As soon as the “Outdoor Oasis” project began, I knew I wanted to add some market lights.
Luckily, Ryan was on board (especially since we already had the lights).
We had market lights similar to these (see photo below), so I used what we had. Be sure to consider length, color options and read the reviews (and grab some bulb replacements, too).
Market lights: https://amzn.to/2MPftE1
We used 3 strands for a total of roughly $50.
(See our Outdoor Oasis blog here: https://royalechristine.com/2019/09/02/outdoor-deck-oasis-final-results/)
There are a lot of fantastic options for market lights on Amazon:
Starting the Market Lighting Project:
First, Ryan picked up a post digger from Menards. It was around $25. (I’ve linked one on Amazon that is available through Prime, and the price is in the $35 range. https://amzn.to/2ZIrTPW)
Next, I had to decide on the post size. I went with the 4 by 4 – 10 foot posts because a couple of feet would be in the ground. Again, we purchased from Menards for around $12/post. For 6 posts, the total was around $75.
Third, we grabbed 2 bags of Concrete Mix. The cost was $6.
Fourth, I looked at a variety of kits to hang the market lights from the posts.
Here’s an Amazon link if you want to read the reviews and try a kit:
But I went in a different direction, and it was $7 instead of over $30 for a kit. I bought screw eyes and cable ties (color matched our market lights) to hang the lights. I bought a green, outdoor extension cord (until I could find a brown one to match the house).
At Menards, the package of 2 of the screw eyes were just over $1 (total roughly $4). The cable ties were $3. The outdoor extension cord was $15. This added roughly another $22 to the project total.
Here are the Amazon links in case you want to order online. The cost isn’t drastically different, and you don’t have to go anywhere to pick it up:
Screw eyes: https://amzn.to/2ZFwSRD
Cable ties: https://amzn.to/2LfBauP
Extension Cord (Outdoor): https://amzn.to/2ZHfiwx
Finally, it was time to really begin.
The decision had to be made on the depth of the posts. We chose 2 feet. Ryan used the post digger and then, he measured to be sure it was accurate. Finally, he placed the post.
I held it while he used a level to be sure the posts were straight. (Here’s a $2 level in case you don’t have one: https://amzn.to/2HEktXS).
Then, he dumped some of the concrete mix into the hole and sprayed it with the hose. This worked out really well and only two of our six posts settled at all. In fact, it’s barely noticeable, but we are going to dig out around the cement later and add some dirt to adjust them.
We added the screw eyes to the inside of the posts, and zip tied (2 cable ties) to the screw eye.
We only had one string drop where we forgot to zip tie near the house. Thank goodness for extra bulbs.
Since the perimeter of our deck is long, I would buy a longer strand. (Again, I’m using what we had, but I’d probably prefer a black string as well.)
I did have a question about solar, market light options and sure enough – they are an option!
Find them here:
Overall, we are very happy with the results.
We will paint-stain the posts later, and I’m hoping we get some time to enjoy our Outdoor Oasis before the snow flies.
Also, you could create this look with temporary posts as well.
Total for adding the market lights and posts was roughly between $175 – $200 total.
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Michigan Mama 