Lighting Help for Condo
We’ll be moving into our new Prospect Heights condo next month, and will need to install lighting of one kind or another in several rooms. We’re not exactly sure what types of lighting will work best in each room, or what kinds of light will be compatible the wiring/construction that’s in place. Would people recommend…
We’ll be moving into our new Prospect Heights condo next month, and will need to install lighting of one kind or another in several rooms. We’re not exactly sure what types of lighting will work best in each room, or what kinds of light will be compatible the wiring/construction that’s in place. Would people recommend hiring an electrician to do a walk through to provide input into what would be compatible, or is there a way to figure this out by ourselves and just hire someone to do the installation? Also, does anyone know of any good people for the job and about how much we should expect to pay?
Hey!….I’m an electrician by trade…and yeah, when I renovated my condo, I was a bit lost with lighting design…lol. Turns out, my partner at work had a degree in theatrical lighting, so I had him help me out…plus alot of internet research…..Task….Ambient….and Accent lighting.
That being said, when you figure out what you want to do lighting wise….and need an electrician…..give me a call. My prices are very fair and I have 15 years experience. My day job is being a union electrician…lol…718-757-7079
Depends on your comfort level. You can probably figure stuff out on your own, but I appreciated advice from a lighting designer and an architect. (Paid architect to do other stuff, so can’t say how much the lighting help cost) Bought from Lighting by Gregory, which has prices close to Lee’s Lighting on 57th St. I think either of those stores are good, and provide alternatives to typical Home Depot stuff. Sunlico on 14th st. I think is also having sales, if you can find something you like there. Go towards energy efficient lighting if you can for the majority of the lights (we’re saving about $200/per month now with that). Accent with a few halogens if you want added light. Hope that helps.
“Lighting is easy, common sense. Don’t be intimidated by “experts”.”
Puhlease. Sounds like another contractor who knows it all. I’m not saying lighting is rocket science, but if it’s so easy, then why is good lighting so hard to find?
Besides, I’m encouraging novanglus to do it themselves. How can one be any less intimidating?
If you use a lighting designer, cut their recommendations in half,; so called “lighting standards” are a good way to get 42 ceiling fixtures installed in your living room, as you see in many condos.
The key to good lighting is *variety*, meaning many light sources. Avoid frou frou Victorian ceiling fixtures unless you like the museum look (can;t believe that reno blog on this site where they are lovingly reno-ing those butt-ugly lamps). Ceiling fan lights are mostly useless (too harsh) and should be considered decorative only, or avoided.
Dimmers are good for changing mood and requirements; use in sevaral table or floor lamps. If you want to save energy, use warm-tone CFLs; only the more expensive ones are dimmable. I use a combination of CFLs and halogen in most rooms, as I can feel good & green (partially).
You can now get recessed LED lamps that really save energy but are expensive up front; make sure you get warm tones or they will be too blue.
Lighting is easy, common sense. Don’t be intimidated by “experts”.
As someone who likes to lean away from recessed lighting, I do think that most of the animosity towards it (on this website) comes from people seeing lots and lots of really cheap HD cans in buildouts where it’s not appropriate. The right kind of recessed lighting disappears into the ceiling and doesn’t call attention to itself.
Okay, so if you already have j-boxes installed (presumably where you want fixtures), then it sounds like you just need to find some decorative surface and/or pendant fixtures. Try ylighting.com. That’s a good place to start. If you want hands on, then there’s always the Bowery.
One last thing. If you’re going down the route of putting ceiling mounted decorative stuff everywhere, do yourself a favor and install dimmers (and, thus, stay away from CFLs). Otherwise it starts to look like you ignited a light bomb in your apartment. Also, don’t forget about floor lamps 🙂
Any remotely competent handyman can take care of this kind of thing for you. Spend 15minutes reading a DIY website, and you can probably do it yourself.
Any suggestions of good places to look at or for lighting fixtures?
We already have electrical boxes installed (not the kind that can accomodate most recessed lighting, but the consensus here seems to be that recessed lighting is teh suck anyways). We’ve already done some light fixture shopping and have a decent idea of what we like and don’t like. We’re trying to put ourselves on a budget for lighting so I’m not sure we can afford a lighting designer plus a handyman to install them on top of the fixtures.
Full disclosure: I’m a lighting designer. With that said, I generally agree with BrookBry. I would add that you need a lighting designer who is a good advocate for you and your budget. The cost of lighting is pretty elusive, and a lot of people get hosed because of it. You need someone who knows what the lighting fixtures really cost and can pull for you when your electrician slips in 40% in overage on his bid.
@Marion: I’m afraid someone gave you some bad information. ConEd doesn’t care how many volts you use. You are charged for watts. A 50W low voltage MR16 costs the same to turn on as a 50W line voltage (120V) lamp. The main reason for low voltage lighting is to create a smaller bulb (and, thus, smaller and sexier lighting fixtures).
Good luck out there, novanglus!
Hi
If you have existing ceiling electrical boxes with switches any handyman or super can install the fixture. Many new buildings have no ceiling boxes in which case a licensed electrician is mandatory. Don’t scrimp over a few bucks, this is your home and safety is paramount.
In my new building, as a condition of purchase, I had ceiling boxes and wiring installed by the builder’s electrician although I had to add another in the bathroom where lighting was substandard.
I personally love low voltage halogen lighting which come in many types of fixtures and tracks. They take 50 watt bulbs which are very bright and can be put on dimmers, but only use 12 volts. This is 1/10th the cost of a standard incandescent bulb, quite a savings.
In my bedrooms and l.r. I’ve also installed combination
ceiling fans with light packs which will dramatically cut down on my a.c. bills.
Spend the bucks now you will appreciate the savings for years to come.
FYI the electrician I used was: James of “Bruno Electric” phone 718-344-2793
Good luck.