Spring Landscaping Projects: Call Before You Dig

Spring is the season that inspires us to enhance our lawns with new plantings and landscaping. Smart homeowners “know what’s below” before they jump into any landscaping project. April has been designated National Safe Digging Month to reinforce the familiar Call Before You Dig program.

April’s Call 811 message promotion began in 2008 by Common Ground Alliance (CGA). According to CGA, over 20 million miles of subterranean utilities in the United States can be destroyed by unsafe digging.

Call Before You Dig Basics for DIY Projects

Even small, do-it-yourself lawn projects qualify for the call-before-you-dig phone numbers (811 or 800-782-5348). When making the call, you should know:

Address where you plan to dig
- County
- Nearest cross street(s)
Exact area in which you plan to dig
Type of lawn project

Arizona homeowners can go to https://www.arizona811.com/homeowners/ and create a ticket at least 2 days before a landscaping project. You’ll receive information about underground utilities and professional locators will mark the underground lines with paint or flags. As you work, keep within 2 feet of your marked underground utilities. For additional information, contact Arizona 811.

Advantages of Professional Landscape Lighting

Understanding how your home’s electrical system works, inside and out, is helpful when planning any home improvement project. Plowing into your yard’s surface with a shovel is not only a bad idea, but it can also be dangerous. You can hit a buried line or pipe when only shoveling a few inches. An underground utility wire is broken every 9 minutes due to inappropriate digging, says the CGA.

Consult with landscape lighting pros before beginning your outdoor flowers, plants, and tree upgrades. They often have ideas and considerations you may have missed. But professional landscape lighting is sometimes seen as an unnecessary expense. You’re adding beautiful plants to your yard. Why spend more?

Landscape lighting increases your property value. Realtors argue it adds more “perceived” value than actual, but Angi.com says landscape lighting can add about $2,500 to your home value. Depending on the type of lighting you choose and the cost, the ROI (return on investment) is viable.

Landscape lighting delivers more than beauty. The value of the increased property and personal safety is priceless.

Professional landscape lighting is worth the investment. The project gets completed safely and quickly. Many outdoor lighting upgrades include digging, and your local Phoenix-area electrician will automatically obtain the necessary information and permits.

Outdoor Lighting Trends

Some of 2023’s most popular outdoor lighting upgrades and installations are:

Lanterns – Wall or independently mounted lanterns can’t be placed without careful considerations: location, size, and style.
Smart security – This trend is more popular than ever before. Motion detectors, scheduled lighting, and backyard floodlights are solid safety choices.
Spotlights – These are primarily used to illuminate plants, trees, and flowerbeds.
String lights – These are most frequently used in backyards, around pools, and patios. But they can add elegance to front yard trees when professionally installed.
Walkway – Flush-mounted ground lights are often considered the most attractive and tasteful walkway lighting installations. There are many styles and types of pathway lights, including:
- Bollard
- Garden
- Post lights
- Sconces
- Step-/stairlights
Wall lights – These lights improve the overall appearance of your home but also can brighten entrances and illuminate dark corners of your house.

TIO Electric Outdoor Lighting Solutions

You can print a free copy of the Arizona 811 brochure. It includes information about laws and liabilities for homeowners.

You won’t need to call before you dig when you partner with your family’s local electrical contractor. We will obtain all information and any permits needed for your outdoor lighting project.

As Phoenix’s LEED-certified electrician, Turn It On Electric offers sustainable outdoor lighting design services for Arizona communities, including: