THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL HOME
When you wonder if you need a new suit, you can ask your tailor for an expected answer. If you are considering getting landscape lighting, you have come to the right place to help tip the scales in the right direction. Be warned that this is landscape lighting propaganda, but if you hear me out, you may find some points of interest.
I'm getting ready to build a house, and the costs are exceedingly more than expected. The total costs are going up even from when the planning began. I am increasingly sensitive to gauging what costs will have a more significant impact than others. Where should I cut back, and where should I spend more?
Richard Koch wrote a fantastic book, The 80/20 Principle, based on the Pareto principle. This principle states that 80% of the consequences are generated by 20% of the causes. Let’s point out a few simple examples. 20% of your relationships generate 80% or more of your relationship value and satisfaction. 20% of the kids at school generate 80% of the trips to the principal's office. 20% of stocks in a portfolio generate 80% of the growth. You get it.
When thinking about your home, how it looks, and how the house makes you feel, there are some areas where, if done right, can create an outsized result.
Before diving into the specifics of where one may best spend their money on their home's appearance, let's take a step back and underscore why your home looking its best is good for everyone. Your home is more than a shelter to check off Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It's a statement about who you are. When you pull into your driveway at night, a beautiful home reinforces the fruit of your hard work and gives a feeling of sanctuary and solidarity. Your home looking great is an ingredient that fuels your sense of well-being and offers a powerful subconscious confirmation towards being on the right track.
For all the reasons why we keep our kitchens clean, power wash our houses, and reluctantly organize the garage, the appearance of our environment has a profound effect on us. Our behaviors flow from how we see ourselves. That is a profound statement, but it is profoundly true. The more successful we feel about ourselves, the more confidence we build toward perpetuating success. In The Power of Habit by James Clear, one of the most powerful themes of the book states every action is a vote for our identity. When our house is clean and orderly, we feel better about life and ourselves. This is not a small point. The appearance of your most frequented environment has a rippling effect on your life and behavior. Take, for example, the broken window theory in how New York reduced crime by fixing broken windows and targeting vandalism. When the city began to look better, a natural respect began to build, and a reciprocation that occurred translated into less overall crime. This is an identity issue. My point in having a beautiful home has less to do with how others see the homeowner and more with how the homeowner feels about themselves. When a constant reinforcing message of excellence and success is broadcasted from where you spend a large part of your time, your behavior will bend up or down per the standard you tolerate.
When I go to Disney World, I get emotional, not because of how much fun the rides will be, but because of the immaculate, beautiful care taken to make the place perfect. The details matter here, and Disney figured it out. The intricate flower arrangements, the fresh paint, and the pavement that can be used as a lunch plate inspire and elevate our mood and general well-being. Disney World motivates and inspires me.
To behold true, beautiful excellence is the reward itself, overcompensating for whatever energy and expense are used to create it.
When spending money on elevating your home’s appearance, we can name a long list of options, such as upgrading the driveway and sidewalk with pavers, overhauling your landscape beds, or adding stone or brick to the exterior. All the gigantic expenses I will incur with building my home will be completely unrecognizable after the sun goes down. In my utterly biased opinion, adding landscape lighting to illuminate your beautiful home at night is a 20% comparatively lower cost item that will generate a very outsized glamorizing result.
A typical landscape lighting plan for a 3000 square foot home will use 10-15 fixtures, costing between $3500 and $5000 depending on the fixtures used and the control box. With the improvements in lights over the past ten years, you can expect a hassle-free experience for 7-10 years without worrying about changing a bulb. Many companies, like mine, offer a maintenance plan to bi-annually adjust the lights and prune back tree and shrub growth for optimal illumination.
For the more progressive, permanent lighting options are available to be installed in the facia of your home. Our Gemstone permanent lighting program lets our clients control the color of their exterior lights using their phones. During Halloween, you can change your lights to orange or any pattern of colors you fancy. Our Gemstone lights can make programmed patterns like a yellow Pacman chasing another color light across your home at night. It's a fantastic product with extreme control functionality. A basic permanent lighting package should cost between $4000 and $7000, depending on how many linear feet of roof line you have.
How you feel about your home and the message of beautiful excellence communicated about who you are will be compounded at night as your co-workers arrive at your swanky cheese and wine gathering. Sure, add stone to your exterior and get one of those cool bubbling rocks for your landscape bed, but seriously, consider giving your lovely home some night lights.
