Installing/wiring BRAND NEW ceiling light fixture.. DIY? Or call an electrician?

Question

I recently purchased a home where none of the bedrooms and living area have light fixtures. The switches in each area power a single outlets.

First off, I m not an idiot, Im good with tools, safety, etc. I only say that because i know the easy answer for most is "call a professional". Well, they cost money, and I try to do things myself whenever possible to save money and learn something new.

I ve replaced existing light fixtures, outlets, switches, and ceiling fans but this is a new project for me that ive never come across.

I ve tried googling this but my searches end up consisting replacement of fixtures, not installing brand new ones. Or they consist of installing junction boxes, pancake boxes, no junction box. Etc.

Basically, is this a DIY? electrician? Or can someone refer links that help out with this project rather than getting some floor lamps to provide light to my home.

Answer 1

If you have an attic where you can get above the bedroom and run wires and secure the light fixture you should be able to do it and make it look good. The hard part may be finding the exact place in the attic that is right above the switch you will drill and run a wire down to the switch. If you can't get above the bedrooms and run the wires the easy way would be to run a wire from the outlet that the switch controls to the light, the wire would be attached to the outside of the wall where it can be see but they make wire that are flat and you can paint them to match. Yes this is a job for a good DIYer.

Answer 2

In the UK only registered electrical contractors are permitted to install. Anyone is allowed to replace a faulty switch/socket/lampholder, but not to run the cables.

The simple way is to wire a lamp to a plug with a small value fuse in, and clip the cable/cord to the ceiling. This is safe but unattractive.

A compromise would be to run cables to switches and lampholders, but to pay an electrician to connect everything up and sign off the installation as acceptable (uk).

Hiding wiring in walls & ceilings may not be easy, and surace cables & conduits are also unattractive, so you must decide if an unattractive wiring job is acceptable.

If you want to sell the home later, an ugly installation will seriously affect the price. but then I'm guessing you got it cheap because of the lack of electrics ?

Answer 3

Get a book on basic home wiring from the library or a big box store. The project you describe is very basic in the electrical industry and the most difficult part is running the proper cable from the switch to the location of the light fixture. As expensive as it seems to hire a professional you are paying for their education and experience. A trained professional is able to run wire without exposing the wires or doing unneeded damage to the walls. Depending on the type of construction of your home and how the access is from the crawl space or attic some cables may be fished with only a small hole in the wall.

Answer 4

Look unless its something you've done before , or even helped a friend do .As a licensed electrical contractor i suggest you pay a pro 1 its piece of mind its done right the first time 2 you wont have some ugly @ss wire mold running down the center of your wall 3 why pay some one to do it ,well why pay a competent mechanic to keep your car going .If i were you i would hire a competent and locally licensed electrician To handle this one and tackle the less involved ones yourself But in all fairness wiremold is butt ugly commercial stuff that would just uglify your walls and its better to have it done to code than to get 30 different ways listed here on how to do it As a contractor i am not suggesting methods for you i am suggesting you get a pro if for anything piece of mind when you go to sleep at night that its done correctly

Answer 5

the problem is what to do with the wire. Are you able to punch a hole in the ceiling, try to fish the wire over to where the switch or receptacle is, then down through the sillplate ( more holes.......)



The cleaner way is using a product called Wiremold. It's a finished looking system that carries the wire from where the new light will be over to and down the wall to the switch. They make all sorts of parts for the system . Go search "wiremold" and then go to a good hardware store andpick out the boxes, channels, right angles and box extensions and it's actually fairly easy and a whole lot neater than having to make holes to fish wire and then patch them.



DONT try to put Romex in the wiremold channel. Doesnt fit. Wont work. Strip off the white covering and just run the three... white black and bare copper... wires.Perfectly safe.

Answer 6

My philosophy is......., If they can do it, You can do it. Why pay someone money you don't have to come over and do something that you can do yourself if you put your mind to it.

If you need to brush up on your Electrical Projects, Popular Mechanics has a very well informed book on DIY Electrical Projects around your home. Make sure you test any electrical wires first before you touch them, and use a wooden ladder.

Answer 7

wiremold will do the trick for you, and hey, we love DIY folks round here, as long as its a safe job!!! and you can run romex thru wiremold easy, use 14-2 and your in business. or, like someone else suggested, you can fish wires up thru your attic and back down. good luck, you can do this!! .p.s. with the wiremold, you can mount a box outside, or on top of your receptacles, then just come straight up the wall, mount a switch box and continue up to the 90, then over to your new wiremold box. for the fans and lights. oh ya, if your gonna have both, use 14-3. you can use black for fan, red for light and then neutral and ground.