How to Minimise Disruption When Improving Your Lighting
Designing a new lighting scheme can get messy when you’re rewiring, lifting floors and installing new fittings. Here’s how to manage it
Melanie Shaw
23 June 2016
Houzz Contributor. Partner and Design Director at Brilliant Lighting.
The ideal time for designing a lighting scheme is before the building is even there, but for most of us that isn’t an option. Here’s how to plan ahead to minimise disruption within your home when you’re refitting, plus some useful routes for improving your lighting by making the most of what you have now.
Take advantage of other work
While this isn’t a completely disruption-free route, do take the opportunity to review and improve your lighting if you’re planning other works.
A new staircase, kitchen or bathroom means you’ll have localised disruption anyway. Take advantage and work out how you’d like the space to be lit, whether it’s for task lighting, general infill lighting or interesting accent lighting, as with this staircase.
Achieving this effect on a finished staircase would cause significant disruption and it would be infuriating to complete the staircase and only then think about how you might light it.
So with some planning ahead, you can consider what fittings you might want to use, where the control gear (drivers) might go and what work is needed on the wall to achieve the plastered-in effect. The first and second fix work can then be scheduled as part of the main body of works, rather than as an afterthought.
While this isn’t a completely disruption-free route, do take the opportunity to review and improve your lighting if you’re planning other works.
A new staircase, kitchen or bathroom means you’ll have localised disruption anyway. Take advantage and work out how you’d like the space to be lit, whether it’s for task lighting, general infill lighting or interesting accent lighting, as with this staircase.
Achieving this effect on a finished staircase would cause significant disruption and it would be infuriating to complete the staircase and only then think about how you might light it.
So with some planning ahead, you can consider what fittings you might want to use, where the control gear (drivers) might go and what work is needed on the wall to achieve the plastered-in effect. The first and second fix work can then be scheduled as part of the main body of works, rather than as an afterthought.
Work new lighting into your shelving
It’s common in older properties for there to be limited cabling, maybe only a single central pendant. Making substantial changes to lighting is easier if you can run additional cables for more circuits. This can be difficult to achieve without disruption and might be made harder if you’re trying to preserve features such as an original cornice.
If the walls or ceiling aren’t viable locations for additional cabling or fittings, then look for alternatives in the furniture or fittings. The shelving here makes use of backlighting and translucent materials to create a striking lighting effect with much less disruption to the room.
You may be able to take power from a nearby 13A socket and switch the lighting locally at the shelving.
Discover the power of concealed lighting
It’s common in older properties for there to be limited cabling, maybe only a single central pendant. Making substantial changes to lighting is easier if you can run additional cables for more circuits. This can be difficult to achieve without disruption and might be made harder if you’re trying to preserve features such as an original cornice.
If the walls or ceiling aren’t viable locations for additional cabling or fittings, then look for alternatives in the furniture or fittings. The shelving here makes use of backlighting and translucent materials to create a striking lighting effect with much less disruption to the room.
You may be able to take power from a nearby 13A socket and switch the lighting locally at the shelving.
Discover the power of concealed lighting
Use beams as mounting points…
Cornices and decorative ceilings may present problems when planning a new lighting scheme in older buildings, but beams can help.
Think imaginatively about how different fittings might work with beams and cabling. This kitchen shows how lighting can be mounted on, suspended from or (if they are new beams) incorporated into the beams in a vaulted space.
Beams can also provide a means of getting cabling to fittings in a more discreet way, or for concealing mounting locations for drivers.
While beams can help, think carefully about exactly how cable can be hidden along them: you don’t want some of your most interesting features festooned with grey wires, or inappropriate light fittings stuck onto the side.
Also depending on the age of the beams and the size of the holes you’re planning to make in them, you may need to consult your architect, structural engineer or the relevant listed building authorities before carrying out any work.
Cornices and decorative ceilings may present problems when planning a new lighting scheme in older buildings, but beams can help.
Think imaginatively about how different fittings might work with beams and cabling. This kitchen shows how lighting can be mounted on, suspended from or (if they are new beams) incorporated into the beams in a vaulted space.
Beams can also provide a means of getting cabling to fittings in a more discreet way, or for concealing mounting locations for drivers.
While beams can help, think carefully about exactly how cable can be hidden along them: you don’t want some of your most interesting features festooned with grey wires, or inappropriate light fittings stuck onto the side.
Also depending on the age of the beams and the size of the holes you’re planning to make in them, you may need to consult your architect, structural engineer or the relevant listed building authorities before carrying out any work.
…but be sensitive to the fabric of the building
Although beams may offer opportunities for mounting locations, there can also be occasions when they’re off limits.
The posts and beams in this 15th century barn are one of the significant elements in its listed status. To reduce the impact on the fabric of the building, the solution was to use custom brackets that clamp to, rather than drill into, the posts.
These custom-made brackets allow shadow-free task lighting on the working surfaces in the kitchen with minimal disruption to the posts themselves.
Although beams may offer opportunities for mounting locations, there can also be occasions when they’re off limits.
The posts and beams in this 15th century barn are one of the significant elements in its listed status. To reduce the impact on the fabric of the building, the solution was to use custom brackets that clamp to, rather than drill into, the posts.
