Light Fixture Installation:

Some of the most basic upgrades you can make to any house are to replace the light fixtures in kitchens, dining rooms, or entryways. Our house is about 14 years old now and the ceiling fixtures definitely needed some updating. Many of the current ceiling light fixtures are made with brass or have a "gold" color to them and that just didn't match our decor as we have remodeled the kitchen and other areas of our home in recent years. The first step was to find a kitchen light fixture over the table that was finished with brushed nickel to match the pulls and knobs we had just done on the cabinets. A great place to start your search is in home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowes. They carry a decent selection of lighting fixtures for all rooms of your house and at least you can see them in person. You can also go online to Amazon.com and see the 1000's of choices they offer for ceiling light fixtures and chandeliers. You can compare prices, materials, designs, and manufacturers.

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The light fixture installation was fairly easy for both the kitchen and dining room areas. Both the fixtures went right over the tables and the ceiling in those rooms is only 12 feet high so the electrician we hired could do it with a basic a-frame ladder. The light fixtures we about $130/each and the installation cost was roughly $100 to get both installed. I would have like to save the electrician some time by removing the older fixtures, but I didn't want to mess with being electricuted. It didn't really matter that much anyways as the process to remove the lights only took about 5 minutes once the wiring was dealt with. Both the new light fixtures we bought were heavier than the previous ones so it was also good that I was there to help hold up the lights while the electrician did the wiring up at the ceiling and secured them into their settings. The larger, chandelier style light we bought for our entryway was definitely heavy and it needed two people to secure it into place. The biggest problem with our 24 foot entry way ceilings was just getting a ladder that was tall enough to reach the uppermost section where the fixture went. The first 2 lights in our kitchen and dining rooms were installed by a local handyman that knew enough about electricity that we let him do it. The higher, chandelier fixture had to be installed by a professional electrician since it was much harder. We were lucky that the a-frame ladder was just tall enough to fit into the entrway and allow the 2 guys access to the ceiling where they gently lowered down the old light fixture and installed the new one. The chandelier light fixture was expensive (almost $400) but it truly is beautiful with 3 different layers of lights and a nice nickel finish that matches the other two lights and the sconces we bought for the living room. The ceiling chandelier was by far the toughest to install simply because of the height of the ceiling. On a smaller, say 15 foot ceiling, a single electrician might be able to install it by theirself, but at 24 feet two people were required. Chandeliers can weigh well over 100 pounds - I think ours came in at about 65 pounds. I ended up paying $200 for the 2 guys to be at my house for about 1 1/2 hours while they took down the old one and replaced it with the new chandelier ceiling fixture. After the new one was up I was amazed at how great it looked and only hoped that the install was done correctly. I kept thinking how terrible it would be if the light came crashing down. After watching professionals do the ceiling fixture installations I assume that an average DIY homeowner could have installed the first 2 if they know how to shut off electricity to certain sections of the house. Electrical work can be tricky, but from what I saw the wiring was simple enough and not too difficult to manage. As for the higher, chandelier light, don't attempt this kind of work unless you are familiar with working 24 feet up off the ground. Instead of a ladder you can always get some scaffolding but that will only add to the headache of the project. I found that spending $200 on the chandelier light install was well worth it and it's definitely securely in place.

Light Fixture Cost:

Lots of people are afraid to take on a project like replacing light fixtures but once they realize how inexpensive they can be it usually changes their mind on the idea. I must admit we went a little overboard on the light fixture prices in our case, but the end result is something that can stay in our house for hopefully at least a decade or 2 and the one in the entryway is what people see when they first enter our house. A real estate agent friend or ours said it was a great investment if we ever wanted to sell our house. The chandelier fixture was $387 and we bought it at a store called Globe Lighting here in Oregon. The other 2 fixtures - the one in the kitchen and dining room - were $130 and $125 respectively. We found pricing ranged from $20 up to $900 per fixture depending on design, material, size, etc. Keep in mind that if you change one fixture in your home, odds are that you will need to change several so that they all match. Our house was originally setup with 4 sets of lights matching in color and design so we were essentially forced to replaced all four with this project.

Buy Light Fixtures and Chandeliers:

Where is the best place to buy light fixtures? We get this question all the time and the answer is simple. There are always going to be lamp stores in your local area and even some department stores like Sears or home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowes carry them as well. I would suggest (from my own experiences) that you try the internet instead of relying the limited inventory you find locally. Amazon carries something like 10,000 different light fixtures through their website and other sites like Lampsplus.com or Lightingheadquarters.com are excellent resources as well. Many of the online stores allow you to type in things like material, price, style, etc. and they give you a detailed listing of dozens that fit your needs. Price comparison is something that the internet lets you do quickly as well. Shopping online is a great way to secure the best price on the best product. You can browse the top selling light fixtures online at Amazon.com here.

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