Evergreen Contracting & Irrigation designs and installs landscape lighting for homes in Reamstown. This is an old crossroads village with deep porches and close-set houses, both of which need a considered approach. We design around the house in front of us. Free estimates arrive within a week, and repairs get scheduled in 1 to 2 weeks.
An Old Crossroads Village
Tobias Ream laid this town out in 1760, though his family had farmed the ground since the 1720s. It was called Zoar at first, a name handed down by the Ephrata Cloister, and the Reams themselves were writing Reamstown into deeds by 1772. Locals still know it as Riemeschteddel.
The town mattered because two roads met here. The King’s Highway ran through on its way between Lancaster and Reading, and the road toward Schaefferstown crossed it in the middle of the village. That put the town at the halfway point of the stagecoach line, which meant inns, hotels, and a great many front porches facing the road.
Deep Porches Need Their Own Plan
A generous covered porch is one of the best features an old house can have, and one of the trickiest to light. The porch roof blocks any uplighting from below, so a fixture aimed at the facade simply hits the underside of the porch ceiling. Meanwhile the porch itself turns into a dark cave with a bright house behind it.
The answer is to treat the porch as its own zone rather than an obstacle. Soft light mounted within the porch, washing the ceiling or grazing the back wall, lifts the whole space and makes the entry feel welcoming. The facade above the porch roof and the gable end then get their own uplighting from ground level, where nothing is in the way.
Done properly the two layers read as one composition. Columns and railings pick up a gentle glow, the steps are clearly visible, and the upper storey still has depth and shape. Skip the porch and the front of the house always looks slightly hollow.
Close-Set Homes on Village Lots
Inside the village, houses sit near one another on modest lots. Wide floods spraying light in every direction are simply the wrong tool here. One carelessly aimed fixture puts glare in a neighbor’s window and undoes the whole design.
We use narrow beams and shielded fixtures aimed strictly at your property, then check the result from a few vantage points before finishing. Something that looks right from your own steps can be harsh from the sidewalk opposite. Height and beam angle both get adjusted until the light stops where it should.
Homes Along the Old Road
Properties on the main route through town have been watching traffic pass for two and a half centuries. That exposure means your front elevation is seen constantly, which is an advantage once the light is right. A warm, well-lit facade stands out for the right reasons after dark.
We use shielded fixtures so your design reads as calm and private rather than competing with headlights. The front walk and entry stay clearly defined for anyone pulling in. Where a house sits close to the road, we keep glare off the pavement entirely.
Built for Lancaster County Weather
Summers here bring humidity and hard storms, and winters bring ice and repeated freezing. We install weather-rated fixtures with sealed connections that manage both. Low-voltage LEDs give warm, steady light while drawing very little power, so running costs stay minimal.
Placement accounts for how a yard fills in through the season. A fixture buried in shrubs by July is money wasted, and one set too near a lawn edge gets clipped by a mower within a year. We think about where a light needs to sit in two years, not just today.
Why Homeowners Here Call Evergreen
This is a village that knows its own history and keeps its properties accordingly. Evergreen Contracting & Irrigation works to that standard, here and in nearby Stevens. Here is what comes with your project:
- Over two decades of hands-on experience since 2001
- A team skilled in both irrigation and outdoor lighting
- A two year warranty on new installations
- Manufacturer warranties for added assurance
- Discounts for our military service members
- Maintenance on a quarterly, monthly, or seasonal schedule
- A locally owned, family-run approach to every job
A few fixtures or a whole property, the care does not change. We do the work right and stand behind it.
Frequently Asked Questions
My covered porch makes the front of the house look dark. What helps?
This is the most common problem we see on older homes, and it has a clean solution. The porch roof blocks light coming from the ground, so uplighting alone leaves the porch itself in shadow while the rest of the house glows. The porch has to be lit separately.
We mount soft fixtures inside the porch, either washing the ceiling or grazing the back wall, which lifts the whole space without glare in anyone’s eyes. Columns, railings, and the front door all pick up definition. The facade above the porch roof is then uplit from ground level as normal.
The result is a front elevation with two layers of light that read as one. It is a noticeable difference, and it is usually only two or three extra fixtures.
Would solar lights do the same job for less?
They are cheaper up front, and for a decorative accent in full sun they can be fine. For a system you rely on, they have real limitations that are worth knowing before you buy.
Solar fixtures need direct sun to charge, which is exactly what you do not get under a porch, beneath mature trees, or on the north side of a house. Output also drops in winter, when days are short and the sun sits low, which happens to be the season you most want the lights working. Batteries degrade over a few years and often cannot be replaced.
Low-voltage wired systems run at consistent brightness every night regardless of weather, use very little power, and last for many years. That is why we install them rather than solar for anything you actually depend on.
What color of light suits an older house?
Warm white, in the 2700K to 3000K range. That is the residential standard, and it flatters brick, stone, and painted wood, which is what most homes here are built from. Cooler light above 4000K reads blue and institutional, and it drains the warmth out of old brick so the wall looks grey.
Consistency matters just as much as the number. Mixing a warm path light with a cool uplight on the same facade looks unintentional. We keep one color temperature across each area and show you the effect on your own house after dark before anything is fixed in place.
Will the lights bother my neighbors on a small lot?
Not with the right fixtures. We use narrow beams and shielded units aimed only at your property, then check the design from several angles including the sidewalk and the house opposite. Light stopping at your property line is a design requirement, not an afterthought.
How soon can you provide an estimate?
Free estimates arrive within a week of your call. Most installations then take one to three days depending on the size of the design. You get a clear timeline before we begin, and our crew works efficiently and cleans up fully.
Contact Us
Ready to see your home at its best after sunset? Evergreen Contracting & Irrigation is ready to help. We provide free estimates within a week, so you can move ahead quickly. With seasonal service and maintenance, your lighting keeps performing all year.
Contact us today to book your consultation and take the first step toward a beautifully lit property.