North York · Toronto Hydro service area
Exterior lighting for North York yards, driveways and facades
North York lots tend to be wide and deep, with long driveways, mature trees and, on some streets, a ravine out back. We plan light that gets you safely to the door, shows off the house and stays out of the neighbours' windows.
North York lots
More yard to light than most of the city
Compared with the old city, North York houses sit on generous lots. A Willowdale or Newtonbrook bungalow may have a long side driveway, a deep backyard and a lawn set well back from the street.
That space is an asset, but it also means more dark ground between the sidewalk and your door. A single porch light that works on a narrow semi won't cover it.
Bungalow eaves and rebuild facades
The long, low rooflines of post-war bungalows suit soffit lighting well. A row of small recessed lights in the eaves washes the brick and lights the front walk without a single post in the lawn.
Custom rebuilds in York Mills, Armour Heights and the Bridle Path are a different brief. Stone facades, tall entries and gated drives call for layers. Think uplights on the facade, lights on gate posts, and even light along the drive.
Typical North York jobs
What we light most often here
Long driveways
Low path lights or bollards along the edge, plus a motion light over the garage, so you can see where the drive ends and the lawn begins.
Split-level front steps
Split-levels often have several steps up to the door. Step or wall lights make them safer in winter, when ice is hard to see.
Mature trees
An uplight at the base of a large tree gives the yard depth. We place fixtures and route cable to stay clear of the main roots.
Ravine backyards
Soft, downward light on the deck and the yard's edge, without throwing glare into the valley.
Side doors and garages
Motion-activated lights where many North York houses have their least visible entrance.
Outdoor outlets
GFCI-protected weatherproof outlets for holiday lights, tools and a patio heater, where you actually need them.
Trees and ravines
Digging near protected trees and ravine land
Toronto protects many large private trees, and digging near their roots can need a city permit. Lots backing onto the Don River valleys or other ravines may also fall under the city's ravine protection rules.
We plan routes that keep away from protected roots and slopes. Where a light must sit far from the house, a low-voltage system fed from a transformer is often easier to thread around roots.
Before any trench, buried services are marked through Ontario One Call. Gas, cable and, on newer streets, hydro lines can all cross a North York front yard.
Pair it with other exterior work
Soffit lights are wired from the attic, much like interior recessed lighting, so they often join a pot light project in North York. Putting a charger by the driveway too? The same wall route can often carry the EV charger circuit.
- Evening site visitTo see where the dark spots really are
- A plan you approveFixture positions, aiming and warm colour temperatures
- Wet-location fixtures and boxesBuilt for freeze-thaw and road salt
- ControlsPhotocells, timers, motion sensors or smart switches
- Locates and ESA permitArranged and filed by us
Questions
Outdoor lighting in North York: questions
Our backyard backs onto a ravine. Can we still add lighting?
Usually, yes, close to the house and on the deck. Work on or near the slope itself may fall under the City of Toronto's ravine protection rules, which limit digging and harm to trees. We keep fixtures and cable on the level part of the yard and check before planning anything near the edge.
Can soffit lights go into the eaves of an older North York bungalow?
In most cases. We check the soffit material and the space above it, then run cable from the attic to each light. Low-slope bungalow roofs can make the attic edge tight, so now and then we work from outside through the soffit instead.
Will the lights bother my neighbours?
They shouldn't. We use shielded fixtures aimed down or at the house, and warm colour temperatures that read as natural. Motion sensors are set to cover your property, not the sidewalk or the house next door.
Can outdoor lighting go in during the winter?
Wall lights, soffit lights and outdoor outlets can be installed most of the year. Anything that needs a trench waits for unfrozen ground. Book in late winter and you'll be near the front of the line once the ground thaws.
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