Wall mounted outdoor area lights

[Leaflessshadetree]

It's time to put lights on the outside of my building. I often work outdoors so want good coverage of some large areas (3 areas the smallest being 40'x40').
I can mount them 15'-20' high. Wiring isn't complete yet, but each area will be on it's own circuit with a couple outlets.
I am not concerned with the looks of the fixtures, just want as much light as possible. I won't be leaving them on all night, light pollution isn't an issue (no neighbors or streets).
I've been looking for LEDs but will consider other options.
Any recommendations. Will $600 be enough for 3-6 lights (not including wiring)?

 

[Fallon]

Curious as well. I have the cheap 3 spotlight bulb fixture on my shop & a 60 watt bulb fixture on the house. Want to change the fixture on the house to something that will light the 100 odd feet out to the shop. Looking to upgrade both fixtures to something better, preferably LED. Looking at over $100 per fixture for something from the big box stores form something that is basically 2 sockets. If I went that route it would be cheaper to just get the basic cheap 2-3 socket fixture & put in LED spotlight bulbs. Get decent light off the 3 spotlight fixture on the shop, especially off the 1 bulb I replaced with a 100 watt equivalent LED spotlight.

 

[thymer]

I installed two of these (one over each door) on my new 60x40x14 and it really lights the area well, uber bright and great spread. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YFYKE4O/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Kaizen]

I just went this route as I have a dual fixture up about 25 feet on my house that uses 150watt 4 inch bulbs. small and worked great. looked at some led lights and tried this one.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defiant-180-White-LED-Motion-Outdoor-Security-Light-DFI-5982-WH/205937592
unit was well built and worked fine but it made my yard look like a messed up dream. I would definitely test wire them and try them out before going down that road. I think if I got one that was close to a normal light or daylight color it would be fine.

 

[Junkman]

The local utility did a LED upgrade at work, and they used a wall pack fixture. It is bright as can be, and when I looked up the part number, it cost about $350. I would like to add them to my home, but at that price, I will wait till they come down in price.

 

[frankush]

40' square is a large area. More fixtures will work better than fewer due to some overlap. As far as light levels to work by, everyone is different. What works for me might not work for you. LED's can throw a lot of light, but I think you'll need a bigger budget. Even cheap metal halides are going to stretch it. Cheap quartz halogen floods will do the job within your budget, but the lamps don't last long. Can't say if 6 will be enough. Your mounting height is good for lighting a large area.

 

[checkthisout]

I put up a flood lamp fixture that has 3 bulbs. Works excellent and you can use whatever bulbs you like vs a specific fixture with a certain kind of bulb.

If your fixture protrudes you can add even more lamp assemblies to the knockouts in the top, sides and bottom of the box.

 

[DTE]

I put up a LED dusk to dawn light from Lowes that was 99.00 and it is nice and bright . It is 14-15 ft off the ground and lights up the end of my building like daylight, the area it covers is 26 deep

 

[ValveCoverGasket]

i put up two of these outside the house the other week, and really enjoy them. they're meant to be run by switches - no sensors - and theyre incredibly bright!

good deal price wise and appear to be sturdy and well built, though i havent had them long, but the reviews online sound promising for longevity.

Lowe's Utilitech LED Flood Light

 

[Fallon]

i put up two of these outside the house the other week, and really enjoy them. they're meant to be run by switches - no sensors - and theyre incredibly bright!

good deal price wise and appear to be sturdy and well built, though i havent had them long, but the reviews online sound promising for longevity.

Lowe's Utilitech LED Flood Light

I've got one of those or something that looks identical on my chicken coop. It does a good job of lighting the 8' wide front of the chicken coop & part of the 30' to the house. But it's not any better than a pair of 60 watt bulbs, albeit a bit more focused. Personally I'm looking for a fair bit more lumens to slap on the outside of my shop or the side of the house pointing towards the shop.

 

[cybrdyke]

It's time to put lights on the outside of my building. I often work outdoors so want good coverage of some large areas (3 areas the smallest being 40'x40').
I can mount them 15'-20' high. Wiring isn't complete yet, but each area will be on it's own circuit with a couple outlets.
I am not concerned with the looks of the fixtures, just want as much light as possible. I won't be leaving them on all night, light pollution isn't an issue (no neighbors or streets).
I've been looking for LEDs but will consider other options.
Any recommendations. Will $600 be enough for 3-6 lights (not including wiring)?

You need a real wallpack to do that. None of those cheesy big box lights will do that. A quality LED version, which is what I'd recommend, will be in the range of 50 to 80 watts of power, delivering between 5000 and 8000 lumens. That's what you should be looking for. You're going to spend somewhere around $150 to $200 for a good one from a known name brand. Get one from a local electrical supply house instead of from some unknown brand from an internet seller.
Good luck
CD