How to Install and Wire an Outdoor Lamppost

Curb appeal is more than a way to impress prospective buyers when you are selling your home. It's also something that can make you feel good about coming home every time you pull into your driveway. Sometimes something quite small can make a big difference. Ron decided that a lamp post and carriage lantern on his front lawn would give his home a warm and welcoming look.

1. Dig hole
In the northeast where Ron's home is, it gets very cold in the winter and the earth can freeze down to two feet or more below the surface. This creates what is called a frost heave effect. Unfortunately, if the ground freezes beneath the end of a post, it can actually be pushed up out of the ground.

To avoid this, the hole needs to be at least two and a half feet deep (or 30 inches.) This can be dug with a posthole digger but there is a much easier way.

A posthole auger is basically a giant earth drill, and you can rent one at almost any home improvement or rental center. Just make sure you hang on tight when you turn the auger on. If you are working in rocky soil then you are bound to hit a few bumps.

Unless you are particularly handy with electrical work, you may want to hire an electrician to run a line to the location you have chosen. Make sure to use special outdoor or underground rated cable, which encases electrical wires in PVC. The wire needs to be buried at least 12 inches underground in most areas, but in particularly cold areas, 18 inches is recommended.

Pour about two inches of crushed rock into the bottom of your posthole, to drain away any water that might collect there.

The post that Ron selected was pre-stained and made of solid cedar, which has the rare combination of being lightweight, yet strong. Cedar is also highly resistant to rot, decay and insects because of the natural oils produced by the tree.

2. Post wiring
Ron's post had been prepared ahead of time for the wire to run through the center, making installation much simpler. It was designed so that the wire enters the post below the ground and then runs up the center and comes out the top. Some post manufacturers will also preinstall a string line through the center of the post so that all you have to do is loop the wire through the string and pull it up through the top.

If you have a pre-strung post, secure the loop by wrapping it with electrical tape and then push the wire into the hole, go to the opposite end and pull it through, using the string.

3. Set post
Once the wire is in the post, you can set the post in the hole. A strap-on level leaves your hands free. To hold the post in position, drive in a couple of stakes and then clamp a board between the stakes and the post.

Loosen the clamps to make the necessary adjustments. Once the post is plumb and vertical, tighten the clamps securing the post just where you want it.

Although cedar is highly rot resistant, it is not rot proof. To extend its life, the manufacturer suggests that the post is set in dirt instead of concrete. Concrete forms a jacket or collar around the post and if the post shrinks, water can get trapped in between the concrete and the wood causing the post to rot prematurely.

After adding a few inches of soil, use the end of a 2 by 4 to pack it down tightly. Once the hole is backfilled and compacted, the clamps and braces can be removed.

A cedar sleeve that slips over the top and is held in place with finish nails, turns an otherwise ordinary post into something special. To keep water from getting between the post and the sleeve, apply caulk to the joint and smooth out the bead using your finger.

A post cap adds a classic touch and incorporates a mounting base with the light fixture.

4. Light fixture wiring
When working alone, you can create a clamp-on shelf so that you can lay the light fixture down while you connect the wires.

The electrical connections are basic. First split the PVC covering, strip off the wire insulation, secure the wires together using wire nuts, and then wrap the wires tightly with electrical tape for added weather proofing.

Wrapping the wires will also help you tuck the wires into the hole in the center of the post more easily.

Slip the lantern over the mounting base, install the screw, check for level, and then put in the remaining fasteners.

5. Finishing touches
The final touch is to set the lantern top and trim ring in place, and then screw on the finial.

There's something very welcoming about a lamp post. It really communicates the welcoming message to your guests: we're home, come on in!