Home Services reviews in Encinitas, California

Could not have been happier with the work done for me by Lighting Distinctions.! It was not a large job but I was treated as if I were their biggest customer.! The guys were very helpful in helping me make technical decisions and in the placing of the low voltage lights. Stephanie was great to work with, always available and always with great advice. I highly recommend them for your low voltage lighting project.

Joel and Stephanie came out for a free estimate and laid out their vision for the outdoor project. They were kind, knowledgeable, and best of all willing to work within my budget and goals. Install was done very professionally and I mean they were very meticulous on the quality and placement of each light. Very well thought out out and functionality as their prime end goal in mind. My house now looks like a high end resort at dusk. I’m am understanding that our home is the envy of our block right now. Besides looking so awesome I now stay outside later and sleep a whole lot better with the added security benefit of the lighting.

Lighting Distinctions is an excellent choice when looking for landscape lighting. The design and recommendations were superior to other vendors we considered and the installation went very well.

A particular strength is Joel's ability to understand what types of fixtures and lighting will work well with a particular property and then to help the customer visualize the result through the use of temporary lighting.

I seldom write a review but this is an exceptional trustworthy Lighting Company. Not only did Joel personally contact us but he and his Team were here within a couple days to assess what we were wanting, made recommendations and the job was completed within a very reasonable time frame. We were kept updated during the entire process. We found it very refreshing to have the excellent customer service and Professionalism. Which we had found lacking in another competitor. I'd highly recommend.

We had interviewed several other contractors and we weren’t super excited yet. But when we met with Joel Barnett, owner of Lighting Distinctions, the lights went on! Joel worked with us on cost. We were impressed with Joel’s consideration of quality and service. We love our property in a whole new light. Lighting Distinctions and Joel Barnett have transformed our home into an elegant showplace reflecting comfort and security. One of the best improvements we’ve ever made.

Joel and team were exceptional to work with. My exterior lighting looks fantastic and I have had many neighbors compliment me on how great the lighting looks. The work in the back yard not only makes the yard look great, but also makes it much more functional at night. I would highly recommend Lighting Distinctions for any interior or exterior lighting project you have.

Joel and team were amazing in helping design and install lighting which transformed our home from nondescript to a warm and beautifully lit masterpiece.  Joel invested the right amount of time to help us determine exactly what we wanted, work within out budget and achieve the look we desired.  And once installed, they came back and helped tweak several lights to ensure we achieved the very best look. Thank you Lighting Distinctions for the vision and teamwork to help us achieve all our goals!  Chris & Linda H

I have used Lighting Distinctions for years. They have provided excellent exterior lighting in my prior home as well as my current home. We have installed low voltage lighting throughout my new homes interior as well as spectacular exterior lighting in my backyard/pool area. Joel's team is very professional and responsive. They always show up on time and do a great job.

Joel and his company were extremely professional in the design and their understanding of how to use light to make your home look amazing. I am so grateful that we asked for his help to make our home lighting look so much better. I highly recommend this company for lighting.

We wanted to get lighting for our home but weren't sure exactly how to do it. Joel and Stephanie came to our home and explained the whole process of how to light different areas to get the prettiest effects...they were very patient and listened to what we wanted and then set it up for us. If we didn't like or want something, they were very flexible to change it to what was better for us. I would highly recommend working with them to make your home look brighter!!

Lighting Distinctions definitely deserve a five star rating. They replaced our old landscape lighting with a redesign that make our home look stunning. Joel and his team were professional. Joel was very knowledgeable in the art of lighting design. After the lighting was placed Joel was very patient and accommodating to make final changes until we were 100% satisfied.

Lighting Distinctions did an amazing job with both our indoor lighting and our outdoor landscape lighting. We recently hired Joel and his crew to completely redesign our interior lighting design and replace all of our existing 20 year old lights with a new state-of-the-art LED system with dimmers for our 6500 square foot home. In addition, he completely upgraded our outdoor landscape lighting design and we absolutely love it! Every night we enjoy the uplighting on the front and upper level of our house, as well as the area lighting around our pool and spa, as well as the tall trees in our backyard. I highly recommend Lighting Distinctions to anyone for indoor or outdoor lighting! They are real pro's!

Everyone we worked with at Lighting Distinctions was great. They all have a lot of experience about design and it shows with the ideas they propose. We started out only having our backyard lighting done and ended up having the front done as well.
It's an investment that really adds value to your home, well worth it.
Joel, Stephanie and Octavio are great people to work with, we highly recommend them

As a final touch to our recent backyard pool addition and patio expansion, we had Joel and his team at Lighting Distinctions come in and install an extensive low voltage lighting system. From the beginning of the process it was clear that Joel is a true expert in both the technical and create aspects of designing an outdoor lighting system. He listened to and incorporated our ideas but also had a clear vision of what would work and what wouldn't in our space. The combination of down lighting from our roof and trees coupled with uplighting of plants and bushes created a resort-like atmosphere for our pool+patio. We also really like his ideas of adding 2 very narrow focused spots that hit our pool decorative wall and really make it pop! I would definitely recommend Lighting Distinctions for your outdoor lighting project. Their work really completed our backyard remodel.

