How to Choose a Landscape Lighting Installer on Chicago's North Shore

November 9, 2026

The right North Shore landscape lighting installer plans the lighting together with grading, drainage, and hardscape, uses quality fixtures, and carries a license and insurance. Tommy Pollina Landscape Company, a Mt. Prospect firm since 1982, installs landscape lighting, including Kichler systems, as part of full outdoor projects in Park Ridge, Northbrook, and across the North Shore.

What does a good landscape lighting installer do on the North Shore?

A good installer walks the property, decides what each fixture should light, and installs energy-efficient low-voltage fixtures that improve safety, security, and curb appeal. The same crew coordinates with patios, walkways, plantings, and drainage, so cable runs are planned before any digging starts.

Lighting does six jobs for a yard:

• Safety on steps, paths, and driveways
• Security around entries and dark corners
• Curb appeal after sunset
• Extended living space on patios and in backyards
• Higher property value
• Energy efficiency

Our landscape design service produces detailed 3D renderings and walkthroughs, so lighting is part of the plan you see before anything is installed. You can buy the design alone or the design plus installation.

Why lighting belongs in the same plan as hardscape and drainage

Lighting is easiest and cleanest to install when the rest of the yard is still open. Cable, conduit, and fixture positions are set before pavers, stone, and sod cover the ground.

Picture a homeowner on the North Shore adding a bluestone patio and a walkway. If the lighting is planned first, cable can be placed before the compacted stone base goes in. If it's added afterward, the crew is cutting into finished work.

Our own projects follow that sequence. Our Park Ridge full property outdoor makeover combined landscaping, hardscape, drainage, and lighting in one project. Our Northbrook project paired landscape design with outdoor lighting. You can see both in our project gallery.

Water matters here too. Fixtures and cable sit in the soil, and soil that stays wet is hard on them. Our drainage systems team uses laser-guided measurements and exact elevations, and we hold NDS Professional Drainage Contractor certificates. When a lighting job turns up a wet low spot, we fix the water and install the lighting under the same plan. Our hardscaping crews build the patios, walkways, driveways, and steps the lighting is meant to show off.

What should I ask a landscape lighting installer before hiring?

Ask who designs the layout, which fixture brand goes in, whether fixtures can change with the seasons, which standards the power unit meets, and whether the company is licensed and insured. Ask to see finished lighting projects near you.

Here's how we answer those questions:

Two outside references are worth bringing to the conversation.

Electrical standard. UL Standards & Engagement describes UL 1838 as covering low-voltage landscape lighting systems made up of an isolating power unit, cable or flexible cord, and luminaires, with each power-unit output circuit rated at a maximum of 25 amperes. Ask any installer which standards the power unit and fixtures meet.

Bulb color. DarkSky International recommends residential outdoor lamps or fixtures with a correlated color temperature of 3000 kelvins or lower. Ask what color temperature the bulbs are. Warmer light also tends to look better on brick, bluestone, and evergreens.

How we install landscape lighting

Landscape lighting at Tommy Pollina Landscape Company starts with the property. We measure, plan fixture locations on paper, and decide what each light should highlight: a walkway, a set of front-entry stone stairs, an arborvitae screen, a patio, a driveway edge.

Then the lighting goes in alongside the rest of the project. Many of our lighting jobs sit inside larger outdoor makeovers that include plantings, irrigation, hardscape, and drainage, and one company coordinates all of it. Our full services list covers everything a yard might need once the lights are on and you can see the whole picture.

Convertible fixtures are the part homeowners tend to like most. The fixture stays in place, and the bulb changes for a holiday, a party, or a new season. We also do holiday decor and holiday lighting.

We've run Tommy Pollina Landscape Company since 1982, when Joe Pollina started it as a one-truck neighborhood operation on Chicago's Northwest Side. We work from Mt. Prospect and serve the North Shore and northwest suburbs, with project work in towns including Evanston, Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, Kenilworth, Northbrook, and Park Ridge. You can read more about our company and how we work.

Frequently asked questions

Can landscape lighting change for holidays and seasons?

Yes. The convertible fixtures we install take changed bulbs, so the same fixtures can serve holidays, parties, or a different season. That means you don't need new wiring or a new layout each time. We also offer holiday decor and holiday lighting.

Which towns have you installed landscape lighting in?

Our lighting projects in the gallery include Park Ridge and Northbrook. Our wider landscaping, hardscape, and drainage work spans the North Shore and northwest Chicago suburbs, including Evanston, Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, and Kenilworth. Our office is at 420 N. River Rd. Mt. Prospect.

What does landscape lighting add to a property?

Landscape lighting adds safety on steps and paths, security around entries, curb appeal, usable outdoor space after dark, and property value. Energy-efficient systems also keep running costs low. We design lighting as part of the whole yard so each fixture has a clear purpose.

If you're planning lighting for a North Shore yard, tell us about your property, the areas you want lit, and any patio, planting, or drainage work coming up in the form below, and we'll come back with a plan.