Garden lighting design and installation

Homeowners, landscapers and garden designers who subcontract lighting, and commercial owners such as restaurants, hotels and shops.

A quoted price per project covering design, fittings and labour, with a margin on the equipment. Some clients later pay for extra zones, upgrades or maintenance visits.

• Practical installation skills such as cabling and fixing
• Design sense for placing light well
• Electrical knowledge, or a qualified partner
• Quoting jobs and managing customers

• Public liability insurance, plus employer's liability once you take on staff
• Fixed mains electrical work outdoors should be done by a competent, qualified electrician. It may be notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules, so check the requirements where you work, for example with your local authority building control
• Digging near buried cables and pipes, so check before you dig
• Outdoor work is weather-dependent and busier in spring and summer, so plan your cash flow
• A van or vehicle to carry tools and fittings

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £2,000 to £9,000, depending on your tools, stock and vehicle. Check insurance too, including public liability, and employer's liability once you take on staff.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around £1,500 to £7,500, depending on how many jobs you win and their size. Work is weather-dependent and busier in spring and summer, so plan your cash flow. Estimates suggest at least about 15 hours a week.

Check that fixed outdoor mains work is done by a competent, qualified electrician. It may be notifiable under Part P in England and Wales, while Scotland and Northern Ireland differ, so ask local authority building control. Also check for buried cables and pipes before digging.