Fitting Downlights - Best way to prep for electrician

[Mart_]

Hope you guys can advise.

We are having a complete renovation in the kitchen / dining room where we've just had a load bearing wall removed. We want an electrician install 3 or 4 rows of spots running one end (kitchen) to the other (dining room)

You'll see the plasterboard pulled back for the load bearing steel, which with a torch you can see all the existing cabling along with pipe work for both rooms (handy)

The ceiling is going to be over boarded and plastered.

What's my best practice here?

1. Get the sparky in prior to over boarding the ceiling so he can see what is what and mark up, prep and drop some cables and then get it over boarded? etc.

2. Or just get it all plastered up and let the sparky crack on later? Which I assume pulling the upstairs floorboards up?

Only problem with Option 1, I'll want some of the spots where that big gap is. I suppose I could cut some boards up, fix with some plaster boards screws so they can be unscrewed later when the sparky drops his cables.

I hope I've explained everything and that reads OK.

Thanks for looking!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What's my best practice here?

To find out if that is asbestos-containing Artex, and if it is have the ceiling removed.

 

[Taylortwocities]

It’s a LOT easier to first fix Lighting whole the ceiling is open and available.
Get your electrician to do the first fix (running the cables in) now.
He/she can return to cut the holes and get the lights wired up after the ceiling has been boarded.

 

[Mart_]

To find out if that is asbestos-containing Artex, and if it is have the ceiling removed.

Sorted, as testing prior was a pre-requisite to having the wall removed.

 

[Mart_]

It’s a LOT easier to first fix Lighting whole the ceiling is open and available.
Get your electrician to do the first fix (running the cables in) now.
He/she can return to cut the holes and get the lights wired up after the ceiling has been boarded.

Thanks Taylortwocities

If I left that big gap there, then the sparky will be able to leave cables in the general area and fish on completion of boarding?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Yes. She can clip cables and make a dimesion map of where the cables are. At least, that's what a sensible electrician would do.

 

[winston1]

We want an electrician install 3 or 4 rows of spots running one end (kitchen) to the other (dining room)

Cue BAS.

 

[Risteard]

To find out if that is asbestos-containing Artex, and if it is have the ceiling removed.

On this occasion I must agree with @ban-all-sheds / Kevin. I would want to know if that was an ACM or not.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

On this occasion I must agree with @ban-all-sheds / Kevin. I would want to know if that was an ACM or not.

Sorted, as testing prior was a pre-requisite to having the wall removed.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We want an electrician install 3 or 4 rows of spots running one end (kitchen) to the other (dining room)

Winston has a point.

IMO you should at least think about the possibility that needing that many lights to light up the room might be because they aren't very good at the job of lighting up rooms....

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Nice neat job you/they did dropping the wall without trashing the whole place.
Make sure your plasterer knows you want ceiling levels to match between the kitchen and dining rooms- you don't really want a visibly sloping ceiling to wall line, it'll look v cack. They may advise you to drop the artex side and reboard.......I'd take that advice
As above, get your electrician in before you do any more to the ceilings to run cables and measure up
Downlights- I like the feel of the light from them in the kitchen (50W 12v tungsten ones anyway, not so convinced by LED), your ceilings are just about high enough to get away with them (and no wall units which are a pest for casting shadows from the things) but you will need a lot of them to give a good working light in the kitchen (at least 1 per square metre of floor, ideally more than that ). EDIT Just spotted the wall units at the far end- beware of shadows under them, tbh I'd stick with the fittings you've got in the kitchen (not sure what I'd do with the dining room but def not downlights)
If your chosen downlights use a transformer or power supply or magic box of some sort (line driver for LEDs maybe), make sure they are either easily accessible after the works are finished (access panel or in a cupboard) or are small enough and there's enough slack on the supply cable to get them out through the downlight holes in the ceiling)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They may advise you to drop the artex side and reboard.......I'd take that advice

Also note that some recessed fittings can be a PITA to install if you have a double layer of P/B.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Also note that some recessed fittings can be a PITA to install if you have a double layer of P/B.

Some recessed light fittings are a PITA full stop. Avoid the ones with a twisty spring clip- they rely on a precise diameter hole in the ceiling, once you've changed the lamp a couple of times they get very baggy. The ones with butterfly clips are better- much more tolerant of hole diameter and board thickness