Lighting Installation

Planning the light first

Good lighting starts with how you use a room. Most rooms work best with layers: general light from the ceiling, task light where you cook, read or work, and softer light for the evening. A single fixture in the middle of a ceiling leaves the corners dark and casts shadows on countertops. We walk the room with you, ask what bothers you about the current light and suggest where fixtures, switches and dimmers should go before we cut any holes.

Recessed lighting

Recessed lights are the request we hear most. Modern LED recessed lights are thin wafer-style or canless fixtures that sit in a small hole in the drywall and need little space above the ceiling. Under an attic, they must be rated for contact with insulation and sealed against air leaks, or they let warm air escape into the attic all winter. We lay out the spacing so the light is even, avoid joists and ducts where we can and fish wires through the ceiling with as few openings as possible. In finished basements, recessed lights are often the simplest way to replace old fluorescent tubes.

Fixtures, fans and heavy lights

Swapping one fixture for another is usually straightforward, but a few details matter. Ceiling fans and heavy chandeliers need an electrical box rated to carry them, not just a standard light box, and a fan on a high ceiling needs the right downrod. In homes built before the 1980s, the wires inside an old light box are sometimes brittle from years of heat from incandescent bulbs, and we repair those connections when we find them. Fixtures in bathrooms and over showers need ratings for damp or wet locations.

Dimmers, switches and smart controls

LED bulbs and fixtures need a dimmer that matches them. An old dimmer often makes LEDs flicker, buzz or switch off before they dim smoothly. We fit dimmers listed for the fixtures you have. Smart switches can put lights on a schedule or a phone, but many of them need a neutral wire in the switch box, which some older homes do not have. We check before you buy, so you do not end up with switches that will not work in your house. We can also add or repair three-way and four-way switches for stairs and long halls.

Outdoor and landscape lighting

Outdoor lighting makes steps, walkways and doors safer and helps a house look lived in when you are away. Fixtures outside need ratings for wet locations, and outdoor outlets need GFCI protection and weather-resistant covers. Low-voltage landscape lighting runs from a transformer plugged into a protected outlet and is easy to extend later. We aim fixtures down and keep the light on your property, which is easier on the neighbors and the night sky, and some cities have rules about it. Motion sensors and timers keep running costs low.