What are the best outdoor wall lights for a double garage?

A double garage usually presents a wide, open elevation that takes the full force of driving rain, so the outdoor wall lights you specify should carry IP65 where the facade is fully exposed and IP44 where a canopy, soffit overhang or recessed porch protects the fitting. The IP code's first digit covers solid particles and the second covers moisture; IP44 means the fitting withstands splashing water from any direction, while IP65 withstands low-pressure jets. Die-cast aluminium bodies with silicone gaskets and toughened glass hold their seal far longer than injection-moulded plastic, which becomes brittle under UV exposure. Check that the cable gland or grommet entry is sealed as well — a fitting rated IP65 fails in practice if water wicks into an unsealed backplate entry. For a double garage with two fittings either side of a 4.5–5 metre door opening, matching IP65 units such as a 10W LED wall luminaire keep the specification consistent and simplify maintenance, since both fittings share the same gasket, driver and lens type.

Mounting height controls both glare and coverage. At 1.8–2 metres above finished ground level, a wall light throws light onto the driveway and door handles without shining directly into the eyes of anyone stepping out of a car. Below 1.5 metres the fitting becomes a glare source; above 2.5 metres the light spreads too thinly across the apron and the wall wash effect is lost. On a double garage, position one fitting roughly 300–500 mm to the side of each door edge so the beams overlap across the opening, and keep both fittings at identical heights — a mismatch of even 100 mm is obvious on a long elevation. Before drilling, confirm the route of any buried or chased cable; the NAPIT consumer electrical advice sets out safe practice for working near fixed wiring, and any new spur from the consumer unit should be installed by a registered electrician under Part P. Use a backplate sized to cover the previous fitting's footprint if you are replacing existing units, and seal fixings with exterior-grade mastic.

3000K is the correct colour temperature for a domestic garage elevation. It renders brick, render and door colours accurately and keeps the light looking deliberate rather than institutional. 4000K and 5000K fittings read as commercial and push the facade towards a blue-grey cast after dark, which flattens the elevation and spills a colder tone into neighbouring windows. Alongside colour temperature, check the colour rendering index: a CRI of 80 or above keeps car paintwork and planting looking natural under the fittings. Output matters as much as colour. A 10W LED delivering roughly 900–1000 lumens per fitting is sufficient either side of a double door; anything above 1500 lumens per unit on a residential elevation causes glare and light trespass. Up/down fittings add vertical wall wash that makes a wide double garage read as one composition after dark, while a single clear-glass unit produces a defined pool of light for the door threshold. Match both fittings to the same Kelvin rating and output — mixed temperatures on one elevation is the most common specification error on garage installations.

The cleanest control arrangement is a switched fused spur feeding both fittings from a single point, so one switch inside the house or garage operates the pair. Where manual switching is impractical, specify a PIR sensor or photocell: a PIR triggers on movement and times out after a set period, while a photocell brings the fittings on at dusk and off at dawn automatically. For a garage used daily, a PIR with a 5–10 minute hold time and an override facility gives the best balance of security and energy use. Any work on fixed wiring outside must comply with BS 7671 and Part P of the Building Regulations, and the circuit should be RCD-protected. Follow the electrical safety precautions from the HSE when isolating and testing the circuit before connection. Keep all jointed connections inside the fitting or in a rated external junction box — never taped joints behind a backplate. If the garage supply already runs to an existing light, an electrician can usually extend it to both new positions without lifting the driveway.