10 Lighting and Electrical Considerations for Vancouver Home Renovation
There are many things to learn whenever you renovate your house. Our decisions are incredibly crucial to making sure we can enjoy living in our homes. Electricity is an essential element in everyone’s home these days. Making bad electrical choices is something one cannot afford.
Having an experienced electrician by your side when planning for your home renovation would be a great idea for saving time and money. You will easily be able to avoid future regrets by making these important changes.
This is why we urge you to take your time and make sure that your electrical considerations for your house renovation are top-notch.
Coming up with a lighting and electrical plan is not a walk in the park. It takes a lot of time and planning to make sure that your lighting and electrical considerations are free of faults.
Since we care so much about how you renovate your home, we have come up with some tips for you to consider before you renovate your home.
Mentioned below are ten lighting and electrical considerations you should pay attention to for your home’s renovation.
Never Over light
Overlighting the interiors is one of the most commonly made mistakes you will find in most home renovations.
Considering function is really important in lighting design. Please don’t purchase light fixtures without doing this first! Always start by defining how your room will be used. Second, choose light fixtures that fit that purpose and match your home interior design style.
Overlighting not only adds unneeded brightness to your house, but it also proves to be overly expensive both in the long and short run. It would be wise to take a good look at your home and adapt the lighting accordingly. It would also be advisable that you put a dimmer on the lights you have installed in your interior.
Mix it Up
Using conventional lighting options and techniques time after time is one of the biggest reasons why most people are never satisfied with their lighting. This reason is why we suggest you mix it up and give your house a new look simply by changing the way you light it.
You can start by cutting down the use of ceiling lights. Step lights, pendants, floor lamps, wall lights, low hallway, and wall washes are among a few lighting solutions you should take into consideration when renovating your new home. You can also seek advice from an interior or lighting designer if you are not informed about lights.
Do Not Use Outdated Lighting
Using outdated lighting inside your residence is a surefire way to make it look bad. Although illumination is a primary purpose of every light, there is much more to it than that.
You should pay attention to the different types of lights available in the market. It might surprise you to find out that there are new light designs and models introduced in the market on a monthly basis.
Keeping up with the current lighting trends will do you no wrong and will serve a great purpose in improving your house’s lighting after a home renovation.
Add Motion Sensor Lighting
Motion sensor lights are extremely popular these days and for a good reason. It is relatively cheap and extremely convenient. There is always a risk of fumbling and falling with manual lighting, as you have to turn the switch on. Whenever you might want to light a space easily without having to search for the switch, you can opt for motion sensor lighting.
Checking Power Points Placement
Although most people do not even consider it, placement matters a lot and should be one of your main focuses during a home renovation. You should place the power points in a way, which ensures that they are in compliance with the electrical code
You should always prioritize safety over aesthetics whenever it comes to house renovation. Place the power points practically and make sure you have them where you need them. Think carefully about all the places where you need a power point, for laptops, Christmas tree, kitchen appliances and consult with your electrician.
Take the Switches in Consideration
Gone are the days when lighting switches used to look dull and boring. Now there are a plethora of these switches to choose from. They are stylish and go well with almost any theme that people want for their houses.
You can also get hold of personalized switches with images to make sure that you do not have to flick lights for choosing the correct one constantly.
Planning in Wall Central Vacuum Cleaner Beforehand
In-wall central vacuum systems are powerful and save energy, which means more efficient cleaning, at no extra energy consumption. They are incredibly effective and a good investment considering they do a much better job of clearing dust and debris from the house.
You will need to install the system before plastering your walls. Therefore, it would be wise to determine where to put the outlets, your electrician can help you to measure the distance from each outlet to ensure the vacuum hose would reach every area of the house, in and around the furniture that would be situated there.
Outdoor Electrical Systems and Holiday Lights
It is essential to ensure that your outdoor electrical systems and holiday lights are on point. People often plan to string up holiday lights, which is impossible without an excellent outdoor electrical system. You can easily reduce the shocks and shorts in wiring by installing grounded outdoor lights.
It is crucial that you meet the electrical safety standards for your outdoor lights before you install them in your front yard, backyard or patio. A wise thing to ensure safety for your holiday lights and electrical systems would be to consider outlets for them that you can place under eaves, in your porch or under the stairway.
Taking Budget Restrictions in Consideration
It is no secret that home renovation can be expensive. There are times when people blow off their budget before they even reach lighting and electrical considerations. We would advise you to involve your electrician early in the process and prioritize your light fixtures budget.
Understand Your Home’s Electrical Load
In case you are renovating an older home, it is essential to consider whether your current electrical panel will be able to handle the electrical load of your newer appliances. Upgrading your electrical service will be the perfect solution if the panel is not able to handle the pressure of extra electricity usage.
Permits, Insurance and Workers’ Compensation
It is crucial that you get all the lighting and electrical work done by a licensed electrician. An electrical permit is usually required for most renovation works unless is a minor alteration or repair. Before starting a home renovation project, ensure the contractors your hire is insured, licensed and is enrolled in Workers’ compensation. If something unexpected happens you could face a financial risk. If your contractor is not in compliance with Workers Compensation you can be held financially responsible if a worker is hurt on your home.
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I found it interesting that you state that it’s a good idea to have an expert help you with your renovations. My brother and his wife are renovating their basement into a game room and want to make sure the lighting shows off the style of the room.
Safety is a must so you need to make sure the system you are going to work on will be smooth and laid out plans for it. Once met, proceed to actual work.
Plan first. Load and diagrams for such should be prioritized. Safety is a concern that we should be wary of. Keeping things organized makes the job easier.
Nice Post!
I like the suggestions and thinking about implementing these suggestions to my home lighting and electrical considerations. I hope, I do it with myself or maybe need to hire an electrician?
Nice blog! I really like the article and very helpful for me. Thanks for sharing.