Every quote uses the word custom
Nobody advertises standard packages. It costs nothing to say and it is not a claim anybody checks. What is worth checking is whether there is an actual design behind it, since one of those produces paper and the other produces a number.Keep that in mind while you are comparing companies. A package starts with a number and works backward. A design is a plan for your property that arrives at a price. Both are legitimate ways to sell. Only one of them answers to your building, and you deserve to know which you have.
What a design contains
A plan is specific to your building. It names the exact runs and the exact features, rather than describing
https://evercrestlighting.com/about/ the front of the house in general terms. It says what color temperature the everyday setting will be. It says where power comes from. And it says which areas are not being lit.
Order of operations
You cannot compare two numbers without knowing what each one includes. Two quotes can look close and mean nothing alike. When the design comes first, you are comparing the same work. When the price comes first, scope gets trimmed to hit it.A plan you understand gives you something to check the finished job against, which is worth more than any assurance given in a driveway.
The questions a designer should ask you
Expect questions, rather than pitched. Where do you walk after dark. Do you use the back yard in the evening. Is this mostly a holiday purchase or an everyday one. How often are people over. The way you use the property matters as much as the shape of the house, and a designer who does not ask is designing for a stranger.
Bringing the categories together
Most properties need more than one kind of lighting. Piecemeal buying produces a property with lighting rather than a lit property. One plan, installed over time if necessary, holds together.
Revisions
A design is the start of a conversation. You can take runs out without needing a reason beyond not wanting it. A company that will not alter the plan is not really designing for you. Ask whether revisions are expected during the first conversation.
The plan is a document you keep
A design is worth having in writing. It is useful years later in ways that are not obvious at the time. A company reluctant to hand over the plan is telling you something about how they see the relationship.
Where to start
The design starts with somebody walking your property. EverCrest Lighting designs and installs custom outdoor lighting covering permanent roofline systems, landscape, accent, patio and security lighting for homes and businesses across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, from Greenville. Consultations are free. Call (864) 252-1732 or email
[email protected].