The front of the house gets the holiday attention, but in Florida a lot of evenings happen out back, at the pool, on the lanai and around the grill. A JellyFish run along the back eaves gives that space soft, adjustable light every night, plus color for parties, without adding a single fixture to the yard. Keywest Lights & Electric (KWLE), a woman-owned Florida electrical contractor (EC13014717) in Seminole, installs back-eave runs on their own or alongside a front install. This page covers what the back of the house can do. To be clear, it’s only about lights on the eaves.
Request a quote
Tell us what you need and where you are. A licensed electrician will call or text you back to set a time. For an emergency, call (727) 476-7079, 24/7.
Plan your back eave: (727) 476-7079.
What a back-eave run lights up
Mounted beneath the soffit along the rear eaves, JellyFish lights point down and wash the back wall, the lanai edge and the deck below. That’s usually enough to:
- Light the walk from the slider to the pool deck.
- Give a screened lanai a gentle glow from outside the screen.
- Make the back of the house look finished from the yard and the water.
- Set a color mood for a party without strings across the patio.
Light only reaches as far as the eave allows. We’ll show you on the design preview what will and won’t be lit, so you know what to expect.
Back-of-house scenes
| Occasion | Setting |
|---|---|
| Quiet evening | 2700K warm white, about 30% brightness |
| Night swim | Cool aqua or soft blue with a slow fade |
| Cookout | Neutral white, brighter, so you can see the grill |
| Birthday party | The guest of honor’s favorite colors, chasing |
| Game night | Your team’s colors |
| Late night | Dim amber, so you’re not lighting the neighbors’ yard |
Two zones: the key to backyard lighting
A single zone runs the whole house as one. For backyard use, the extra KWLE two-zone option is almost always worth it. Zone one is the front and corners. Zone two is the back. Then:
- The front can show permanent Christmas lights while the back stays a calm warm white for dinner outside.
- The back can run party colors while the street side stays neutral.
- You can shut the back off at 10 p.m. while the front holds its schedule.
Screen enclosures and lanais
Many Tampa Bay pools sit under screen enclosures attached at the eave. We plan runs around the enclosure’s attachment points, so the track stays under the soffit and clear of the screen frame. Where the screen frame takes over part of the eave, we’ll show you on the plan where the lights stop and start.
Mounting details
Back runs follow the same rules as the front: track goes under the soffit and up the gable rakes, never onto the roof and never through the roof covering. Rear gables over a lanai or family room often make the most striking part of a backyard design. The controller stays in the garage on an existing outlet, and we route low-voltage cable through the attic or along the soffit to reach the back.
Waterfront and beach homes
If the back of your house faces a Gulf beach, the back zone falls under sea turtle rules from May 1 through October 31. The FWC asks that decorative lights visible from the beach stay off in season, and it recommends locking pool lights on amber or red, plus plantings to block the glow. We schedule a beach-facing back zone off for the whole season. Homes on bays, canals and lakes don’t usually face nesting rules, but brightness still matters across open water, so keep evening settings soft.
Rental and vacation homes
Back-eave lighting is a nice touch for a vacation rental. Set a simple evening schedule for guests and keep app control yourself, so settings stay neighbor-friendly and season-appropriate.
Being a good neighbor
Backyards are close together in many Florida neighborhoods. Because the lights face down from the eave, they light your wall and deck rather than the house next door. Set a reasonable off time and a lower brightness after 10 p.m., and reserve the brightest scenes for parties.
Choosing spacing for the back
Rear eaves are usually seen up close, from a lounge chair or the dinner table, not from across the street. That changes the spacing choice. A 16-inch spacing gives an airy line that doesn’t feel busy at close range, and 9 inches gives fuller light for entertaining. The 6-inch option is usually more than a backyard needs unless the rear is two stories tall. Whites range from 2700K to 5000K, and many owners pick a warmer white out back than out front.
Color that flatters the water
Pools pick up color from everything around them. Soft blues and aquas deepen the water’s color at night. Warm white makes stone and pavers look golden. Strong reds and purples can tint the water dramatically for a party, but they’re usually too much for an ordinary weeknight. Because scenes are saved in the app, you can try all of them in one evening and keep the ones you like.
Energy
Back-eave runs often stay on for hours on summer evenings. LEDs make that practical: the U.S. Department of Energy says they use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer.
Back only, or front and back?
Some owners light only the back for everyday living and add the front later for holidays. Others do both at once. A back-only system still needs a controller in the garage and a cable path to the rear eaves, so we plan the controller with a future front run in mind.
The estimate visit
- We walk the back of the house and measure each rear eave and gable.
- We note screen enclosure attachments and any beach visibility.
- We test the garage outlet that will run the controller.
- You receive a design preview and written proposal, with the two-zone option listed separately.
Holidays out back too
Every permanent holiday light scene works out back. Red, white and blue over the pool on the Fourth, orange for a Halloween party on the lanai, and gentle white during the December holidays while the front of the house handles the Christmas show.
Warranty
Hardware is covered by JellyFish’s 5-year parts warranty. Our workmanship is covered by KWLE’s 2-year workmanship warranty, five years under a Member Care Plan.
Backyard lighting FAQ
Will lights reflect off the pool? Some reflection is normal and usually looks nice. Lower brightness keeps it subtle.
Can guests control the back zone? Only if you give them app access.
Can the back lights stay on all night? Yes, though most owners set an off time or a very low overnight brightness.
Do back-eave lights help with bugs? We don’t make claims about insects. Lower brightness and warmer whites are simply more comfortable for sitting outside.
Is KWLE woman-owned? Yes. We’re woman-owned and don’t claim any certification.
Sources: Pool-light and decorative-light guidance for nesting beaches from the FWC (myfwc.com). LED figures from the U.S. Department of Energy (energy.gov).
Related: permanent security lighting under the eaves, year-round color ideas and our free design preview. See every city we serve on the JellyFish lighting page, or call (727) 476-7079 for an estimate.