Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 Sep 02, 2009 7:44 pm We have decided to get the lighting all done as part of the build. Problem is, we have never lived in a house that has had downlights, so are unsure how much light they give off. We know nothing about them and would appreciate comment before we have to let the builder know how many extra ones we need. (assuming we will need more than listed below!) Theatre room - 6m x 3.5 - removing normal lights for down lights Living room - 6m x 3.5 - 2 downlights included as standard Meals area - 1 downlight as standard L shaped kitchen - 1 downlight as standard We will be paying $70 to have a dimmer switch included in each room. So, how many do you think we will need in each room? I am assuming that they will be evenly spaced throughout the room? Thanks in advance Re: How many downlights should we have? 2Sep 02, 2009 7:59 pm Hi Rowena, This is our floor plan (sorry I don't know how to copy it onto the page) http://www.porterdavis.com.au/content/H ... orne42.pdf We have five downlights in the family room. They give off plenty/enough light but we don't ever use them. Two downlights in the meals area with a batten fix pendant in between them. Three over the kitchen Island and one where the word "kit" is. I've found our lighting to be perfect ![]() We have two batten fix lights in the HT as I want dark drum shades in there. Happy at Home Re: How many downlights should we have? 4Sep 02, 2009 8:21 pm No probs ![]() ![]() Happy at Home Re: How many downlights should we have? 6Sep 02, 2009 10:27 pm If you haven't lived with them before, try to spend some time at night in a house that has them. I really hated them in our old rental- to me they made the room feel like a cave because they only direct the light down from their recess (rather than up, down and out like a lot of 'standard' lights or even just a batten fix), so the ceiling felt really dark and heavy rather than cozy. Having lots doesn't really fix this. Maybe it's just me that it bothers though... They are also inefficient energy-wise! Re: How many downlights should we have? 7Sep 03, 2009 1:23 am Hi Rowena, we turned our lites on for first time tonite! & although i hate downlites, but being the "in thing" we had to have some so i was told, & they have worked out OK. one of the big probs we had was sorting thru all the different types of down lites available. i don't see the point of houses being all energy efficient then putting in 200 dinky little 12volt converter d/lites that have all sort of heat probs to do what 10 normal lites would do ?!?!- BUT after months of hunting about we found some 240 volt single units (of different diameter lite outlets) that take energy saver bulbs - good lite spread - very low heat in ceiling, we put 7 (110mm dia) in our family room (1.75 m out from wall & 3m apart) but also had 2 large oysters at each end & 2 banks of spots (family room 7m X15m) all separately switched. found tonite that 7 d/lites & 2 large oysters were good for that area. spots will be used separately if needed over reading areas ect. we used the formula of 3m X 3.5m for each down lite area. again this will depend on the type of d/lite selected. in our bedroom 4m X 5.4m we used 2 (110mm) d/lites. in passages (4.5mx1.3m) we used 1 (90mm dia) again good lighting in all cases. hope this helps - be very careful about heat factor in ceilings, luckily our electrician warned about this right from the start. cheers tony Re: How many downlights should we have? 8Sep 03, 2009 1:52 am Hi Rowena - just remembered ours were Nelson 240volt CFL globes 120mm dia light with mirror backing that fits in 100mm hole in ceiling. i think the smaller ones are 100 lite fit in 90mm hole in ceiling? globes can be 11 or 13 w cfls - so cheap to run. u can find in Nelson web page. cost over here around $25 plus GST. cheers tony Re: How many downlights should we have? 9Sep 03, 2009 7:17 pm Thanks guys for the very detailed info - I have a lot to learn about lighting in terms of brands, sizes, positioning, efficiency and environmentally! Thanks for the warning about the overheating issue. I'm kind of glad now that we are only having down-lights in some of the rooms and not through the whole house. They will really suit the theatre room as sometimes you want some light but not at full strength - my DP calls it "mood lighting", which we achieve now by having a lamps. Lots to think about. Cheers. Re: How many downlights should we have? 10Sep 17, 2009 10:41 pm I have had trouble getting clear answers on this as well. You also need to take into account the height to the ceiling (ie floors, benches etc) as the higher the light the further the spread. CFL's are much more efficient than Halogens, and avoid heat issues. It’s a good idea to have multiple switches with CFLs as most are not dimmable, so just turning on part of the room is often useful. You can/should/could also use lamps and additional up lights to change that cave feeling. Re: How many downlights should we have? 11Sep 17, 2009 10:46 pm Thanks Hillsguy. You're right - it's a tricky one. I think we are going with 6 in each of the living and theatre room. Still unsure about the kitchen meals. As to the different sort of lights, I guess we can discuss this in detail with the actual builder. Cheers Hi All, I just wanted to close this topic out with an update. So we ended up agreeing to a number with the insurance company, and after an extensive amount of hand… 8 26847 ![]() They already have two well known ones (HIA & MBA) that many new home buyers mistakenly think are regulatory bodies that Joe Public can complain to. 6 19615 ![]() I've decided, after a period of confusion (my building broker told me it's probably not worth it to use a lawyer, but others have said it is a must) that I definitely will… 7 29369 ![]() |