Outdoor illumination has been wonderful to work with. They are always responsive when I call and very thorough in troubleshooting any issues. Ken is professional, kind, and incredibly knowledgeable-he seems to able to fix or troubleshoot just about anything. A great company that I would highly recommend! read more

I met one of the technician for few minutes ti evaluate irrigation system. All he did was this is not a good time to do it and he planned to come back late summer. Further, I asked them to set the timer on my ligthting system and they send another technician. He advised he cant not do and i should contact the pool service who set the light. I n few weeks, I received a huge bill, just about thousend dollers for two visits. I explained the sitatuation to the managers and there was a very minimal discount. I strongly recommend to stay away from this company. read more

Outdoor Illumination is FABULOUS! Mark and team- are the best -- all details - down to the positioning of the lighting -- and impact. We entertain regularly - and our garden has become a year round paradise! We can't say enough how wonderful Mark and his team are! Highly recommend!!!!!!!! read more

I worked with Pete on an outdoor lighting design for our house, both front and back yard to replace the very old lighting and transformers we had. I let him know that budget was a concern as we moved in recently and have been getting lots of projects done to get the house fully working and maintained. He designed a modest front and back yard package and also included repair/replacement of one set of lights in the back that I had already purchased on my own. In the end, the quote was too much, so Pete and I spoke and decided that all I really needed for now was the back yard since that's what I mostly use and I decided to go with that. They got me in in a pinch before I had people visiting from out of town so the project was done fast one I made a decision. The two guys who did the work did a great job and I even had them remove all the old parts I wasn't using. The new lighting looks great and the old lighting - now removed - got rid of the unsightly broken lights and a really ugly transformer attached to my house. You can't really tell anyone was even in my yard doing work. I am very pleased. read more

My husband and I purchased a house in the Fall (2016) in Bethesda. Both the irrigation and outdoor lighting had been managed by Outdoor Illumination(OI). Before settlement on the house we requested the seller to provide documentation that both systems were in good and working order. We received a letter from OI stated that yes, all was in good and working order. House settlement was mid September. In early October we requested to meet with OI so that they could show us how the systems worked and to review maintenance plans. We met shortly after and were informed after they were checking the system they there were three breaks in the sprinkler lines. They blamed root strangulation. I still have a very hard time believing that in the three weeks after settlement and a month after receiving the letter that we now have had root strangulation and three breaks. We had to pay to repair. In November/December they came to flush the lines for Winter and found that our generator contractors landscaping company dredged through the back flow and piping. After a frustrating dialogue with all three parties I told them to figure it out and fix the problems to we aren't having to deal with a bigger issue or more problems in the spring. OI fixed the issue (or so we thought) at the expense of our generator company; who has now been paid in full. Fast forward to yesterday. Still salty about our experience thus far I had our new landscaping company take over the sprinkler maintenance. They went to check and turn back on the system only to find two more additional breaks AND the back flow issue NOT resolved! Actually the fix that was made basically fell right apart. We have done no digging, it wasn't a harsh winter, there has been no work done on the property near any line (or anywhere for that matter) and now within 7 months of owning this property and less than 3 months of the irrigation running we have had 5 breaks (that we know of) and a crappy repair job. I've spoken to the company multiple times and keep getting the same story....that they checked the systems and all were working but that tree roots can cause problems and that it's out of their hands. I'm still not buying the excuses. So here we are having to pay (AGAIN) to fix this system. Now let's talk about the lighting side of this company.....we signed up for the quarterly maintenance. So they are supposed to come out...check bulbs, change any burnt out, fix any issues, and check timers. Before they came both front and back lights were working. When the techs arrived they knew nothing about the system turn on or shut offs (it was daytime so they were obviously off). I found the turn on for the front yard but couldn't find the back. They fiddled with it and figured out how to get it on. That very same evening our front lights turned on but our back lights did not. Again, I'm confused?! They came to service a working system that now is not working after the service. I call. They send two techs out (which is had to pay for them to return)....who then informed me the circuit breaker box was bad. Ummm excuse me? It worked before you serviced it. We were told we needed a new box and that they would have to order. So now we have to pay for another service trip and the breaker box. Now I'm a very reasonable and understanding person but this entire process and service with OI has been an epic fail. Either the techs don't know what they are doing, the company isn't making enough money off the service contracts and need to make up for it somewhere, or they assume because we live in bethesda in a nice house we can be taken advantage of. Bottom line - I would not under any circumstance refer this company to anyone who doesn't want to be constantly shelling out money. read more

See all

I greatly enjoyed working with Outdoor Illumination. They were professional from start to finish. The overview of my needs was thorough and the recommendations were specific to my requests. The work was completed competently and impeccably; I couldn't even tell they had been digging around by the time they left. Highly recommended. read more

A friend recommended Outdoor Illumination and I'm glad we took his recommendation. The team at Outdoor Illumination did an excellent job in design and installation our our landscape lighting. The team was very knowledgeable and professional. The made excellent recommendations based on our needs. The work was performed perfectly and we are very happy with the results. I would highly recommend them! read more

