Basement Remodel: Lighting

The electrical violations were fixed, and while I was awaiting inspection I was also getting anxious to see some progress in the basement. I can't sit still. So I took advantage of the electrician while I could to install the new lighting. I hated the fluorescent lighting that weighed down the old dropped ceiling so I quickly cleared out what I could.

The ceiling was removed in a matter of an hour with Justin and I working on it. We then spent about 3 hours with a hammer and a shop vac all up in the exposed ceiling. It wasn't pretty - hundreds of nails that held a past ceiling in place and those all had to be removed... One nail at a time. Then there were at least a hundred random hooks and nails in the joists that served no purpose and had to be removed. After everything was clear I vacuumed every nook and cranny hoping to clear out any hibernating arachnids.

Here is the "living area" of the basement with the dropped ceiling removed...

And a look back at the old lighting....

My plan was to install recessed can lights to help bring the basement into the 21st century. I chose to install 8 lights in the main area (there were previously 3 large fluorescent lights), two inbetween each ceiling joist and four rows in the living area. 

The can lights are nailed between two joists so they require the space between the joists to be completely clear.  This means that I had to design the lighting around the openings that had mechanicals running through them (hvac, plumbing, etc).  The joists closest to the basement entrance would be the only issue being that the first 4 ceiling joists had either an hvac system or plumbing running through them.  This area turned out to be a bit shadowy but it's not dark enough to cause a problem.  I am hoping that the design of the basement will lighten up the room enough that the shadowy corner isn't an issue.

Once I designed the lighting layout, I measured out the spacing and nailed the light fixtures into place. It took the electrician less than an hour to wire them. 

The lighting isn't quite complete as each can is waiting for a true recessed light bulb and the deflector.  Both of these will be the last step completed in the basement.  I need lighting in the basement to work, so I just installed the cheap standard bulbs so I can safely paint, sand and create a mess with out worrying about ruining a pricey bulb or deflector.  The lights look a little intense in the picture above for this reason.   

 

Still pretty ugly right?  It is.  I promise it gets better (I'm behind in posts so the basement is further progressed than what I'm sharing right now). 

It was definitely worth the efforts to change the basement lighting.  I think the improvement in lighting alone is a big move in the right direction. We are on our way to a beautiful basement!

Mary

Just in case you missed previous steps and find out why I am completing a basement renovation, you can find that all here:

What Started It All: Electrical Permit Letter From City

Step 1: Electrical Inspection

Step 2: Basement Plan of Action

Step 3: Electrical Approval

Step 4: Adding Light to the Basement