Path and garden lighting in front of a house at night

Permanent Outdoor Lighting in San Jose, CA

Year-round exterior lighting for San Jose homes. We plan the layout, the circuits, and the weatherproofing before anything is mounted. CSLB #1133790.

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Permanent Exterior Lighting, Not Seasonal Strings

Permanent outdoor lighting is fixed architectural lighting on eaves, columns, and building faces. It is not a holiday string you take down in January. The fixtures stay, the drivers stay, and the circuit is built for weather, GFCI protection, and the way the house is actually used at night.

Executive Electric installs this work on San Jose homes and on nearby residential properties in Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Willow Glen. We look at roof lines, paint color, and existing exterior circuits first. A bright run that fights the architecture is not a win, even if the LEDs are new.

We plan the circuit, the fixture layout, and the weatherproofing before anything is mounted. You get a written layout and quote, then listed wet-location product on a run that follows the roof line.

Shops and offices can use the same crew for simple building-face lighting after a tenant improvement. Residential work stays the focus.

Where Permanent Outdoor Lighting Is Used

Most requests are houses that look unfinished after dark: a dark eave, an unlit entry, or a rear elevation that disappears once the interior lights are off. We also see it on remodels when the exterior is already open and adding a dedicated lighting homerun costs less than coming back later.

Eaves and rooflines

Low-profile runs along fascia so the house reads at night without floodlighting the yard.

Entries and columns

Downlighting at the front door and porch posts so guests can see the lock and the step.

Architectural faces

Washes on gables, chimneys, or a garage wall when the owner wants the building, not the lawn, to be the subject.

Rear living areas

Covered patio and outdoor kitchen lighting on a switch, separate from landscape path lights.

What Homeowners Gain, and What to Expect

A dedicated exterior lighting circuit with the right GFCI, listed wet-location fixtures, and a switch or dimmer you can reach from inside is easier to live with than timers taped to a plug. You also avoid overloading a porch receptacle that was never meant to feed a whole roofline.

On the visit we walk the elevation, note paint and roof material, and say whether the existing exterior circuit can take the load. If it cannot, we quote a new homerun and any trim repair the cuts will need. Time on site depends on linear footage, height, and whether the eaves are open or boxed.

We pull a permit when the scope requires new circuits or substantial exterior work. We do not promise a look from a catalog photo. You get a layout, a fixture spec, and a written quote before clips go on the fascia.

Low-voltage landscape lighting arrow_forward

Permanent Lighting Work We Handle

Layout on the building

We mark eaves, corners, and entries so the run follows the architecture instead of a straight line that ignores the roof.

Wet-location fixtures and drivers

Listed exterior products, drivers in accessible, weather-protected locations, and wire rated for wet use.

Dedicated circuits and GFCI

New homeruns when the porch receptacle cannot carry the load. GFCI protection where the code requires it.

Controls

Switches, dimmers, photocells, or timers you can override. We do not lock you into an app you cannot reach.

Remodel coordination

If the exterior is already in a remodel, we set boxes and conduit before siding or stucco closes.

Simple commercial faces

A shop or office elevation can use the same approach after a tenant improvement. That work is secondary to homes.

How a Permanent Lighting Job Runs

01

Walk the elevations

We look at eaves, paint, existing exterior power, and how you use the yard at night.
02

Written layout and quote

You get fixture type, linear footage, circuit work, and whether a permit is in the scope.
03

Circuit, mount, and weatherproof

Homeruns, listed fittings, and drivers placed where they can be serviced later.
04

Night check

We turn the system on after dark when we can, trim hot spots, and show you the switch.

When Permanent Lighting Makes Sense

check The house disappears after sunset except for one porch bulb.
check Holiday strings have been left up year-round on a receptacle that was not built for it.
check You are already remodeling the exterior and can add a lighting homerun while walls are open.
check The entry is dark enough that guests miss the step.
check A rear patio is used at night and the only light is a flood on a motion sensor.
check You want architectural lighting, not landscape path lights. Those are a different service.

Questions About Permanent Outdoor Lighting in San Jose

Is this the same as landscape lighting?

No. Permanent outdoor lighting is on the building. Low-voltage path and accent lights are a separate page and a separate circuit plan.

Will this work in South Bay rain?

Fixtures, fittings, and cable have to be listed for wet locations. We do not use indoor product outside.

Do I need a permit?

New exterior circuits usually do. Adding a small listed fixture to an existing, correctly protected circuit may not. We will tell you which path you are on.

Can you match a look I saw online?

We can talk about color temperature and placement. We will not promise a photo-identical result on a different roof and paint color.

Do you light commercial buildings?

Simple shop and office faces, yes. Large architectural facade systems are not the core of this service.

Serving San Jose, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Los Altos, and Campbell

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Want exterior lighting that stays up year-round?

Send a daytime photo of the elevation you care about. We will talk through layout, circuit work, and a written quote.