Landscape Lighting · Hendersonville, TN
Light TN designs landscape lighting for the waterfront homes of Hendersonville and the Old Hickory Lake shoreline, from its studio in Burns.
Landscape Lighting in Hendersonville, TN
Hendersonville has more Old Hickory Lake shoreline than any city on it — twenty-six miles across two peninsulas — and its most prized lots run down to the water. That changes the whole problem. A lakefront landscape gets read three ways: from the house looking out, from the yard at the water's edge, and from a boat looking back. Light TN is a landscape lighting designer based in Burns, and on these lots we design for all three views at once.
These are sloped lots — the ground falls from the house toward the water, often in terraces and steps. We light that descent for footing and for depth: step lights on the stairs down, low grazing on the retaining walls that hold the bank, and zoning that follows the grade so the walk to the dock is both safe and composed.
What a Lakefront Lot Asks For
The mature trees along the bank are what frame the lake from the house. We moonlight and uplight them so the canopy holds the view rather than blocking it, and because a shoreline keeps growing in, we plan for a tree line that will be fuller and taller in five years.
Most of these properties end at a dock, and the path to it is the spine. We light it low and warm — step lights where the grade drops, shielded fixtures along the way — so the walk down is sure-footed and the dock reads as the end of a composed landscape.
Water punishes a careless aim. A fixture tilted a few degrees too high lays a glare line straight across the surface, so we light the shoreline from above and behind and keep every beam off the lake. The reflection in the water should be the moon, not your up-lights.
Why Hendersonville, TN Trusts Light TN
Daryl Bentfield designs every Hendersonville project himself and is on site with the crew — the designer who walks your property is the one who aims the lights after dark, at the water's edge. Light TN holds a 4.9-star rating across 62 Google reviews, installs to licensed contractor CE-D: 76580 standards, and backs the work with manufacturer lifetime fixture warranties, a one-year workmanship warranty, and an annual fixture failure rate under 1%.
Hendersonville Areas We Light
FAQ
Light TN prices the design after seeing the property, rather than applying one average to every shoreline lot. The published cost guide identifies the fixtures, zones, transformer and cable routes as the main variables. In Hendersonville, define whether the proposal covers the garden beside the property, the steps down the slope or work associated with a permitted dock. Those areas can involve different access and approval decisions. The on-site consultation is free, and you review a rendering and scope before proceeding. Compare proposals against the same defined areas and equipment; a retail fixture total does not describe that complete design.
Use controlled beams and shielding to light the walking surface or landscape feature, then review the source from the directions people will see it. A shoreline design needs the view from the property and the view back toward it considered together. DarkSky and IES guidance recommends targeted light at the lowest useful level and cautions that surfaces can reflect more light than intended. Review the result after dark, including the slope and the water-facing sightlines. Adjust position, output and aim where necessary. A shielded fixture is a design tool, not proof that the lake will show no reflection or that every viewing angle is glare-free.
Riser lights, fixtures beneath a step cap and shielded rail or post lights are options, depending on the construction. Kichler’s hardscape guide describes those approaches and recommends planning fixture positions and wire routes with the hardscape contractor. On the descent toward an Old Hickory dock, review each tread, landing and change of direction from both the top and bottom. Keep the source out of the normal viewing direction where practical. Any work on public shoreline land or a permitted dock needs its own approval and electrical review; adding a landscape fixture does not establish that the whole stairway or dock meets every safety requirement.
Lay out the route first, marking turns, changes in grade and the edges people need to recognize. Then choose fixture positions from the beam pattern and the actual surface, rather than repeating one spacing number down the slope. Light TN’s design guide treats paths as guidance within a layered landscape. For a Hendersonville lake lot, review the route from the property to the shoreline as a sequence, with steps and landings assessed separately. Check the light from the direction of travel and from the water-facing view. Keep the proposed positions and cable routes in the plan so later planting changes can be reviewed against them.
Choose the effect from the tree’s form and the viewing angles, after establishing where the tree stands and which work is allowed. Uplighting can reveal a trunk and canopy; suitable overhead downlighting can create a softer pattern beneath branches. Kichler’s tree guide also considers growth, mounting and future access. On an Old Hickory shoreline, private garden trees and trees on public land are different cases. The Corps’ published 2020 plan prohibits attaching electrical lines or fixtures to trees on public property. Confirm the current shoreline conditions with the Resource Manager before specifying that work. A mature tree beside the lake is not automatically an available mounting point.
Confirm the requirements for the address, electrical scope and land involved before installation. Hendersonville’s Building & Codes permitting page lists electrical sub-trade applications. Along Old Hickory Lake, the Corps’ published shoreline plan separately addresses electrical facilities and work on public land. A private garden plan does not by itself authorize a cable route, fixture or modification beside a permitted dock. Give the responsible offices the proposed positions, power source and route, and confirm which current permissions and inspections apply. The Corps published a plan update for public review in January 2026, so check the applicable version and conditions directly rather than assuming a blanket low-voltage exemption.
Light TN describes its landscape lighting as a 12-volt system, but that description does not make every installation near water suitable or remove electrical risk. The transformer, supply, connections, equipment and location still need to be specified for the actual work. A garden light beside the route to a dock is different from the dock’s own electrical installation. ESFI warns that docks and boats can leak electricity into the water and recommends qualified inspection of electrical systems. Include the shoreline boundary and dock equipment in the review before extending a garden circuit toward the lake. Low voltage is not a substitute for that assessment.
Moisture can enter when a fixture’s seals or assembly no longer protect it as intended, but the exact cause needs inspection. Kichler’s maintenance guidance notes that older gaskets can lose their ability to keep out water and dust. Have the fixture, its connections and its suitability for the location checked instead of assuming that every damp light needs the same repair. For equipment beside a dock or other wet area, include the surrounding electrical installation in that review. Do not open or test equipment while standing in water. Any warranty question should be checked against the actual product and installation records after the cause is established.
Common issues include damaged cable, loose connections, control settings and plant growth that blocks the intended beam. On a sloped shoreline property, note whether the change affects one fixture, a section of the route or the whole system. Kichler’s troubleshooting guide starts with those distinctions and asks about recent construction or landscaping; its maintenance guide also covers shifted fixtures and growing foliage. Share when the change began and where it appears. Have the cause corrected and the result checked after dark. A dim route is not proof of a failed fixture, a minor repair or an automatically covered replacement, especially where dock electrical work is also involved.
Choose a timer or controller compatible with the existing lighting equipment and the functions you need, then have its installation and programming reviewed for that system. Light TN plans scenes, zones and schedules, including astronomical scheduling that follows sunset. A Hendersonville shoreline plan can give a route still in use a different schedule from decorative tree accents, where the equipment supports separate zones. DarkSky and IES recommend lighting only when needed, dimming where possible and switching it off when no longer needed. Confirm the permitted shoreline conditions as well. Adding a timer does not automatically add dimming, independent zones or approval for new dock wiring.
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