May 26, 2026
Stop Destroying Yards to Install Landscape Lighting | 39
<p>If your landscape lighting install leaves the client’s yard looking like a construction site, you are doing it wrong.</p><p>In Episode 39 of <strong>The Lighting Trade School Podcast</strong>, Captain Matt, <strong>Glo Show Shane</strong>, and Nate “The Illuminator” Mullen get into one of the most practical and overlooked parts of professional landscape lighting installation: <strong>how to run and bury wire without destroying the customer’s property.</strong></p><p>This conversation started after Shane got a call from a client who was nervous because other contractors told him they would need to trench through the yard, mess up the grass, and dig under concrete to get wires where they needed to go. That opened up a real conversation about what separates professional outdoor lighting installers from contractors who are still doing things the hard, messy, old-school way.</p><p>The guys talk about why deep trenching is often unnecessary, why burying wire too deep can actually create more problems later, and how shallow, clean, surgical wire runs make future fixture relocation and service much easier. Nate shares how his early electrical habits carried over into landscape lighting, why he changed his approach, and even tells a few hilarious horror stories about bad wire-burying experiments involving Sawzalls, chainsaws, and busted irrigation lines.</p><p>They also break down how to cross sidewalks, driveways, concrete, asphalt, and paver areas without turning the job into a nightmare. Instead of water jetting, undermining driveways, or leaving a mess for the homeowner, they explain cleaner methods like using expansion joints, cutting concrete, hiding the wire properly, and protecting it from weed whackers and edgers.</p><p>The episode also gets into the advantage of <strong>24-volt varivolt landscape lighting systems</strong>, smaller gauge wire, fewer home runs, reduced trenching, and why Lifetime Lighting Systems allows installers to run cleaner, smarter, more efficient jobs compared to traditional 12-volt systems.</p><p>If you install landscape lighting, train crews, sell outdoor lighting, or want your projects to look professional before, during, and after the install, this episode is a must-listen.</p><p>Topics include:</p><ul><li><p>Why landscape lighting contractors should not destroy the client’s yard</p></li><li><p>The wrong way to trench and bury low-voltage lighting wire</p></li><li><p>How to make clean, surgical wire runs through grass and beds</p></li><li><p>Why deeper wire is not always better</p></li><li><p>The problem with trenching shovels, Sawzalls, chainsaws, and water jetting</p></li><li><p>How to avoid cutting irrigation, sprinkler lines, and future landscaping areas</p></li><li><p>Why pros follow borders instead of randomly cutting across lawns</p></li><li><p>How to cross concrete, sidewalks, driveways, asphalt, and pavers cleaner</p></li><li><p>Using expansion joints and concrete cuts for wire runs</p></li><li><p>Why 24-volt varivolt lighting systems reduce wire and trenching headaches</p></li><li><p>How Lifetime Lighting Systems helps installers use smaller wire and fewer home runs</p></li><li><p>Why professional installation technique builds trust with clients</p></li><li><p>What lighting contractors can learn inside The Illuminati Lounge Club</p></li></ul><p>This is the kind of field-level training most guys only learn after tearing up a few yards, cutting a few pipes, and making expensive mistakes.</p><p>Learn it the smarter way.</p><p><strong>Ready to Start or Grow Your Landscape Lighting Business?</strong></p><p>🔹 Learn design, sales, and installation at:<a href="https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/"> <u>https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/</u></a></p><p>🔹 Buy elite fixtures from:<a href="https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/"> <u>https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/</u></a></p><p>🔹 Join The Illuminati Lounge Club — $47/mo weekly group calls with the 3 Lighting Amigos:<a href="https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club"> <u>https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club</u></a></p><p>🔹 Apply for 1-on-1 mentoring with Captain Matt:<a href="https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew"> <u>https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew</u></a></p><p>🔹 Start your own lighting biz as a GloGeek:<a href="https://glogeeksgang.com/"> <u>https://glogeeksgang.com/</u></a></p><p>🔥 50 lighting assassins. That’s it. The elite rise, everyone else is background noise. You can chase jobs…or become the one others chase. Which are you?</p>
