How to Hang Outdoor String Lights Without Trees

Find out how to string lights in your yard with step by move information to hanging outdoor string lights from fences, poles, and roofs.

A person of my most well-known posts is my tutorial on how to hang out of doors string lights from our oak grove at the ranch. But our yard at our house seems very different… and yours might, way too! 

How do you string globe lights in a yard with no trees? Today, I’m likely to demonstrate you.

Issues for Hanging Out of doors String Lights

Prior to I display you accurately how we hung our lights earlier mentioned our pool, I want to assist you believe by means of the outdoor lights thoughts and selections for yard and patio lights.

Initially, however, enable me remind you to use warning if you have a pool. This tutorial is intended to clearly show you how to dangle lights throughout a garden devoid of practical trees to maintain your lights it is not a thorough tutorial on electricity and h2o protection. Please check out your local code and/or seek the advice of an electrician when doing work in the vicinity of water.

Overhead vs On the Facet

I’m a sucker for twinkle lights, like Christmas lights, and the ambiance they provide when strung across a fence or through the trees is these a enjoyment ingredient in yard lighting. Having said that, if you want the lights to give functional lights, like for eating, then you will want greater lights strung overhead.

To string lights overhead, you have to have a set place at least 8-10 toes off the ground that can maintain the rigidity of a wire or mild strand. This can be a tree, the eaves of your household or gazebo or protected patio, a pergola, a fence, a wooden post, a next tale deck railing, a steel pole, or any other sturdy support.

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Photo voltaic String Lights vs Plug In

Talking of practical overhead mild, I tried out quite a few unique photo voltaic light strands, and I could not discover one particular that essentially offered enough mild for our purposes. We needed the area to be entirely lit to appreciate eating, swimming, incredibly hot tubbing, and even an out of doors video game evening we hosted. The solar light-weight strands feel pleasurable for ambiance, but not enough for job lighting.

So if you are on the lookout for activity lighting, then you will will need to consider your ability resource. Your design for stringing your lights will have to have to begin at a plug and/or contain an extension twine that can mix into your area.

Wire vs No wire

At the ranch in the oak grove, I utilised this package and strung a manual wire for the lights (which proved to be helpful considering the fact that squirrels like to take in the mild cords – ugh – and that allows me to replace sections with out dropping the rigidity of the full space). In our yard, while, considering that I wasn’t positive I desired the lights there completely, I selected to cling the lights with no a wire kit.

Everlasting vs Detachable

Technically all of these string lights are quite detachable, but there are definitely techniques to make them less difficult to set up and take down if you want that adaptability. In particular if you have to insert posts to hold the lights, you are going to want to think about how straightforward it will be to get rid of the posts if you at any time choose to. 

Glass Bulbs vs Plastic

We chose to use these business strands with glass bulbs at the ranch. They are beautiful, and since there is mulch beneath, we haven’t damaged many… But if I had it to do over yet again, but I would possibly choose plastic just to take out any worries.

In our outdoor room at dwelling, on the other hand, we have a large concrete patio underneath the lights, so plastic bulbs were a should. We also chose a strand without the excess dangling wire for every light considering the fact that we needed to gain as significantly headroom clearance as feasible. 

How to Dangle Outdoor String Lights Without the need of Trees

With all people issues in thoughts, we selected overhead plug-in lights with plastic bulbs, and I got resourceful to install them in a way that seemed classy and constructed-in but could simply be taken out if we chose to. Enable me present you how!

Resources we utilised to cling our outdoor string lights:

1. Measure your area

Use a tape measure to approach the room and decide the selection of gentle strands you want and the ideal configuration for them. You will also require to think about where you can connect the lights (see #2 down below). Fortunately, you can see the length of each strand of lights in advance of buying, so you can make your options accordingly.

We decided that a VVV development which began at the outlet previously mentioned our grill would be suitable. This usually means that the lights are absolutely unplugged most of the time. If you can, it can help to attract out the room from an aerial viewpoint.

2. Prepare your supports

We understood we desired the strands to arrive off the framing of the porch, so that gave us two of our details. We have a mountain laurel tree that is essentially in line with the porch, so that furnished level #3 on the dwelling side of the garden.

For people points, we utilised major-obligation screw hooks. The hook screws into the wooden and holds the mild strand.

On the other measurement, we experienced the mild pole for the grill, but we nevertheless required a few a lot more supports to total our VVV formation. Did you know you can generate your personal supports?

We have a wonderful wrought iron fence, but it is only about 4 toes tall, not practically tall ample to support overhead lights. I viewed as buckets or planters with cement or gravel, but I did not want to trip above them or have to lug them in or out if we at any time decided to take the lights down. 

Rather, I purchased 8-foot prolonged 1″ aluminum square tubing and painted it black to match our fence using the merchandise stated over and this approach for portray outside home furnishings. I connected the poles with weighty-responsibility black zip ties (which you truthfully never detect unless you are staring at it up close): a few at the leading for stability and a person at the bottom for highest stability.

Be aware: aluminum is really slightly versatile. You may see a very little bend in the pole if the pressure is superior, but you should not have any difficulties with durabilty.

3. String your lights

It was so uncomplicated to cling the lights! We applied zip ties about the sides of the posts and gentle pole to protected the mild strands. The cup hooks did not need any securing considering the fact that they keep the twine securely.

It has been nearly 10 months since we put in these lights, and they however glance excellent as new! I  installed them for a get together, but I was not sure if I would want to continue to keep them up all calendar year considering that our porch is lifted and they are in your line of sight when standing on the porch… but I merely really like them!

Diy Yard and Patio Lighting

In brief, you may possibly have to get creative, but hanging your string lights can be done. I do assume it is feasible to dangle stunning, expert on the lookout string lights even devoid of trees or long term poles. 

A person far more friendly reminder: If you have a pool or other drinking water attributes in your property, remember to don’t forget to use warning when utilizing just about anything electrical near water! Our lights are totally unplugged when not in use, and we double test their stability right before plugging them in.

Look at attaching to roofs and porch beams with heavy obligation screw in hooks. Check out extending steel fences with aluminum poles painted to match or doing the similar with a wood pole towards a wood fence. Use zip ties to hold it all with each other and appreciate your new room!