Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Dec 15, 2018 5:52 pm Hi all, I need a suggestion, I’ve got a quote from my builder and he is charging me $110 per down light. Is it expensive? Should I get this done from an electrician after the house is ready? Will I save money? Or will there be warranty issues? Anyone has good experience with an electrician? Maybe I might install CCTV cameras installed at the same time. Re: Get the down lights from your own electrician is cheap? 2Dec 15, 2018 9:02 pm The builder charge a premium for everything, so getting it done by someone else will (should) be cheaper. If you have an electrician friend then great, otherwise you should be able to get an idea off an electrician what they'd charge to either upgrade existing batten lights to downlights, or to add new fittings. I'm building 2 storey and getting all downstairs done with batten lights and will get them upgraded by a friend. Upstairs i'm getting the minimum put in and will upgrade and expand later. Also getting pre-wired for CCTV cameras and outdoor lighting, and will buy that equipment and get them installed some time later. If anything goes wrong, I don't see what warranty issues there could be, as long as you use a licenced electrician (and even then if you didn't, it'd be more an insurance issue) Re: Get the down lights from your own electrician is cheap? 3Dec 15, 2018 9:09 pm KingTaco The builder charge a premium for everything, so getting it done by someone else will (should) be cheaper. If you have an electrician friend then great, otherwise you should be able to get an idea off an electrician what they'd charge to either upgrade existing batten lights to downlights, or to add new fittings. I'm building 2 storey and getting all downstairs done with batten lights and will get them upgraded by a friend. Upstairs i'm getting the minimum put in and will upgrade and expand later. Also getting pre-wired for CCTV cameras and outdoor lighting, and will buy that equipment and get them installed some time later. If anything goes wrong, I don't see what warranty issues there could be, as long as you use a licenced electrician (and even then if you didn't, it'd be more an insurance issue) Thank you King Taco, i would rather get that done later, is there anything I should get done later? Can you please advice Re: Get the down lights from your own electrician is cheap? 4Dec 15, 2018 9:21 pm I'm no expert - I haven't even started building yet, and it's my first! I'm getting driveway, fencing, and landscaping done after, as well as screens, window coverings, WIR fit-out and feature lights and lighting upgrades. The landscaping and fencing i'll probably do myself - i like to work, and you have a tangible result at the end of your labours. Re: Get the down lights from your own electrician is cheap? 5Dec 16, 2018 1:15 pm Are you building a single or double storey home? For single storey it is simple, an electrician can install downlights throughout your home. For a double storey it is very expensive the have downlights installed in a room with only a single batten light. The ceiling is installed onto the joists, you cannot run cable easily around the roof space. It isn't impossible but very messy and expensive. You should install downlights everywhere you want them on the ground floor with the builder. On the first floor it is similar to a single story, unless you have access issues such as a flat roof. On the ground floor you can also think about installing modern track lighting systems which can tap into a single batten holder. Re: Get the down lights from your own electrician is cheap? 6Dec 16, 2018 2:39 pm Huhness Are you building a single or double storey home? For single storey it is simple, an electrician can install downlights throughout your home. For a double storey it is very expensive the have downlights installed in a room with only a single batten light. The ceiling is installed onto the joists, you cannot run cable easily around the roof space. It isn't impossible but very messy and expensive. You should install downlights everywhere you want them on the ground floor with the builder. On the first floor it is similar to a single story, unless you have access issues such as a flat roof. On the ground floor you can also think about installing modern track lighting systems which can tap into a single batten holder. Huhness, thank you for the info. I am building single story home. Any other recommendations please? 0 1652 1. Roof cleaning and paint - which colour do you recommend? I often see black/ dark grey in use these days but I would prefer… 0 9187 Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 22098 |