Lighting up the backyard fence: solar, wired, or something else?

Running wire through old brick is a headache, no argument there. I’ve had to fish lines through 1920s walls and you’re basically playing Jenga with history - one wrong move and you’re patching mortar for the rest of the weekend. The solar lights are tempting, but I’ve found even the “good” ones are moody if your fence only gets spotty sun. Trees, shadows from the house… it’s always something.

Hardwired really is set-and-forget, but yeah, once you commit, moving things is a pain. If you think you'll want to shift lights later (and honestly, I always do after seeing how they look at night), you could run conduit along the base of the fence or wall instead of going through the brick. Not as invisible, but way easier to adjust later. There’s also low-voltage landscape lighting - less hassle than full 120V and still reliable. You can hide the cable under mulch or along the bottom edge, and you’re not drilling into anything structural.

One thing I tried once was using those adhesive-backed LED strips rated for outdoors. They’re not perfect for every climate, but on a smooth surface, they stick pretty well and don’t need any holes drilled. Downside: they eventually peel in humidity or after a hard winter, so they're more of a temporary fix.

Overall, it’s always about trade-offs - convenience now vs. less maintenance down the line. If your setup keeps changing (or if you’re like me and get bored with layouts every couple years), flexibility wins out over perfection most days.

I hear you on the “Jenga with history” bit - my 1910s brick eats drill bits for breakfast and laughs at my patch attempts. I did conduit along the fence base last year, and while it’s not invisible, it saved my sanity (and my bricks). If you’re a chronic re-arranger like me, hiding low-voltage cable under mulch is a game changer. Solar just never cut it in my shady yard - those lights were more for tripping over than seeing by. Sometimes “good enough” beats perfect, especially if you want to keep your weekends mortar-free.

Solar just never cut it in my shady yard - those lights were more for tripping over than seeing by.

Totally get that. Tried solar along my fence and yeah, they looked cute but didn’t do much after sunset. Here’s what worked for me:

- Ran low-voltage wire tucked under river rocks (mulch kept shifting on me).
- Used plug-in LED string lights - easy to swap out if I change my mind.
- Kept everything above ground so I can rework it later without digging.

Not perfect, but way less stress than drilling into old brick or trenching. Sometimes “good enough” is all you need for a cozy vibe.

I hear you on the solar lights - tried them at one of my rentals with big maples overhead, and they barely glowed. Your setup sounds really practical. Plug-in LEDs are a solid choice, especially if you want flexibility down the road. Sometimes it’s just about finding that balance between effort and payoff. Not everything has to be permanent or perfect, right? If it makes the space inviting and you’re not tripping over wires, I’d call that a win.

Not everything has to be permanent or perfect, right? If it makes the space inviting and you’re not tripping over wires, I’d call that a win.

That’s pretty much the approach I take with outdoor lighting. I once worked on a backyard where the client was set on solar, but the tree canopy just killed any hope of decent brightness. We ended up running low-voltage wired lights along the fence - more effort upfront, but the reliability was worth it. Plug-in LEDs are a good middle ground if you want to avoid trenching or hardwiring. Sometimes “good enough” really is good enough, especially outdoors where things change so much season to season.