When we were sitting around dreaming of all the alley could be, lighting was definitely part of the discussion. Several of us on the block ride our bikes as a main form of transportation in the nicer months and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit a pothole in the dark only to send the contents of my purse flying through the air.

In our shoot-for-the-sky wish list, we envisioned industrial solar lights. One look at the price tag compared to our budget and I knew we had to come up with another plan.

A friend sent me a sample roll of some low voltage LED lights that he’d used on some art projects and with a remote that not only offered several colors but also different flashing and fading options, there was no way I wasn’t falling in love with them. The product is called Supernight and is available from Amazon. It’s waterproof, multiple strings can be connected together and the price was right – only $22.78 for 16.4′ roll complete with power supply and remote.

There are 8 garages that run parallel to the alley, so with our Amazon box in hand, we got started!

Alley Lighting

We wanted to make sure the light was directed downwards so we purchased L shaped composite (read: plastic) trim material for $14 for a 12′ piece. Since our lights were over 16′ long, we joined 2 pieces together using silicon.

We wanted these pieces to blend in on the garages so for those not trimmed in white we bought spray paint (about $5 a can) in the closest color possible, gave the material a light sanding so that the paint would stick and sprayed them with a couple coats.

To adhere the lights, we pressed them into a light bead of silicon ($6 a tube) and let them dry overnight.

My darling husband using a finishing nail gun to hang the lights up under the eaves of the garages.

I wouldn’t say it was all smooth sailing but we worked out some of the kinks along the way. And with that flash mode on the remote I can almost guarantee there’s going to be a disco party in the alley real soon.