Great job. Peter was on top of everything. The result was even more beautiful that I could have imagined. Initially, each light looked like a small, copper flying saucer. And now they are becoming a lovely green. We only notice the soft, radiant light. The rates are not cheap, but you get quality. And that is what I got -quality. I strongly recommend them. Mark Silinsky read more

Outdoor Illuminations were recommended by my landscape gardener 10+ years ago. At that time they designed and installed my garden lights. Magical! In the past five years I've had them back, once to maintain the lights in the original garden, and this year to change things around as I had had a radical redesign. Last night I saw the results...magic again. Thanks to much to the whole team at OI. From the office staff to the team who design and instal; top notch work at what I consider reasonable prices. read more

The Outdoor Illumination experience was excellent! Great design, easy to work with, excellent execution, and great followup service. I'll use them again and recommend them anytime! read more

We had OI install path lights as a Christmas gift for my parents. The end result is beautiful! The stairs are well lit and lights themselves are a pretty copper that will age into verdigris. The install was very careful and the same day it looked as if the ground had never been disturbed. They worked with my timing for estimate and install to keep it secret since it was a gift. And during the estimate they were very flexible as we played with approach and budget. We will use them again on our own house read more

Outdoor Illumination installed our lighting well over twenty years ago and we have enjoyed the beautiful enhancements to our property every day since then! On occasion they have had to come for minor repairs or bulb upgrades and the crew is always very professional and courteous. We wholeheartedly recommend OI to all of our friends and neighbors! read more

I am lucky enough ot have a terrace that overlooks the harbor. Outdoor illumination created the lighting scheme that makes the entire space incredibly inviting and dramatic at night. I could not be more pleased with the job that they did. They were recommended to me by a landscaper and they lived up to their billing . They came out a few times to see whether or not their ideas were working, changed some things, made it better, and have been very available to me during the entire process. I do not know how they rank in terms of cost, but service has been great. read more

We are writing to express our appreciation for the manner in which Pete Strain has handled himself. He has been extremely responsive and has communicated well. Pete is very professional and has completed every task asked of him in a timely fashion. He is an exemplary employee and you should feel lucky to have him in your employ. We would like to thank Outdoor Illumination for working with us. It has been a pleasure working with a company that deserves the highest praise. read more

Good honest company. Owner Mark Oxley arrived at my house on time, delivered as promised; price is very fair; his workers were on time, and my house is now very nicely lit. Fully recommend to others. read more

Highly recommend this company. We worked with Pete Strain, a true professional. They scheduled us quickly, were on time, worked with us on modifications, and were reasonably priced. read more

We recently bought a house in Potomac whose outdoor lighting work had been apparently done by OII. Anyway, the lights in the back yard were not working, so we called them. They sent two "senior" technicians at an hourly rate to debug. They walked around and had no idea how the wiring had been done and which OI team had done the wiring, and were unable to debug what was going wrong with the lights. They charged us for two technicians (not sure what the senior meant, since they were neither old, nor wise) and asked if we wanted them to still look around and figure out what was going on. We politely said no, thanks. I went out and debugged the problem in 15 minutes (was a cut wire). I am very disappointed in this vendor. read more

We have a six acre waterfront property on the upper Chesapeake that needed the finishing touch of expert outdoor lighting. Entertained three proposals. Selected Outdoor Illumination (in the middle re. $$) because of the overall design proposal and their attitude. Four weeks later, I observed a week-long installation by an incredibly polite, hard-working, extremely neat (hand-dug trenches for the wires) and daily visits by the chief designer/project manager (2 hours plus from home-base). Upon the final dusk, the crew hung out for two hours until dark so that they could respond to our reactions and opinion of the night time lighting. Spectacular! Flawless! Amazing! Its been a month now, and I now enjoy dusk as much as the sunrise. Not really ... but pretty close. read more

Derek and the Outdoor Illumination team were great - they completed their electrical and lighting work for us on time (and at a much lower cost than the other bids we received)! 5 Stars! read more

I called to find an electrical line that powers outside gazebo that recently got shorted due to storm. The line is buried below grass, so I called them and sent them pictures to see if they could find the line and fix it because they specialize in outside electrical. Even though they charge $115 to have the person come out to estimate the work, I said I was willing to pay because the rep assured me they could find it. The guy did come out but couldn't find it and said a new line has to be laid, at a cost of 8 hours or about $1000 plus materials, plus additional fees. When I told the rep it was too expensive and was ready pay for one hour of work, he said there would be additional fees including "trip" fee and materials fee. I wasn't aware of this and when I asked how much it was, he wouldn't answer it at first. Only after repeated ask, he said it's $65. Not sure what "materials" fee will be for estimating work. I still haven't received my invoice so I have no idea how much I'm going to be charged for the estimate work. Beware and make sure to send you an invoice before booking any appointments, unless you want to be charge exorbitant amount of estimate work. read more

We recently had Outdoor Illumination perform maintenance on and enhance a system installed a few years ago. They do a great job at a very reasonable price. They are always prompt and thorough and very responsive to email and phone inquiries. We happily recommend them to neighbors and friends. read more