My favorite estate in Dallas is still for sale

I was blessed seven years ago with opportunity to work on this amazing Robert A.M. Stern estate. Architectural Digest described it as Stern’s “finest pied-à-terre.” The estate has been host to presidents and numerous entertainers including Don Henley, Michael McDonald, Journey and the Doobie Brothers. I even received several invites!

I was referred to the property manager, Darrell, who was looking for someone to trust working on their landscape lighting system and got lucky enough to get the work. Honestly, taking care of the landscape lighting wasn't a high priority for the owner, so I didn't do a lot of work over the years. At least not what you'd expect...I got so much more. I was never able to convince Darrell or the owner on the majority of work the lighting system required, however the relationship forged with Darrell is something I'll cherish. When things were slow in the beginning, Darrell was always good for a cup of coffee on the grounds and even allowed me to run a tractor at the ranch home the owner was building. Darrell took another job on an estate in Wyoming a couple years ago, but before he left, he loaded my van and gave me a covered trailer full of tools for my company. Still amazes me today when I think of all he did for me.

So Darrell, your baby is on the market for a cool $28,500,000, thanks again for everything and I hope the new owners give me a call to finish what we started.

The Baron Estate

LED Landscape Lighting...Your Questions Answered

Over the last six years, LED lighting has gradually become the hot topic when someone inquired about landscape lighting so I thought I'd share my feelings and experiences regarding the most often asked questions throughout this time.

How much does an LED landscape lighting system cost? Prices have come down dramatically and there is virtually no difference when you compare it to a the typical high-voltage mercury vapor system. 

How long will an LED landscape lamp/unit last? They are typically rated for 50,000 hours, so if they are on all night, every night, they should last roughly ten years. This is a bit misleading though, as they typically carry a three-five year warranty and as the years go by it gradually loses it's lumen output (light intensity). Additionally, our installations have demonstrated roughly 5% failure rate during this warranty period. 

How is the color going to look on my landscape? They've made significant improvement over the years to give the customer a variety of kelvin ratings to choose. Typically, 2,700k (warm lighting) to 5,000k (cool lighting)  is what's found. However, every manufacturer's kelvin is different when it comes to LED, meaning one's 5,000k will look completely different than another. This is due to the different styles and binning of the light source (diode) which can be make things difficult when having to maintain one down the road. 

How much money will I save on my energy bill? Again, if compared to a mercury vapor system, you'll see a roughly 60-75% reduction in your electrical usage. This may sound like a lot, but when you look deeper amounts to roughly $40 monthly on a design with 15 units. Of course, savings will increase along with the total number of units in your design.

My personal set of pros and cons for the customer to weigh.

Pros

• Energy savings
• Warranty
• Less equipment in trees and landscape
• Variety of equipment to choose from
• Increased ability to create different lighting affects
• Cool to the touch when operating

Cons

• Small beam pattern...meaning you need more units to cover an area when downlighting and lighting doesn't fill larger tree canopies when uplighting
• Color is different than what people are used to, but still nice.
• Subtle differences from light to light

LED for your landscape lighting is continually evolving and has its' place in virtually all of our designs today. However, for the majority of our designs, a myriad of circumstances dictate its' use. Contact us if you have questions on whether LED is right for your landscape lighting project.

$500,000,000 spec house...nothing shocks me anymore

Looks like a space ship landed among all those poor little L.A. million dollar mansions...100,000 sqft of complete unadulterated opulence being built in Bel Air, without an actual buyer, and being dubbed "The One". 

Through my job, I've become desensitized to what people do with their wealth. Last year, I did the landscape lighting on two 20,000+ sqft estates and over the years have designed several other estates that have exceeded 40,000 sqft. So far this year, I'm working on another 20plus sqfter and trying to secure another exceeding 50,000 sqft. I used to ask myself all the questions of "why" and "how could they", but now I just say thank you and go on my merry way. 

To put all this in perspective, the average neighborhood Wal Mart exceeds 45,000 sqft and the average discount Wal Mart is roughly 140,000 sqft. So basically, "The One" falls right about in the middle of all those isles of craziness. Here's the link to a recent article with developer-builder Nile Niami and if you don't want to read the article completely, just take a look at a bit of what "The One" has to offer.

• Five swimming pools
• Night club
• Casino
• Jellyfish tanks
• Cigar lounge
• Sky deck
• Putting green
• 30 car garage
• 45-seat IMAX theater
• 5,000 sqft master bedroom

Here are a couple architectural renderings from McClean Design.

McClean Design

McClean Design

The only things I keep thinking about is spec house and the part in the movie Tin Cup where Cheech Marin, caddying for Craig Sadler says "you have extra large juevos"! Good luck Mr. Niami.

What's everyones initial thoughts?

E2 Illumination Designs is a design-build-maintain landscape lighting company based in Dallas and continually works throughout the country wherever fine outdoor lighting design is demanded. Please contact us with any questions.

Time to visit the Dallas Arboretum

My little ninos in 2014

Every year I try to bring my family to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to not only see the beautiful explosion of spring color, but mainly to try and capture a few unexpected photos for the office.

If you've never been, I highly recommend spending a Saturday or Sunday...and I do mean a DAY! Take time to enjoy the 66 acres of manicured landscapes and explosion of spring color now through April 10th as the Dallas Blooms are out in full force. 

Dallas Blooms

My personal favorite garden is the Nancy Rutchik Red Maple Rill. I really don't know how to describe its' beauty, but the two-acre garden is anchored by a 100 year old weeping japanese maple and will lead you to the adjoining Martin Rutchik Concert Stage & Lawn. 

Nancy Rutchik Red Maple Rill

We usually spend a couple hours on the lawn enjoying a picnic and letting the kids run like "Forrest Gump" throughout the expansive area. After fatigue sets in, you'll find the kids enjoying a roll down the hill in their own little competition with all the other kids to see who can make it to the bottom. Also, take some time to see who is playing in the Cool Thursday night concert series throughout the spring/summer. I already have my eyes on May 26th with the All Funk Radio Show Band to get me a bit of Motown, R&B, and authentic Funk.

The Dallas  Arboretum and Botanical Garden is extremely family friendly and just one of those places to sit back and enjoy all of God's glory. The best time of the year is NOW...before the heat moves in so look for us the next several weeks and enjoy!

E2 Illumination Designs is a design-build-maintain landscape lighting company based in Dallas and continually works throughout the country wherever fine outdoor lighting design is demanded. Please contact us with any questions.