Outdoor light fixture change-up

Can’t wait to show you some bigger changes that have happened outside this year but they are all still in process. 

But here is a small change that I accomplished yesterday.  This light fixture was looking quite sad and definitely not doing any good for the curb appeal of the house.  Plus not sure if the bulb was just bad (it was extremely hard to figure out how to even change the bulb?) or if it wasn’t even working anymore. 

And we needed some light on this side of the garage ASAP for security reasons. 

I had purchased this pretty black wall lantern quite a while ago from Lowe’s ($20 or so?)and it had sat in the garage waiting to be installed.

So the other day, I finally tackled this job.  Changing a basic light fixture can completely be a DIY job.  My brother is an electrician and has shared some tips with me but honestly it is not that hard.  I won’t give a complete tutorial – but read some tutorials online, ask an electrician friend and you can totally attempt this.  It is much easier to do with 2 people but I have changed out plenty all by myself too. 

First you have to turn off the light switch and the breaker to the light fixture.  Test and make sure that the breaker truly is off!  Unscrew whatever screws are holding the light fixture up and you are left with something like this behind it – 2 wires (black and white) and a ground wire either grounded to a screw or connected to another ground wire.

On the back of your fixture you will have the same – a black and white wire, and a ground wire.  It is as simple as connecting the black wire on the fixture to the black wire on the house, the white wire on the fixture to the white wire on the house, and the ground wire to each other and then securing the ground wire to the ground screw (usually green).  And then securing the light fixture to the house. 

You use these special electrical cap screws to attach the wires to each other.  They will come with a new fixture or you can pick up some at a hardware store for a used fixture.

No pictures during installation as I was doing it myself and balancing a screw driver, caps, and a light fixture is enough without adding a camera too.  

But here’s the finished product!  So much better and it actually works too!

Love that the finish on this light fixture won’t rust over time either. 

Do you need to add some curb appeal to your home with a new or spray painted light fixture?  Do you DIY small electrical things like changing out light fixtures or hire it out?

Disclosure: I am not an electrician and not providing professional advice.  If you attempt to install a light fixture, you do so at your own risk.  If you are unsure or feel uncomfortable trying it, please hire an electrician!