Bigger or unusual job? Compare bids from local pros and you pick who does the work.
The service
What outdoor lighting is, what a visit covers and where the line is.
The short answer
Outdoor lighting service means a background-checked local pro mounts fixtures around your yard, runs the low-voltage cable or plugs in the string lights, buries and protects the wire, and sets a timer or photocell so the lights come on by themselves. Outdoor Lighting in San Francisco is booked through pros who cover its 28 ZIP codes, in neighborhoods such as The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset. SF's microclimates mean fog, wind, and moisture vary dramatically by neighborhood. Providers account for this in material selection. Every lighting installation on NorTech is priced by the pro you pick, who also sets the warranty.
What a outdoor lighting visit includes
What is included depends on the jobs you pick and on how each pro sets up their visit and timing. You see the exact scope with each pro's price before you book.
- Fixture mounting
- Low-voltage wiring
- Timer setup
- Demo & handoff
- Your pro’s own workmanship warranty
Pick what is on your list
Tick what you want done, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, and you can describe anything else when you book.
Path and garden lighting
Tick what you want done. One visit can cover several.
Tick jobs above, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, so they see exactly what you need before they arrive.
What shapes a outdoor lighting job
These are the things that make one job different from another. Mention them in your notes so each pro can scope your job properly.
Choosing the type of lighting system
The power type and fixture style set how safe, flexible and permanent the lighting is, and which of the work needs a licensed electrician. Tap an option to compare, then add your pick to your job notes.
What is not part of outdoor lighting
Knowing where the line is keeps the visit on track and keeps you safe. When a job belongs to a specialist, NorTech tells you before you book.
- If this lighting installation grows until labor and materials reach $1,000, a licensed contractor takes it over, and NorTech points that out before you book.
- New outdoor circuits, new weatherproof outlets, panel work and line-voltage wiring: that is a licensed electrician.
- Trenching across a driveway or under a patio slab for conduit, which is excavation or hardscape work with its own permit questions.
- Pole-mounted or street-style lamp posts that need a concrete footing and a new power feed.
- Security cameras and doorbell wiring. Video doorbell wiring has its own service on NorTech.
- In San Francisco, sF DBI permit requirements are among the strictest in California. Smaller jobs stay within the handyman exemption; permitted work is bid on by NorTech-verified licensed contractors.
Plan your visit
How booking works, how to get ready, and what to expect where you live.
How booking outdoor lighting works
Say what needs doing
Add your ZIP and a few words about the job.
Compare pros near you
Each pro sets their own price and warranty. NorTech does not pick for you.
Book the pro you pick
Add photos and details on their page. Your card is held and only charged after the work and the photos.
Photos and a warranty
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free.
Before you book outdoor lighting
Quick things that save a trip. Tick them off as you go; none of it is required to book.
Walk the yard at dusk first
Stand where you want light and note the dark spots, the steps, and the trees you want lit. A short written list of those places helps a pro plan the layout and fixture count quickly.
Find your outdoor outlet
A low-voltage system needs a nearby outlet with ground-fault protection. Press the test button on it, and note whether it trips.
Mark sprinkler heads and buried lines
Flag irrigation heads, drip lines and any pet fences with stakes or flags before the visit. Cable trenches cross these often, and a quick marking saves a broken pipe.
Decide how bright and how warm
Warm white light looks natural on plants and brick, while cool white feels harsh outdoors. Bring a photo of the look you like, and say whether you want soft accents or strong path light.
Ask about the controls
Choose a plain timer, a dusk sensor or a phone-controlled system before the visit. Each changes the equipment the pro brings, and a good controller saves you adjusting the lights through the seasons.
Plan for growth and winter
Ask the pro how far apart to place fixtures so plants will not smother them, and whether the cable needs to be lifted or protected where the ground freezes. Your pro lists their workmanship warranty on their profile.
Say where in San Francisco you are
Add your neighborhood, for example The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset, or your ZIP code to your notes. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, and it tells them how far they have to travel.
How where you live changes outdoor lighting
Best time to book outdoor lighting
Soil is workable and plants are small enough to see where the light will fall. Spring installs let you set the layout before summer evenings outdoors, and fall suits shorter days when the lights earn their keep. Avoid frozen ground, which makes burying cable slow. In San Francisco, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain.
Together
Book outdoor lighting with your neighbors
Every home on the street gets the pro’s neighbor rate, and each one books and pays on its own.
Start a Street Day- Start one
Pick the job, your street, a day and a pro who offers a neighbor rate.
- Share the link
Send it to neighbors. Only the city is ever shown publicly, never your street.
- Neighbors join
Neighbors on your street book the same pro on the same day.
- Everyone saves
Each home gets the pro’s neighbor rate, a percent off the pro’s own price, and books and pays on its own.
Often booked together with outdoor lighting
Book several services with one pro. Pros set their own bundle discounts.
Fixtures set into paver edges and wall caps are easiest to place while the hardscape is open.
Beams and posts give string and downlight fixtures a solid mounting point.
Planting beds and light placement are best planned together so fixtures are not buried later.
Entry lighting and a doorbell camera often share the same power source and wiring route.
Around San Francisco
Where in San Francisco the work happens, and the cities close by.
Outdoor Lighting across San Francisco
Pick your neighborhood to see what homes there tend to need. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, so enter your ZIP code to see who covers yours.
Cities near San Francisco
Pros often cover more than one city. The rings show 5 and 10 miles from the center of town.
Other services in San Francisco
Each one has its own page for this city.
Ideal for the long punch list of small fixes that pile up in older SF Victorians and Edwardians, from sticking doors to loose trim, with each pro's visit price shown before you book.
See pros in San FranciscoMany SF flats have original plaster-and-lath walls that crack with settling and seismic movement, and providers can patch both plaster and modern drywall cleanly.
See pros in San FranciscoTall ceilings, ornate Victorian moldings, and compact condo rooms all get a fresh, even finish that holds up to the city's damp, foggy microclimates.
See pros in San FranciscoPerfect for pre-sale punch lists and turnover on TIC units, condos, and rentals across high-turnover neighborhoods like SoMa and the Mission.
See pros in San FranciscoOriginal SF doorways shift on steep-slope foundations, so providers re-hang, adjust, and weatherproof doors that stick or no longer latch in older homes.
See pros in San FranciscoMowed, edged, blown, and cleaned up — a crisp lawn on the schedule that suits you.
See pros in San FranciscoTrust and answers
What backs the work, who is licensed and insured, what customers say, and your questions.
Backed by your provider’s warranty. If covered work fails, your provider makes it right, free.
San Francisco homeowners
Outdoor Lighting reviews in San Francisco
Verified outdoor lighting reviews from San Francisco homeowners will appear here.
Be the first outdoor lighting review in San Francisco
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free. Book with confidence and tell San Francisco how your pro did.
Book Outdoor Lighting in San FranciscoFrequently asked