Topo d'Oro Landscape Design
(847) 387-9509
Light & Water

Landscape Lighting & Water Features in Evanston & the North Shore

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation
Lighting & Water project by Topo d'Oro Landscape Design in Evanston and Chicago's North Shore

Landscape lighting is the highest-return element in most projects, because it is the only one that works when you are actually home to look at it. Topo d'Oro designs and installs low-voltage LED lighting systems, color-changing LED, and water features including fountains and ponds across Evanston and Chicago's North Shore. Systems are designed in layers — path and safety lighting, architectural uplighting, and accent lighting on specimen trees and stone — and controlled by transformer, timer and app so the whole property is one system rather than a collection of fixtures.

What's included

Lighting & Water scope of work

  • Low-voltage LED lighting

    Full system design with transformers, buried runs and voltage-drop calculation.

  • Path & step lighting

    Safety and circulation lighting on walks, steps and grade changes.

  • Architectural uplighting

    Facade, column, stonework and structure washing.

  • Landscape & garden lights

    Bed, border and specimen lighting aimed after dark once planting is in.

  • Specimen tree accent lighting

    Moonlighting, uplighting and downlighting for canopy and planted areas.

  • Color-changing LED

    RGBW zones integrated into the main system.

  • App & timer controls

    Zone control, scenes and astronomic timers.

  • Water feature installation

    Recirculating fountains, spill bowls, basalt columns and water walls.

  • Pond installation

    Naturalistic ponds and streams with filtration, liner and circulation.

  • Water feature lighting

    Submerged and aimed lighting integrated into the plan.

Lighting designed in layers, not scattered in fixtures

The common mistake is a row of identical path lights marching up a walk, which lights the walk and nothing else. A designed system works in three layers: safety and circulation light on steps, walks and grade changes; architectural light washing the facade, columns and stonework; and accent light picking out specimen trees, water features and garden focal points.

Fixture placement, beam spread and color temperature are all specified. Warm 2700K reads as residential and flattering on stone and brick; cooler temperatures flatten a facade and make plantings look artificial. Fixtures get aimed and adjusted after dark, on site, once everything is planted — because that is the only way to actually see what the system does.

Low-voltage LED and system design

We install low-voltage systems with correctly sized transformers, buried runs, and voltage drop calculated across the circuit so the fixture at the end of the run is as bright as the one at the start. Brass and copper fixtures are specified where longevity matters; they age rather than fail.

Controls run from simple astronomic timers to app-based zone control with scenes for entertaining, everyday and holiday settings. Color-changing LED is available where you want it, integrated into the same system rather than bolted on.

Water features, fountains and ponds

Moving water does two things a photograph never shows: it masks traffic and neighbor noise, and it gives a garden a focal point that changes through the day. We build recirculating fountains, spill bowls, basalt columns and formal water walls, along with naturalistic ponds and stream features with proper filtration, liner and circulation.

Chicago winters require design decisions up front — pumps and plumbing set to drain, basins detailed to survive freeze, and features specified for a realistic seasonal shutdown. Water features are lit as part of the lighting plan, because an unlit water feature disappears at exactly the hour you want to see it.

Lighting for security, and lighting for the way the house looks

A well-lit property is a less appealing target, and it eliminates the trip hazards on steps and grade changes that cause most backyard injuries. Done well, that same system is what makes the house look its best from the street on a December evening.

We also light for winter specifically. Half of a Chicago year is dark by five o'clock, and a lighting plan that only considers the summer garden misses the months when the system matters most.

Materials

Specified by name and finish

Solid brass & copper fixtures
Marine-grade fixtures that patina instead of corroding.
2700K–3000K LED lamping
Warm color temperature that flatters stone, brick and plantings.
Low-voltage transformers
Correctly sized, multi-tap units with room for expansion.
Natural stone water elements
Basalt columns, carved basins and stone spill features.
Sealed pumps & filtration
Freeze-conscious circulation designed for seasonal shutdown.
Process

Design · Build · Enhance

  1. 01

    Design

    Lighting plan by layer, fixture schedule, control zoning and water feature detail.

  2. 02

    Build

    Transformer, buried runs, fixture setting, plumbing and installation.

  3. 03

    Enhance

    After-dark aiming, scene programming and seasonal adjustment.

Questions

Frequently asked

How much does landscape lighting cost?

Cost tracks fixture count, transformer and control complexity, and how much trenching the property needs. A focused front-of-house architectural package is a modest project; a full property system with multiple zones, water feature lighting and app control is larger. We design the plan first so you are pricing a real fixture schedule, not a guess. Call (847) 387-9509.

Is LED landscape lighting expensive to run?

No. A low-voltage LED system draws a fraction of what the old halogen systems did, and quality LED fixtures run for many years before lamping needs attention. Operating cost is rarely a factor in the decision.

Can lighting be added to a landscape that is already finished?

Yes, and it is one of the most common projects we do. Low-voltage runs can be installed in finished landscapes with minimal disruption — we cut and restore rather than excavate.

Do water features have to be shut down for the Chicago winter?

Most do. Pumps come out or are set to drain, plumbing is cleared, and the basin is protected. Some features can run through winter with proper design, which produces striking ice formations, but that has to be planned from the start rather than attempted later.

How much maintenance does a pond need?

A properly sized and filtered pond needs seasonal opening and closing, periodic filter service, and plant management. Undersized filtration is the single most common cause of a pond that becomes a chore — which is why we size it correctly at design.

Can I control the lighting from my phone?

Yes. We install app-controlled systems with zones and scenes, so you can set entertaining, everyday and holiday configurations without touching a fixture.

Serving Chicagoland

Lighting & Water across the North Shore

  • Evanston
  • Wilmette
  • Winnetka
  • Glencoe
  • Northbrook
  • Skokie
  • Highland Park
  • Kenilworth
  • Glenview
  • Lake Forest
  • Deerfield
  • Lincolnwood
  • Chicago
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Begin your golden sanctuary.

Tell us about the property and how you want to use it. We will walk the site, scope the work and put it in writing.

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation