Downlights in new build help.

I thought halogen downlighters were really inefficient? they tend to blow quite regular and kick out a lot of heat.

I'd certainly look into LED if you Want small spots, but if its not your electric bill its not an issue! not sure what the difference would be price wise, but LED will blow less often an use a lot less juice.
 
I got Dar downlights for the shower room (£18 each) with Mode Transformers (£20 each). Dimming pull cord another £20 or so. I got them fitted for £80 in all (5 of them), it isn't exactly hard (though it was part of a renovation anyway)

Don't bother skimping on transformers.
 
thedinks said:
Benny are they putting the ceiling up aswell?
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I should hope so!

mattyfez said:
I thought halogen downlighters were really inefficient? they tend to blow quite regular and kick out a lot of heat.

I'd certainly look into LED if you Want small spots, but if its not your electric bill its not an issue! not sure what the difference would be price wise, but LED will blow less often an use a lot less juice.
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A quick google brings up that there are LED bulbs for halogen fittings. So I'll look in to these. 7 times more expensive (apparently) but last 25 times longer and use much less energy, £19 cheaper per year per bulb, again 'apparently'.

Had another few quotes come in one for a reasonable £35 per light. Preferably if he can have access mid build to lay wiring etc.

These are what I have in mind (hopefully okay to link, not a competitor I hope.)
Standard:
http://www.lightupuk.co.uk/shop/ind...id=783&zenid=c2958bf21ef40c9163e825c52cde7f0e

Splash proof:

http://www.lightupuk.co.uk/shop/ind...id=785&zenid=c2958bf21ef40c9163e825c52cde7f0e

Does anybody know if these will require fire jackets?
 
slightly off topic but related - if a bulb goes in the downlighter how to you replace it? must it be accessed from above (me fears getting stuck in attic wriggling through into tiny space above ensuite) or can you twizzle it from below to release the fitting and change the bulb?
 
encephalopathy said:
slightly off topic but related - if a bulb goes in the downlighter how to you replace it? must it be accessed from above (me fears getting stuck in attic wriggling through into tiny space above ensuite) or can you twizzle it from below to release the fitting and change the bulb?
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They're generally held in by wire clips; similar to a car lightbulb and accessible as a normal light, though slightly fiddlier.
 
mine you just turn a quarter of a circle anti-clockwise and it dops down and the bulb slips out of these metal prongs that hold it in place.
 
Right op I will answer your actual question with real advice! Being a spark and all that.

Putting spots on the top floor will be easy and can be done after the house is signed off, will have to patch up the hole where the pendant was originally, But that isn't much of a problem, If they are to be used in installation I'd fit something along the lines of

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Fire_and_Smoke/GUFRD_Fireguard/index.html

It's on the lower floors where you will have the problem, New builds pretty much always have wayrock (chipboard) flooring, Which when taken up never goes back as it should. So your only real option is to stitch the ceiling from below to get the cables to where they need to be. This will leave you will holes to patch at every point a cable needs to cross a joist.

The builder will never let you have your own electrician on site.

I'd ask the building contractor if it's possible for them to 1st fix for the downlighters down stairs and give you a plan where each downlighter should go, Then get someone in after to 2nd fix.

Any other questions, Just ask.
 
ZG002 said:
Right op I will answer your actual question with real advice! Being a spark and all that.

Putting spots on the top floor will be easy and can be done after the house is signed off, will have to patch up the hole where the pendant was originally, But that isn't much of a problem,
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Good, I didn't think upstairs would be much of a problem.

It's on the lower floors where you will have the problem, New builds pretty much always have wayrock (chipboard) flooring, Which when taken up never goes back as it should. So your only real option is to stitch the ceiling from below to get the cables to where they need to be. This will leave you will holes to patch at every point a cable needs to cross a joist.
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Patching lots of holes sounds like a lot of work, especially when the downstairs rooms are 19ft long.

The builder will never let you have your own electrician on site.
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I didn't think so but it's worth a shot.

I'd ask the building contractor if it's possible for them to 1st fix for the downlighters down stairs and give you a plan where each downlighter should go, Then get someone in after to 2nd fix.

Any other questions, Just ask.
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Could you explain what first fix and second fix is in a bit more detail? I'm guessing first fix would be for them to lay cables and just leave a plan as to where they've laid them for?

If ripping up the floor and replacing it is only going to be a couple of hundred quid say £500 then it'd still be £500 cheaper overall £1500 for lighting + £500 for new floor = £2000 so would save almost £500 than getting lighting done by my developer.
 
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Yeah pretty much, 1st fix is getting the cables in place, 2nd fix is fitting the lights, switches, sockets etc.

Your cheapest option would be to stitch the ceiling and get it patched or re skimmed tbh. How many lights are you planning on putting in downstairs?

What annoys me with specing things on new builds is they charge the same price I would but it takes them less than half the time to actually do the job, It will take their electrician about 15-20 minutes to actually get the cables in place, It will take someone upto 2 hours once the celing is up and the floors are down.
 
ZG002 said:
Yeah pretty much, 1st fix is getting the cables in place, 2nd fix is fitting the lights, switches, sockets etc.

Your cheapest option would be to stitch the ceiling and get it patched or re skimmed tbh. How many lights are you planning on putting in downstairs?
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25 upstairs and 19 downstairs.

How big exactly would the holes left from stitching be or before it's stitched even? Thinking whilst the floors upstairs are bare it might be easier to cut hole in the chipboard floor and then patch these up before underlay and carpet goes down as opposed to re-skimming ceilings?

What annoys me with specing things on new builds is they charge the same price I would but it takes them less than half the time to actually do the job, It will take their electrician about 15-20 minutes to actually get the cables in place, It will take someone upto 2 hours once the celing is up and the floors are down.
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If their prices were only a few hundred pounds more than what it'd cost to get it done after the build is complete then I'd just get it done by them to save time and hassle but with almost £1000 to save they can do one.

Edit: I will have to see which way the joists are running if I can get some construction plans.
 
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Not very big tbh. They are only there to get the cable across the joist, As of course you can't drill the joist. about 3inch long by a inch wide. Would be harder drilling the floor as you would have to make sure you drilled the right place. Could end up with loads of holes not needed in the floor. We always stitch the ceiling as it's the quickest and most cost effective option normally
 
Not regarding the wiring but for the bulbs I used Megaman CFL GU10's, I think they were 12w.
They are superb, they take about 30 secs to reach full brightness and I have 12 of them on a dimmer in an extension I've just built.
 
ZG002 said:
Not very big tbh. They are only there to get the cable across the joist, As of course you can't drill the joist. about 3inch long by a inch wide. Would be harder drilling the floor as you would have to make sure you drilled the right place. Could end up with loads of holes not needed in the floor. We always stitch the ceiling as it's the quickest and most cost effective option normally
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Thanks for that.

Sorry to be a total pain in the ass but how would one go about stitching up the holes?

Screwing a small piece of plasterboard in to the joist to plug the whole and then fill over it and sand it flush?
 
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