Line a Driveway With Solar Lights Raised on Steel Pipe Posts

The Problem

Solar driveway lights are built to be staked at ground level, and at ground level they disappear — swallowed by the grass line, blocked by snow, clipped by the mower. A row of lights sitting in the dirt reads as an afterthought, while the same lights raised a couple of feet read as proper bollard lighting.

The Technique

The whole project is pipe, lights, and three hand tools. The creator's version came to about $65 in materials for a full driveway.

1. Buy 3/4-inch black steel pipe from the home store — about $15 per stick — and cut each stick into four equal lengths. A hacksaw works; an angle grinder is faster if you have one.
2. Measure along the edge of the driveway and mark equal spacing for each post.
3. Pound each pipe about 10 inches into the ground with a hammer or small sledge, leaving roughly 2 1/2 feet standing above grade.
4. Mount a solar driveway light on top of each post. Check the light's stake or base against the pipe before buying a dozen — most path-light stakes are close to the pipe's inside diameter, but they vary.

The same treatment works along a front walk or sidewalk edge.