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Low-voltage LED landscape lighting glowing along a flagstone path in a Bee Cave backyard
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Landscape Lighting Installation in Austin, TX

Low-voltage LED landscape lighting installed by a local Austin crew. Brass and copper fixtures built for Texas heat, dark-sky-friendly designs, smart controllers, and clean wire runs through existing landscapes.

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Thrive Landscape and Design installs low-voltage LED landscape lighting across the greater Austin area, from established homes inside MoPac to Hill Country acreage in Dripping Springs, Wimberley, and Driftwood. Every system we install uses solid brass or copper fixtures, a properly sized transformer mounted near a GFCI outlet, watertight silicone-filled connections, and 12-volt cable gauged for the run length so you do not lose brightness 100 feet from the house. We design for Texas heat, dark-sky compliance, and 20+ year fixture life, then aim and program the system on site after dusk so it actually looks the way you wanted it to. For more information on shielded, downward-facing fixtures, see DarkSky International.

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  • 500+ Projects Completed
  • 19+ Years Experience
  • 5/5 Average Rating
What We Do

Full-Service Landscape Lighting

  • Outdoor lighting design lighting a stone pavilion amid Smithville xeriscape

    Outdoor Lighting Design

    Custom lighting plans that highlight architecture, trees, and entries while staying dark-sky-friendly.

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  • Low-voltage string lights over a deck, turf, and patio in a Bee Cave backyard

    Low-Voltage Lighting

    Safe 12-volt LED systems with properly sized transformers and watertight, silicone-filled connections.

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  • Path lighting along a stone retaining wall and walkway in Smithville

    Path Lighting

    Shielded path and walkway fixtures spaced for even light, no hot spots, and safe nighttime footing.

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  • Landscape lighting glowing across a Bee Cave deck and patio at night

    Landscape Lighting Designer

    See every lighting service we offer, from design through install, retrofit, and smart controller setup.

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Our Process

  1. Flagstone walkway and garden beds on a Fayetteville property walked at dusk to plan lighting

    Site Walk At Dusk

    We meet you on site right around sunset so we can see exactly how the property behaves as the light fades. We note specimen trees, entry points, architectural features, dark spots along paths, existing transformer locations, GFCI outlets, and any neighborhood dark-sky considerations. You tell us how you want to use the yard at night and we build the plan around that, not around a generic fixture count.

  2. Design & Fixture Spec

    You get a written plan showing fixture counts, brass or copper bodies, beam spreads, color temperature, transformer size, wire gauge for each run, controller type, and a clear price. We spec shielded, downward-facing fixtures by default and call out anything that needs to be dark-sky-compliant for Hill Country properties west of MoPac. Every line item is itemized so you can adjust scope before we order anything.

    Smithville home and stone retaining walls speced for landscape lighting fixtures and wire runs
  3. Low-voltage wire and fixtures installed along a stone retaining wall and walkway in Smithville

    Install & Wire

    We mount the transformer near your GFCI outlet, run 12-volt cable along bed edges and under mulch to keep trenching minimal, and set each fixture in place. Every connection is a silicone-filled, watertight splice, not a twist cap. On long runs we size the wire gauge up so voltage drop does not kill brightness at the far end. We bury cable to code depth and clean up the site before we leave.

  4. Aim & Program

    We come back after dark to aim every fixture by eye, dial in beam angles, and adjust output where needed. Then we program the photocell, astronomic timer, or Wi-Fi smart controller, set your zones, and pair the app to your phone. You walk the yard with us and approve every angle before we call the job done. Free re-aim within the first year if anything shifts.

    Finished landscape lighting aimed and programmed on a Bee Cave deck at night
Bee Cave backyard washed with warm landscape lighting at night
Path lighting along a flagstone walkway in a Bee Cave backyard
Our Services

Signs Your Yard Needs Lighting

Professional Landscape Lighting Installation

Most Austin homeowners realize they need landscape lighting the same way: someone trips on the front walk after dark, the house disappears from the street at night, or the old halogen path lights from 2005 finally give up. If any of these sound familiar, it is time for a low-voltage LED system built for Texas weather and 20+ year fixture life.

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  • If you are replacing bulbs every season, you have an aging halogen system. An LED retrofit drops energy use, eliminates the heat, and gives you 15+ years between fixture changes.

  • A few well-aimed brass uplights on the architecture and one or two specimen trees make the house feel finished from the street and add real curb appeal.

  • Shielded path lights, downlights on stairs, and integrated step lighting make every walking surface visible without glare in your eyes.

Stone pavilion with finished landscape lighting at night in Smithville
Low-voltage fixtures washing a stone retaining wall and walkway in Smithville

Why Choose Thrive Landscape and Design?

  • Brass & Copper, Not Aluminum

    Solid brass and copper hold up in Central Texas heat and irrigation overspray for 20+ years. Painted aluminum fixtures usually start pitting within five.

  • Dark-Sky-Friendly Design

    Shielded, downward-facing fixtures keep light on your landscape, not in your neighbor’s window or the Hill Country sky. DarkSky International approved fixtures available on every install.

