ᐅ Potential Savings in Lighting Selection

Hello everyone,

I will soon be building a house with Bien-Zenker and would like your opinion on potential savings regarding the electrical fittings selection.
The house will be handed over to me "finished to specification," meaning the floor will have screed, and the walls and ceilings will be covered with drywall panels.
I want to use large-scale LED spotlights in the living/dining/kitchen area to ensure it is well lit from the start. A ceiling outlet for a spotlight costs me about €60 without the spotlight itself, meaning just the hole and cable. I find that a bit expensive for a hole and 2m (6.5 ft) of cable.

So my question is: Can I have only the "starter" spotlight installed to have the electrical circuit in place (one each for the kitchen, living, and dining areas) and then drill the openings and install the spots myself from there?
What should I watch out for if I do this?

Thanks a lot!
Chris

Officially, only an electrician registered with the relevant guild or trade association is allowed to do this work. So if something goes wrong and the insurance finds out, they might not cover the damage, for example if a fire is caused by incorrect wiring.

In theory, this even applies when connecting lamps to existing outlets. However, I have never heard of anyone hiring an electrician for that.

So it mostly depends on your skill and your assessment of your own abilities (or risk tolerance), rather than whether you’re actually permitted to do it.

It’s not exactly rocket science.

Chris.D schrieb:

I would like to use LED spotlights extensively in the living, dining, and kitchen area to have a bright environment.

The greatest potential for saving would be to reconsider what “nicely bright” really means. In my opinion, that belongs in a workshop, basement, or laundry room, but not in a living space design.
Targeted lighting—without holes in the ceiling that make it look like Swiss cheese—makes it more cost-effective.

That won’t work. Since you can no longer thread the cables from hole to hole. The drywall panels are screwed onto profiles. So, you will always have a break in one direction. The cable for the recessed lights must already be installed during the installation of the substructure.

I completely agree with ypg. Spotlights are outdated. Nowadays, there are much better lighting concepts available. You can achieve bright, pleasant lighting without drilling numerous holes in the ceiling.

I would recommend using modern lighting concepts. While spotlights can be useful for accent lighting here and there, they should not be the main source of light in open-plan living-dining-kitchen areas. Otherwise, you often get unattractive light cones on walls and furniture.

In hallways and similar spaces, spotlights might still look acceptable.

Chris.D schrieb:

A ceiling outlet for a spotlight costs me about €60 without the spotlight itself, meaning just the hole and cable. I find that a bit expensive for a hole and 2m (6.5 ft) of cable.

Besides the hole and cable, you also need to factor in the planning work, one or more electrical circuits, potentially a circuit breaker including wiring, junction boxes, connectors, and not least the labor costs.

60€ is reasonable.
If you overdo it with recessed lights, it will be bright but uncomfortable. Consider additional lighting options.