How Much Does It Cost to Install Recessed Lighting?

The ideal approach to light up your living room or enlighten that gloomy, dark corner of your kitchen is with recessed lighting. Depending on your ceiling material, housing type, wiring, and other factors, installing recessed lighting can cost anywhere from $100 to $480 per light fixture, or around $360 apiece. Continue reading to find out how much adding recessed lighting will cost you.

Recessed lighting installation cost considerations

Recessed lighting installation costs are influenced by a number of variables, including labor, wiring, and bulb type.

Materials for ceiling

Recessed lighting installation requires cutting holes in the ceiling, therefore the type of ceiling you have might effect prices. For instance, installing recessed lighting on drywall ceilings is likely to be less expensive than, say, installing it on hardwood ceilings since drywall ceilings are relatively quick and simple to cut through.

Property Type

In what is referred to as "housing," the electrical parts, the bulb socket, and the mounting frame of a recessed light are all housed. There are several forms of housing for recessed lighting, such as airtight, canless, and shallow housing. Your ultimate charges may vary depending on the kind you select.

Cut Type

The border that fills the space between the housing of the lamp and the ceiling is referred to as the trim. There are several forms of trim, such as eyeball trim and reflector trim, just as there are various housing types. While reflector trim gives a highly polished surface that reflects light, eyeball trim allows the light to rotate and direct to specific regions. While the latter runs from $10 to $60, the former costs between $15 and $30.

Lamp Type

Fluorescent, halogen, and LED lights, for example, are frequently suitable with recessed lighting. These bulbs are all priced differently. Halogen lights, for instance, may cost anywhere from $3 to $12 per bulb, but LED bulbs can cost anywhere from $5 to $50.

Labor

An electrician would typically charge between $200 and $250 per fixture to install recessed can or canless LED lights. Each installation takes between two to three hours, and professionals charge between $85 and $105 per hour.

Materials

Depending on the type you select, the price of a recessed light fixture normally ranges from $30 to $230. The labour expenses to install them are not taken into account in this range.

Wiring

It's not always required to wire lights into ceilings (and it generally won't be if you're dealing with a ceiling that already has lights). If wiring is required, increase your budget for recessed lighting by an additional $70 to $140.

Accessibility

When installing recessed lighting in areas obstructed by objects like heat ducts, joists, or wiring from other electrical equipment, electricians often charge extra. If one of these gets in your way, add another $200.

Salvatore Cutrona, an Expert Review Member and Licensed Master Electrician, explains that installing lights where there is access above the ceiling, such as an attic or a crawl space, will be considerably simpler than doing it on a lower level where the ceiling needs to be cut into and then patched.

Permits

You'll need a permit if you're changing the wiring in your house and adding any new circuits in addition to your new recessed lighting. The cost of permits might vary from $50 to $500 depending on the municipality and the project.

Cost of Recessed Lighting by Housing Type

The term "housing" describes the enclosure that surrounds the mounting frame, bulb socket, and electrical parts of your recessed lighting. Costs may vary depending on the type of residence you select.

Recessed Lighting: IC-Rated vs. Non-IC-Rated

IC-rated and non-IC-rated housing are the two primary varieties. When illumination is put close to insulation, it occasionally causes the material to deform, melt, or produce VOCs. A lamp can be installed safely next to insulation if it has an IC-rated housing, lowering the risk of fire and health problems. Non-IC-rated housing costs between $6 and $90 per light, but IC-rated housing costs between $7 and $100 each light.

Costs Not Previously Considered
When installing recessed lighting, there are various other possible expenditures to take into account. For instance, the cost of installing lighting indoors vs outside typically varies.

Construction that is new vs a ceiling with existing lights
If you're working in a ceiling with already-installed lights, installing recessed lighting will normally be less expensive. If this applies to you, budget $200 to $300 for each fixture's installation and $800 to $2,160 for the job as a whole.

A fully new ceiling often requires a little bit more time and labour to install lights into. A single light fixture may cost up to $500, while a complete arrangement could cost between $800 to $2,880.

Repairs to Drywall
You'll frequently need to cut into the drywall to install recessed lighting in an existing home (as opposed to a new construction), in which case you should include drywall repairs in your overall expenditures. The typical cost of drywall repairs ranges from $300 to $900, depending on the job. Repairs resulting from the installation of recessed lighting will probably be in the lower half of that range.

Lighting: Indoor vs. Outdoor
Due to fewer suitable places and the frequent need for extra electrical work, outdoor lighting systems are often more expensive to install than inside recessed lighting. However, compared to interior lighting, you often don't need as many outside lights to illuminate a place. While interior recessed lighting typically costs $100 to $480, outdoor recessed lighting has a price range of $300 to $550.

Recessed Lighting Finish Type 

Although many people choose a white finish, you can often choose from multiple finish types for your recessed lighting. The type you choose can affect your price. 

White: $10–$25

Gold: $10–$45

Nickel: $15–$80

Chrome: $15–$80

Copper: $25–$60

Black: $25–$80

Bronze: $30–$60

Switch Installation for Dimmer
Your new recessed lighting's brightness may be adjusted using dimmer switches to suit the mood you wish to set. On average, adding a dimmer switch to your installation would cost you an additional $125.

Installation of Wall Panels
Speaking of switches, you may install a wall panel that has a range of switches, including dimmer and/or normal switches, to regulate the lighting system in your home. Installing wall panels generally costs between $50 and $100.

Cost of DIY Recessed Lighting Installation

Recessed lighting is roughly half as expensive to DIY as it is to hire a professional. You can install one light fixture yourself for approximately half the cost of hiring an electrician, who would ordinarily charge you $100 to do so. The cost of the light fixtures you choose will ultimately determine the total cost rather than the labour charges.

How to Reduce the Cost of Installing Recessed Lighting
By doing the recessed lighting installation yourself, you may save money. Recessed lighting installation normally takes at least two hours, and pros often charge between $85 and $105 per hour to do it. By doing this job yourself, you may completely avoid paying for labour.

Additionally, since installing new electrical systems can significantly increase prices, you can save money by installing recessed lighting in a space that already has wiring and light fixtures.
 

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