ᐅ Electrical Plan Approved – Experiences

You clearly meant well with the number you chose. Here are my thoughts:

Ground floor

• 8 recessed lights should be sufficient in the kitchen.
• 3 to 4 recessed lights will also do in the small bathroom.
• I wouldn’t install any recessed lights in the living room at all. I can’t imagine anything less cozy.
• Since you have two floors, you will probably have a reinforced concrete ceiling. This means you’ll need to drop the ceiling or have it dropped in all rooms with recessed lights. Ultimately, it’s not complicated, but it does cost money and time!
• In the hallway and in each shower, I would install light panels; they look elegant and provide subtle, bright lighting. (The picture below is from our shower.)

Upper floor

• I don’t know what you’re planning for your bedroom, but with the lighting you could shoot a film there — 5 to 6 recessed lights should be more than enough.
• 4 recessed lights will also suffice in the walk-in closet.
• 2 recessed lights in the hallway are enough to find your way.
• In the bathroom, I would skip the lights above the toilet, behind the sinks, and above the bathtub.

Also, consider installing more than one circuit so you can control the lighting differently in the rooms. For example, when you’re in the bathtub, you probably don’t want to be looking at bright recessed lights the whole time!

Winjoe1 schrieb:

• Since you have two floors, there will most likely be a reinforced concrete ceiling. Therefore, you will need to lower the ceiling in all rooms where you want recessed lights or have it lowered. In the end, it’s not complicated, but it does cost money and time!

You can also easily work with core drilling (ground floor ceiling in our case) or HaloX boxes (upper floor ceiling in our case). This way, you don’t lose any clear room height.

Way too many recessed lights, that’s really uncomfortable—sitting on the sofa feels like being on an operating table. We have 8 recessed lights in the kitchen, and that is really bright. Also, the lights need to be above the countertop, not directly over the person standing at the countertop. Have you ever looked at a ceiling in a living room that’s covered with recessed lights? In my opinion, it doesn’t look very nice. It works better in hallways, kitchens, and similar areas. In the bedroom, you also don’t want a recessed light shining directly into your face while lying down; a ceiling light fixture is better because it’s less glaring.

Your 2m (6.5 ft) spacing in the kitchen between the stove and the sink is impractical.

Best regards
Sabine

Thank you very much for all the critical feedback, I really appreciate it! This is my first draft for my very first electrical plan ever, which is why I asked for advice...

I understand that there are probably too many spotlights, so I will revise the whole plan.

A few more details since there were some questions:
- We are building with timber frame construction, so there is no concrete ceiling. On the upper floor, we need flush-mounted junction boxes because of the vapor barrier.
- We are considering the following light fixtures (see attachments). They can be dimmed with a simple switch... what do you think?

Have you ever seen such rooms in person at friends’ or family’s houses? This is not a general opinion, but consider whether you really want to have only recessed spotlights. They tend to make rooms feel less cozy. Especially in the living room and dining room, I personally think it’s a definite no-go.

Almost everyone in our new development who went with spotlights regrets it and later installed regular lamps, as the lighting and overall appearance look much better that way. Beautiful lamps can be expensive, but they make a huge difference to a room, even when they are turned off.

Spotlights are not cheap either. Even if he buys bulbs for €12, the total cost will be at least €50 per unit. Electrician fees, recessed housings, and so on also need to be paid.