub needs PV-conduit capacity.
- EV charging stubs at exterior pads for guest parking — trench now if any future plan.
- Generator location coordination — gas line + conduit run from this hub.
Cross-references
→ Outputs to
LDD-08 same scene system ·
LDD-09 branch from main
← Inputs from
(no diagrams; see
gallery)