These custom-made brackets allow shadow-free task lighting on the working surfaces in the kitchen with minimal disruption to the posts themselves.
Plan your garden, too
Whether it’s a new build or a standalone project in an existing property, you can plan your garden lighting and schedule the work for a time of the year when you don’t use it much.
Depending on your design, the cables will have to be run somewhere, and frequently that means the main house. Solar-powered LED fittings can provide fun lighting in a garden, but more powerful workhorse lights are going to need cabling and drivers to step down the mains input to the correct low current or voltage required by any particular LED light.
Make things easier for yourself by ensuring you have power provision to the outside, a means to control the outside from inside the house, and sensible locations for the drivers. If you have hard landscaping going in (such as a patio or path), take cable or ducting to both sides of it so you don’t have to disrupt the hard landscaping later.
It’s much less disruptive to lay ducts or run cables when the garden looks like a building site, even if you’re not going to do anything with them for a few years.
Check out these expert tricks for making a small garden look bigger
Whether it’s a new build or a standalone project in an existing property, you can plan your garden lighting and schedule the work for a time of the year when you don’t use it much.
Depending on your design, the cables will have to be run somewhere, and frequently that means the main house. Solar-powered LED fittings can provide fun lighting in a garden, but more powerful workhorse lights are going to need cabling and drivers to step down the mains input to the correct low current or voltage required by any particular LED light.
Make things easier for yourself by ensuring you have power provision to the outside, a means to control the outside from inside the house, and sensible locations for the drivers. If you have hard landscaping going in (such as a patio or path), take cable or ducting to both sides of it so you don’t have to disrupt the hard landscaping later.
It’s much less disruptive to lay ducts or run cables when the garden looks like a building site, even if you’re not going to do anything with them for a few years.
Check out these expert tricks for making a small garden look bigger
Employ wireless technologies
Lighting control solutions range from whole house systems to individual room or even individual light solutions.
Whole house systems are best considered as part of either a new build or a major renovation. A hard-wired lighting control system has a different cabling architecture to a traditional lighting wiring scheme.
However, if you want to get some of the benefits of lighting control with less disruption, you might be interested in wireless systems. There are ones available that allow individual circuits to be fitted with a wireless module controlled by a wireless switch. Systems using this approach can be quite extensive and really require no more disruption than something like changing a fitting.
The even simpler route is to have a play with the latest in smart bulbs controllable from smartphones. These might not offer the full range you’d get with a lighting control system, but they’re a relatively cheap way to add drama, colour and fun to a space such as a child’s bedroom.
Tempted by a lighting control system? Read this advice
Lighting control solutions range from whole house systems to individual room or even individual light solutions.
Whole house systems are best considered as part of either a new build or a major renovation. A hard-wired lighting control system has a different cabling architecture to a traditional lighting wiring scheme.
However, if you want to get some of the benefits of lighting control with less disruption, you might be interested in wireless systems. There are ones available that allow individual circuits to be fitted with a wireless module controlled by a wireless switch. Systems using this approach can be quite extensive and really require no more disruption than something like changing a fitting.
The even simpler route is to have a play with the latest in smart bulbs controllable from smartphones. These might not offer the full range you’d get with a lighting control system, but they’re a relatively cheap way to add drama, colour and fun to a space such as a child’s bedroom.
Tempted by a lighting control system? Read this advice
Swap in a decorative piece
If you love your space and don’t want to change a thing apart from the lighting, then a new decorative fitting can change the feel of a room with minimal disruption.
Make sure the fixing point in the ceiling is strong enough to take the intended weight.
If you love your space and don’t want to change a thing apart from the lighting, then a new decorative fitting can change the feel of a room with minimal disruption.
Make sure the fixing point in the ceiling is strong enough to take the intended weight.
Know it will be worth it
Sometimes you just have to be persistent and accept the best solution might require some disruption and work.
The lighting design for this project was not commissioned until this concrete staircase was cast. Lighting from above would have flattened the shape, lessening the impact, the treads were crying out to be lit, and the glass balustrades couldn’t accommodate fittings.
The solution was discreet, surface-mounted LEDs throwing light across the treads. Had the design been done slightly earlier in the project, the stairs would have been cast with ducting already in place for cable routes. As it was, the cable routes and mounting points had to be core drilled out through the concrete. It took a dedicated builder over a week to do it. However, the end result is stunning and was worth the effort.
TELL US…
What tricks have you found to minimise renovation disruption? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
Sometimes you just have to be persistent and accept the best solution might require some disruption and work.
The lighting design for this project was not commissioned until this concrete staircase was cast. Lighting from above would have flattened the shape, lessening the impact, the treads were crying out to be lit, and the glass balustrades couldn’t accommodate fittings.
The solution was discreet, surface-mounted LEDs throwing light across the treads. Had the design been done slightly earlier in the project, the stairs would have been cast with ducting already in place for cable routes. As it was, the cable routes and mounting points had to be core drilled out through the concrete. It took a dedicated builder over a week to do it. However, the end result is stunning and was worth the effort.
TELL US…
What tricks have you found to minimise renovation disruption? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
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Can you tell me where you had the custom brackets in the kitchen made?
I don't have the details here but I'll send you a message when I'm back in the office. Here's a clearer pic and there's more shots of that area in the case study here.