Lighting

Reply to: I agree with opaone. You have a poor task lighting plan for the kitchen. When the downlight is behind the person working their body will shadow what they're trying to work on. 450 lumens at the surface is recommended.

Q

Reply to: We are wrapping up our new kitchen/addition (just a few more weeks, hopefully) and we have 4-inch LEDs. They look so much better than the old school incandescent can lights, the color is warm, and they are on dimmers.

Q

Reply to: These days the amount of emitted light is dictated more by the bulb not the size of the can. There are now 4" LED's that will put out 950 Lumens or more. 6" cans look dated and there is not much choice in alternative bulbs. Go with LED so you won't have to change out burnt bulbs every couple of years, especially with higher ceilings. Color temp is the next consideration, traditional soft white light is in the mid/lower 3,000 K range. If you wish a more daylight color then select 4,000 K or more. Just make sure you like that whiter daylight light, some clients find it to be a bit institutional looking.

Q

Reply to: Its not as simple as 4 or 6 inch cans. The first decision is whether you want LED or incandescent. That will make a small difference in the fixture cost and a big difference in your electric bill and lamp replacement costs. LED lighting requires drivers which are kind of like the transformers in low-voltage fixtures. An integral LED fixture has the driver built-in and it will last a very long time but you then you must replace the internal driver. If you buy an LED lamp (bulb) the driver is in the base of it so it may not last very long (especially in a recessed fixture and if you bought it at a box store). At the least, buy all lamps at an electrical supply store. LED light is different from incandescent light. 2700K LED is similar in warmth to incandescent but the shadows from LED are sharper and it bothers some people. The second decision is the nature of the light you want in different locations. You would want to light a kitchen counter differently than a living room wall so the fixtures will be different. A 10 ft ceiling will require a lamp (bulb) not available as an R or A type. You might need a PAR, MR, GU or the equivalent in LED. OK, here's my opinion on fixture size: shallow 6" recessed fixtures with R lamps (what you will get if you don't specify something) are butt-ugly and belong in a 1960's basement rec room when that was the only size made. I didn't like them then. There are some really great new recessed LED fixtures if you take the time to learn about them. Its a complicated subject and its difficult to find good information.

Q

Reply to: Allof this depends on the bulbs you use . IMO 6” cans are old school and a lot of electricians have hundreds in their garage so that is why they reccomment them. LEDs have a much better light and the spacing is very little differen than it used to be with incandescent. Get daylight bulbs in 3500- 5000K range so that your colors look the same at night as in the daytime for sure.If you want the abiance of less bright lighting at night put everything on a dimmer not less K.

Q

Reply to: I’m married to an electrician who loves pot lights so I’ve learned three things: - dimmers - switching options (1 switch for all the pot lights in a room is a disaster) - swivelling fixtures so you can direct them towards the wall for a piece of art, away from tv and into a room or straight down to light a pathway. Depending on room configuration it is nice to have options later. With pot lights the most important thing you will invest in is dimmers and switching options. That will allow you flexibility depending on room and time of day. In my family room at night I like them at 50% with only 1/2 of them on but in the kitchen at 100%. Living room depending on time of day may be 100% or 25%. Obviously budgets are a consideration but I would consider these as much as size of lights before meeting with the Electrician. Here is an example bank of the types of dimmers you can consider. Left side is a scene dinner - basically each step equates to an increase of 25% in lighting brightness. The middle is for the ceiling fan and left and right allows to adjust fan speed and light and far right is a switch with a slider on the right hand side. This allows to preset your level of brightness and switch on and off easily but allows flexibility when needed. My husband also tells friends when building a house to make sure they put the lights in the stairway by the railings that they will need at Christmas time for garlands and decorations. That is usually one of the first things he gets called back to houses for.

Q

Reply to: you will save quite a bit of money from changing from 10' plates to 9'. framing costs lower, drywall costs lower, less siding, etc. Not to mention save money on heating and cooling. PLus this thread mentions possible design issues with it and added costs associated with it. Our current design uses 9' plates in general, but the entry and dining bump up to 10' plates. we are using an 8' full glass front door. the living space is 9' plates with a 10' tray ceiling built into the trusses. kitchen is also 9' and we are using 42" high cabinets. in the kitchen consider indirect uplighting/cove lighting as a main source of light. Ironically most people load kitchens with cans. Cans are one of the worst lighting sources for a kitchen since it cast shadows on the work surface since you are blocking the light. Undercabinet lighting set to the front edge of the upper and indirect uploading will provide overall better lighting of the space. not having soffits will allow lighting above your cabinets.

Q

Reply to: Check this site out as it is just what you're looking for! It will give you a professional lighting plan including product specification. Don't guess at your lighting as it is far too important. Here is a link that might be useful: Lighting Exclusively

Q

Reply to: I’m leaning toward one of these... in case anyone wants to chime in or has other ideas :)

Q

Reply to: I think lower and bigger! This one would look great. Curry & Co Denison Large http://www.curreycodealers.com/p-5627-denison-lantern-large.aspx#.W2Dvry3Mxm8

Q

Reply to:

Q

Reply to: For your great room ,Nidnay....?? ( Shopping vicariously :)

Q

Reply to: how goose necky do you want?

Q

Reply to: In our previous home we had one light switch in the master bedroom beside the bed to turn on all the outside flood lights. There was a piece of mind knowing if we heard anything during the night one switch would turn them all on.

Q

Reply to: You need a completely different lighting plan. Too many lights. And in the wrong spots. The work surfaces are going to be in shadow. Are you doing under cabinet lighting? What is your ceiling height? Hire a local designer to help you with some of this. But especially that lighting plan. That’s a complete rework.

Q

Reply to: Thanks Benjesbride. I have lots of led recessed lighting in as well. The 3000 I think. I had pendants in my last house with dark metal globes which lit the area poorly so I thought these glass ones would be better. i based the wiring on this diagram figuring that most of the pendants I like will be about the size of the Medium. (Bottom left) the island is about 4.5 ft deep. do you think I messed up by not doing 3 pendants?

Q

Reply to: And used these for all my ceiling can lights....

Q