ᐅ Recessed ceiling lights in a concrete ceiling – very expensive from the developer – your tips?

One should first clarify exactly what kind of spotlights they are. Manufacturer, color temperature, power supply included, etc. Only then can a statement be made about whether it is expensive or cheap. There is also no limit with lamps. The spotlight alone can quickly cost more than €180 (about $200).

Hello,
we are currently deep in the planning phase as well. I am reading through many posts and taking notes^^
We were also planning to install recessed spotlights, but now I’m unsure if that’s the best solution. The spots should be dimmable at the edges, so I’m wondering if we should consider a dropped ceiling?
In terms of costs, it would save money, but unfortunately, the ceiling height on the sides would be reduced.
Especially since we will have a height of 2.50m (8 ft 2 in) anyway…
The box with the dimensions 30x10cm (12x4 inches) already looks odd.
As I said, this would be only on the side (wall-ceiling junction).

Your opinion is appreciated.

If you are still in the planning phase, have them installed right away. We sourced the "cups" ourselves and delivered them to the ceiling contractor. They cost about 5€ per spotlight. The installation was charged as a flat rate of 100€.

danixf schrieb:

If you are still in the planning phase, then have them installed right away. We got the "cups" ourselves and delivered them to the ceiling company. They cost about 5€ per spotlight. Installation was supposed to be a flat rate of 100€.

If possible, we would do the same.
Was the drilling included in the 100€ flat rate as well?

lin0r87 schrieb:

If possible, we would do that as well.
Was the drilling included in the 100€?

I can’t say how your house will be built. Nowadays, there are hundreds of different construction methods. Our ground floor was built with solid masonry. On top of that, a prefabricated concrete slab made of several sections was installed. Reinforcement steel was then placed inside and finally embedded in concrete. The finished floor buildup with insulation, screed, upper floor walls, etc., goes on top of that.

The prefabricated concrete slab is cast at the manufacturer’s facility and delivered in several parts, as mentioned. Now imagine the recessed light housing like a 5kg (11lb) yogurt cup. This cup is simply installed at the factory and embedded in the concrete. When the slab is delivered to the site, you also need to be there to pull your wiring through the housings. There is a lid that you can open to pull the cables through. Afterwards, the cable plus the complete housing are embedded in concrete.

The housing has a diameter of about 15–30cm (6–12 inches), depending on the manufacturer. The actual spotlight only requires about 6–7cm (2.5–3 inches). So even if the housings aren’t installed perfectly level, you still have some leeway and will need to measure precisely later anyway. The walls will also be plastered with varying thicknesses, so you can’t calculate this exactly beforehand; hence the large "yogurt cup."

You therefore need to get these housings and a floor plan of your house and mark where the housings should be located.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of our ceiling on hand right now, so I attached one from the internet. But our ceiling looked very similar. I also tried to sketch the ceiling buildup for you using Paint.

Why the long explanation?

lin0r87 schrieb:

Was the drilling included in the 100€?

You don’t need to drill.

Edit: I found a photo online that shows how it looks from below later on. There, you can see that you can still precisely align the spotlights by a few centimeters.

danixf schrieb:

I can’t say exactly how your house will be built. Nowadays, there are hundreds of different methods. Our ground floor was built with solid masonry. On top of that came a precast concrete ceiling made from several elements. Reinforcement steel was then placed inside and the whole thing was finally cast with concrete. On top of this goes the actual floor structure with insulation, screed, upper floor walls, etc.

The precast ceiling is cast at the factory by the ceiling supplier and, as mentioned, delivered in several parts. Now, imagine this recessed light box like a 5kg (11 lb) yogurt cup. This cup is simply inserted at the factory and cast into the concrete. When the ceiling is delivered, someone needs to be on site to pull the cables through these boxes. There is a cover that can be opened to pull the cables through. Afterwards, the cables plus the entire box are encased in concrete.

The box has a diameter of about 15–30cm (6–12 inches), depending on the manufacturer. The recessed light itself only needs about 6–7cm (2.5–3 inches). So, if the mounting boxes are not installed perfectly straight, there is still some room for adjustment and you will have to measure precisely later anyway. The walls will also be plastered with varying thickness, so you can’t calculate everything exactly beforehand—that’s why the “yogurt cup” is so large.

You need to get these boxes and a floor plan of your house, and then mark exactly where the boxes should be located.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of our ceiling at hand right now, so I added one from the internet. But our ceiling looked very similar. I also tried to draw the ceiling structure with Paint for you.

Why the long explanation?

You don’t have to drill.

Edit: I found another photo online showing what it looks like from below later on. There, you can see that the spots can be aligned precisely by a few centimeters.

That’s exactly how I imagine it.
Unfortunately, our building specifications state:

• Floor slabs will be constructed as dimensioned precast concrete floor slabs according to structural requirements

So, those would be nice extra costs for the recessed lights.