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mythreesonsnc_gw

Sillites or other alternative

mythreesonsnc
13 years ago

Hi All,

I am very anti-cords all over the place so when I saw the sillites and their pretty candles that fit right in a windowsill with no cords, I was very excited. I had grand visions of my "Christmas switch" which would turn all of these lights on and off like magic. Well, today the electrician gave me a price for wiring these (doesn't include the lights themselves) and it is $60 per light. This translates to $1320 (remember, I still have to purchase the lights) --- YIKES! My husband about fainted before he said to forget it. Anyway, I hate to completely give up the dream, so now I am trying to figure out how to cut that expense down. I am thinking about maybe just skipping the switch (don't know what this would save), or maybe just doing the fancy candles in the main body of my house? My question is, (I know it is crazy to worry about this in general, but accepting I'm already there) how would it look to have the candles on only in the center body of the house. Here is a pic of the house framed: It would be 4 windows on the first floor, 5 on the second.

The 3rd floor dormers, could I get away without putting the candles there?

Anybody have any other great wiring ideas or products that might work instead of this expensive wiring scheme?

Comments (6)

  • summerfielddesigns
    13 years ago

    try x10.com ... they have plug-in remote controls that are very inexpensive and reliable ... easy to set up and use:-)

    all you need is 1 mini controller (12.99) and lamp modules for each candle (12.99) .. should be about $300 for all you need ..

    easy pushbutton control for everything !

    g'luck :-))

  • kateskouros
    13 years ago

    i wanted the sillites too and was planning on getting them all along. we got the same quote for install: $60 per. that's not the part that bothered me so much; the more i thought about it, the more i didn't want the outlets drilled into every single window on the front of my house.
    i wouldn't keep the candles plugged in year round so i decided to spare my sills. instead i'm getting LED battery operated candles. they operate on a timer so the only intense labor involved is setting them up and taking them down.
    if i planned on keeping the candles out all year i would have done the sillites.

  • mythreesonsnc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Summerfield, very interesting! I have to look into that some more --- I'd still have to wire the candles though, unless I'm misunderstanding?

    Kateskouros, I had come to the conclusion yesterday that I need to just do LED battery operated, but when I started looking into it, I couldn't find any that get a great review --- they seem to be very dim. If you have found any that are good, I'd love to hear! The best one I found was at Plow and Hearth, but even so, it seemed not bright. Anybody out there have good ones? This would certainly be a good solution if there is a decent candle out there!

  • jscozz
    13 years ago

    I did my own electrical for SilLites (whole house actually)... so for me it was just the cost of the lights. I have them wired into one switch that is actually UPB controlled. Another nice thing is that if the power goes out, they can still be on with UPS power and give you some light in every room they are in. I love the SilLites... mainly because you are not locked in to a proprietary bulb like the other vendor I looked at (Window Candles). They are pricey, but doing my own electric cut the cost in half for me.

    Does your electrician understand that they can all be daisy chained together and do not each require a home run?

    The other expense you need to be aware of will be time on the finish carpenter's part to cut the wholes in the sills when installed... did the electrician's price include the SilLite receptacles themselves? They are about $15 each, so $45 for wiring and labor is not all that bad.

  • mythreesonsnc
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks jscozz --- I think the electrician thought he could trick me into $60 labor per light, but I researched it and went back to my builder once I understood they could be daisy chained. In the end, the price will come down.

    I'd love to see pictures of yours installed! I wish I had any skills to do my own electrical. That is awesome!

  • polkadots
    13 years ago

    mythreesons,
    I have no knowledge of the sillites, so I can't help, but I just have to tell you that I absolutely love your house! I remember the drawings and your inspiration pics and knew it would be wonderful - it certainly looks great so far. Can't wait to see it progress. Enjoy the process! Now that mine is nearly over I am missing all the daily decisions and commotion. Now on to decorating I guess!

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