We recently had our interior lighting updated by Lighting Distinctions (LD). Our electrician, Octavio, recommended LD. We added ceiling and art lights and updated older LED lighting. Dimmers were added and switches were reorganized and streamlined so everything is efficient and easier to operate. We are pleased with the quality of lighting we now have. It has transformed our living space. One of our favorite touches has been the addition of lighting inside and under a corner kitchen cabinet to show off glassware. Another is the transformation our dining room hutch underwent with new, improved lighting. It is stunning!
We experienced professionalism, quality, punctuality and efficiency throughout the project. Everyone did a terrific job and it felt like a partnership.
When I initially called Joel he responded quickly and gathered initial information about our project. Soon after, I was contacted by Stephanie, who is efficient and detail oriented. Both came for an initial consultation at no charge. I appreciated how they listened, took notes, and worked within our budget. We made a few changes to the initial proposal and they returned to review all of the details before installation. Prior to the first cut, we understood what was going where and all of our questions were answered. Joel and Stephanie came again on the day of installation. There was one area that we tweaked during the project. When I asked, Joel was responsive to my request and recommended a different light. The light was hand delivered shortly thereafter and the result was exactly what I wanted.
I highly recommend Lighting Distinctions and will definitely use them again for future lighting projects.

After many years of wanting to upgrade our outdoor/landscape lighting, we received a referral from a friend who had used Lighting Distinctions. From our first visit with the team, they had lots of great and creative ideas to improve our security lighting, enhancing the look of our landscaping and architecture. They gave us lots of options and when we made little tweaks, they turned around the bid quickly. The finished product has made our home so beautiful.

I recently had landscape lighting installed at my home by Lighting Distinctions. The company’s approach was nothing short of exceptional. They came out and did a full scale demonstration of what I should expect, and offered appropriate recommendations as to maximize the look I wanted to achieve. The construction professionals worked at my home seamlessly and without disruption. Approximately five days later they had completely enhanced the look of my home. It is absolutely incredible. I highly recommend this
company to anyone looking for this type of enhancement to your home.

We are thrilled with, and love, our new permanent lighting around the roof line of our house in Olivenhain. Every year we have paid about $700 to have Christmas lights hung up on our roof (two-story home). We have seen some houses around town with Halloween or Thanksgiving-colored lights, and some of our neighbors’ houses have had year-round white lights, which I thought was so pretty. So, we thought it would be great to get year-round lights ourselves, so we can celebrate holidays year-round and change the light colors all of the time.

We contacted Lighting Distinctions, they gave us a quote, and they were out to install the lights within the week. We are delighted with our new lights, which offer us infinite colors and designs. My husband and I each have the Gemstone app on our respective iPhones, and we can change the colors and light patterns instantly. We can choose a pattern where the lights will blink, chase around the roof line, fade in and out, etc. Or, we can create/design our own patterns and colors from a palate. When the Packers are playing, I put on their team colors to surprise my husband.

We wish we had known about Lighting Distinctions six years ago when we installed regular Christmas lights. We became bored with the same lights after two or three years. Now, we have something fresh and new every night. The Lighting Distinctions owner (Joel, a long-time Encinitas businessman) and his entire staff are very responsive and professional. We give them 5 stars!

Lighting Distinctions came to our house and talked to us about our
wants and needs and then came up with a very good solution.
They are always on time. Had great ideas and we are very happy with them. We would recommend them to anyone. This is the second time we used them because we were very happy the first time

All the 5 star reviews are spot on, Joel and his team of lighting professionals do a fantastic job. I selected Lighting Distinctions based on customer reviews and we were not disappointed! We recently built a pool and a new patio so we decided the lighting should be at the same level as the landscaping. While were planning the back yard, we decided to the the front yard as well to bring a nice ambiance to the entrance. Joel was always timely, courteous and frankly a pleasure to deal with. It never seemed like a business transaction but more like having a friendly neighbor come over, drink coffee, and talk lighting design.

Joel and Mauricio ended up installing a beautiful array of up lights and down lights on our palms and also discreet spotlights throughout. Once the initial lights were installed there was a lot of changes for wattage, filter color, locations, etc and Joel was super patient and helpful.

From the moment we installed the lights our neighbors have been effusive in their praise. Not wanting to look garish or over the top, the lighting came out perfect. Multiple people have said our house looks like a high end boutique resort now.

So 5 stars to Joel for quality, price, customer service and professionalism. On top of all that he's just a super nice guy!

Thanks for the great job done by EVERYONE associated with Lighting Distinctions. It was a blast working with Stephanie and Joel to design our new lights and Octavio was a true master (as promised!) when it came to installation!

And.. an earlier review I wrote (but which didn't get posted):
Lighting Distinctions installed our gorgeous outdoor lighting in 2022 - and we've loved the drama and beauty of it ever since! Because of an irrigation issue, we had to have them come back and fix some very minor things that happened due to overwatering. The repair crew was wonderful; they came to our home on a very timely basis and diagnosed and fixed the problem. This company is truly outstanding, and I wish every contractor or installer I worked with was as responsive and responsible as Lighting Distinctions! Kudos to Stephanie, Kim and the whole gang!!