  • Aimed & Programmed After Dark

    We come back at night to aim every fixture by eye and program your photocell, astronomic timer, or smart controller. You approve every angle before we leave.

  • Built For LED Efficiency

    Low-voltage LED systems use a fraction of the power of older halogen setups. See the DOE Energy Saver guide to outdoor lighting for the numbers.

Our Service Areas

Austin’s Go-To For Landscape Lighting Installation

Light up your front yard, backyard, or Hill Country acreage with low-voltage LED landscape lighting installed by a local Austin crew. Brass and copper fixtures, dark-sky-friendly designs, and smart controllers built for the Central Texas climate.

  • Lakeway
  • Driftwood
  • Westlake Hills
  • Round Rock
  • Lake Point
  • Bee Cave
  • Shoal Creek
  • River Place
  • Cedar Park
  • Steiner Ranch
  • Pflugerville
  • & more
Our Portfolio

View Our Gallery

From inside-the-loop Austin homes to Hill Country acreage in Dripping Springs and Wimberley, our landscape lighting installs use brass and copper fixtures, dark-sky-friendly designs, and smart controllers built for Central Texas weather. Every system is aimed and programmed after dark before we call it done.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Most residential landscape lighting installs in Austin take one to three days on site, depending on the number of fixtures, run lengths, and how much existing landscape we work around. A typical 12 to 20 fixture system on a single-family lot is a one to two day job. Larger Hill Country properties with 30+ fixtures, multiple zones, and 100-foot wire runs can stretch to three or four days. We confirm the timeline in writing before we start so you know exactly when the crew arrives, when trenching happens, and when we come back to aim and program the system after dark.

  • Yes. Most of our installs happen in established Austin landscapes, so we plan wire runs to minimize trenching through mature beds. We tuck low-voltage cable under mulch, along bed edges, and through natural plant gaps. When we do need to cross a bed, we use a narrow spade slit instead of a full trench so roots and irrigation lines stay intact. On larger properties we map the cable path during the design walk and flag every plant, sprinkler head, and bed line before any digging happens. Most homeowners cannot tell where the wires were buried within a week.

  • Line-voltage lighting runs on standard 120-volt household power and requires conduit, deep burial, and in most cases a licensed electrician. Low-voltage runs on 12 volts through a transformer that plugs into a standard GFCI outlet. Low-voltage is safer to work around, easier to adjust later, and uses smaller cable that can run just under the mulch. For residential landscape lighting in Austin we install low-voltage LED almost every time. It gives you the same brightness as older line-voltage systems at a fraction of the energy use, with much simpler maintenance.

  • Solid brass and copper fixtures routinely last 20+ years in Central Texas heat and humidity. They develop a natural patina over time but do not corrode through the way painted aluminum does. Aluminum fixtures often start pitting and flaking within five to seven years here, especially near pools, irrigation overspray, and sprinkler runoff. We spec brass or copper bodies on every install we do because the upfront cost difference is small compared to the replacement labor down the road. The LED modules inside are rated for 40,000 to 50,000 hours, which is roughly 15 to 20 years of dusk-to-dawn use.

  • Yes, and a lot of Austin homes built in the 2000s are great candidates for this. Many of those original systems used 20 to 50 watt halogen path lights and spotlights that pull a huge amount of power, run hot, and burn out every season. We can usually keep the existing cable runs and transformer location, swap the fixtures for brass or copper LED equivalents, and resize the transformer if needed. The result is brighter, cooler-running light at a fraction of the wattage, plus fewer bulb replacements. We will inspect the cable, connections, and transformer first and tell you honestly what is worth keeping.

  • Yes. We program photocells, astronomic timers, and Wi-Fi smart controllers as part of every install. Smart controllers let you set dusk-to-dawn, dusk-to-11pm, or custom schedules from your phone, and they automatically adjust as sunset shifts through the year. We will pair the controller to your home Wi-Fi, set up zones for the front yard, back yard, and any path or accent zones, and walk you through the app before we leave. If you prefer no app and no Wi-Fi, a plain photocell with an astronomic timer works just as reliably.

  • Dark-sky-friendly fixtures are usually within 5 to 15 percent of comparable non-shielded fixtures, and many of our standard brass and copper specs already qualify. Dark-sky means the fixture is fully shielded and aims light down toward the landscape rather than up into the sky, which is exactly what good landscape lighting design should do anyway. For Hill Country homeowners west of MoPac and in places like Dripping Springs and Wimberley, dark-sky compliance also helps with neighborhood standards and keeps your stars visible. We use DarkSky International approved fixtures whenever the design calls for them, at no meaningful upgrade cost.

  • Fill out the contact form on this page or call (512) 503-1935. We will schedule a free on-site walk, usually right around dusk so we can see exactly how your landscape behaves as the light fades. You will get a written, itemized quote within a few business days that shows fixture counts, fixture material, transformer size, controller type, wire run lengths, and labor. No high-pressure sales calls, no vague estimates.

Let’s Light Up Your Austin Landscape

Locally owned, full-service landscape lighting installation across the greater Austin area. Low-voltage LED, brass and copper fixtures, dark-sky-friendly designs, and smart controllers built to last 20+ years in Texas weather.

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