Cost to add recessed lighting

13 years ago

We are having our kitchen remodeled so we want to take the opportunity while the walls are open to add 6 recessed lights into the adjacent living room.

I would have hoped the cost to be a few hundred dollars as the walls are all exposed and running cables won't be very difficult.

The quote for 6 recessed lights (using the existing switch) was $1,150. This is from the electrician who is already doing the kitchen electrics.

I know I should be getting comparitive quotes but we just don't have time as the kitchen wall is being sheetrocked in a couple of days.

I'm in New York City suburbs so I realise labor costs are high, but just didn't think it would be this much. Does it sound reasonable?

Featured Answer

globe199

13 years ago

$1150 does sound a bit high. I bought Halo recessed lights at Home Depot; they were about $6 each. In fact, the damn trim parts cost more than lights did.

The labor was another story. I had an electrician connect one of them for me, and I linked up the next three. It took me about seven hours to connect those three. That includes my inexperience, but also the drudgery of moving the ladder; climbing up; messing around to measure, pull wire, etc; climbing back down; move the ladder again; cut holes in ceiling tiles; blah, blah, blah. I probably spent a good two hours just dinking around with the ladder.

But I love the look of recessed lights and am glad I did the project, especially coming from the lousy single ceiling light this room had. The install itself isn't too tricky, just very time-consuming.

Comments (6)

Ron Natalie
13 years ago
Labor rates are highly variable. The walls are open for sure, but what about the ceiling. That's where the lights are going. Is that just the labor or does it include the fixtures?
ontariojer
13 years ago
If this includes good quality Pots, trims etc. I would say it sounds reasonable. There is a surprising amount of labour involved in laying out of potlights. Around here I ballpark potlights at $200 each.
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DavidR
13 years ago
Cans make for lousy general illumination (zero indirect lighting, all bright light and dark shadows). You need a lot of them to compensate for their poor coverage, so a room's worth costs more to install and costs more to operate. Then the holes in the ceiling leak heat and cost you more for heating fuel.

All around they're losers. I recommend that you reconsider this project.
chrisk327
13 years ago
I like recessed lighting,

depending on the size of the fixture and type of trim it can add somewhat to the cost.

I haven't paid to have them installed before, I've heard between $100-200 a piece.

fixtures and trim can range, the white trimed 5 inch cans I have were about $20 a piece. the 4inch with reflector trim in my kitchen run around $40 a piece.

I guess it would be higher than I thought, but from what people have said, not completely out of line.
btharmy
13 years ago
"Cans make for lousy general illumination (zero indirect lighting, all bright light and dark shadows). You need a lot of them to compensate for their poor coverage
All around they're losers. I recommend that you reconsider this project."

It is a kitchen, so one would assume the cans may be for task lighting over counters and island work surfaces. They work very well in such an application. Not the "losers" legends would have us believe they are.