Find out the exact brand, model, voltage type, and the total number of fixtures included in the contract price as well as whether or not the ceiling is insulated. Then it will be possible to determine the type and size lamps that are allowed in the two different sizes of fixtures you are asking about.

The bottom line design issue is how much light reaches the counters so the smaller the lamp, the closer the fixtures must be spaced for adequate lighting. If the spacing is already determined for the larger fixture (electricians love the big ones), you may have to pay to use more of the smaller fixtures.

Thanks macv.

Electrical budget is pretty big for the house. Nothing has been wired yet (meeting the electrician next week). Contract states 95 recessed lights in budget and I can choose between 4" and 5".

Ceiling is insulated between 1st/2nd and 2nd/attic (R batts).

Electrician loves the bigger ones as less to do (or less light fixtures).

My bedrooms are roughly 12x11 (9' ceilings) and my kitchen you have the URL (10' ceilings).

I assumed 4 recessed lights for each bedroom/den with a seperate switch for center of room for fan/light. Its all in contract.

I also put in censored switch for all rooms in contract (though not sure if this is good or bad or overdone :)

Any advice on types of sensor switches, fans, recessed lights, etc.. would be great.

This is my 1st house I am building.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Do you have undercabinet lighting wired? I use that all the time. I hate my recessed lighting -- was talked into it by the contractor. Never use it and wish I didn't have that 'swiss cheese' ceiling. (If I never hear another word about 'ambient lighting' it will be too soon!)

It's a LONG WAY between your fridge/freezer and the main sink. That's quite a small island for a prep sink, but having one there may help. I like my ovens nearer the cooktop; I warm plates in the oven, and my M/W is there. I'd want some pendants over the island for task lighting.

Recessed cans in bedrooms are silly in my mind. They work best as task lights - but not very good at that either. What task are you doing in 12x11 rooms? A desk light obviously. Our builder often does the 4 cans in the master bedroom but we deleted ours. We have the 4 cans in our great room and we turn them on once every 3 months.

Cans on a top floor are holes for infiltration and insulation. Even with ICATs, there is nothing airtight about the installation.

Sorry to be so down on recessed cans but you asked. Pretty much anyone who is enthusiastic about lighting thinks cans are overdone in new construction. They are really inefficient at lighting things also - much more power with less available light. Oh yeah - the bulbs cost more too....

You didn't tell me anything about the light fixtures so I would have to say use the 5" fixtures with PAR lamps (not R lamps) in the kitchen since the ceiling is high and the lamp wattage might have to be lowered in an insulated ceiling for Halo or other lower end brands assuming they are line voltage instead of low voltage.

In this situation I recommend a Lightolier 3 3/4" low voltage MR16 adjustable fixtures because they throw a much brighter focused light beam and can be aimed but I doubt an electrician would have included such an expensive fixture in his price.

It is best to choose the light fixtures before bidding. If it is left undecided electricians usually low ball them and later charge too much for upgrades IMHO.

The first draft electrical plan had recessed lighting in all bedrooms - 4 with a central light in the middle. I took the recessed out - didn't want it in ours and though it was an unnecessary expense for the kids.

I am going to do a chandelier or lantern in our bedroom on a dimmer (we have that now and love it) and simple overhead lights from restoration hardware or something for the boys rooms, and a lantern or something for the guest room. I like to have the option of extra light in bedrooms and the switched outlets always seem to have lamps that have been turned off, at least at my house!

That being said, I much prefer lamps to light a room versus overhead lighting. . .

We have 5" specced right now and I don't know if I would like 4". Smaller is better I guess unless you need more of them!

The NEC (referenced by most, if not all, building codes) requires that each bedroom have a permanently wired light fixture operated by a switch at the door so a table lamp on a switched receptacle won't meet that requirement.

Ceiling light fixtures in a bedroom can make it uncomfortable to read in bed so it's a difficult room to light. I usually put one or two small diameter low voltage recessed ceiling fixtures on the far side of the room from the bed aimed at a wall to light artwork and put it on a dimmer.

95 recessed light? Why? Have you considered using light fixtures instead of all those cans? That said, in a 10' ceiling I would use 5".

The primary purpose of recessed lighting is to put a lot of light on task areas or on walls from a relatively hidden source. When the ceiling gets as high as 10 ft. The lamp size required to avoid close spacing can defeat the hidden source goal. And an insulated ceiling can often require a lower wattage lamp further complicating the issue.

The solution, of course, involves more money: small low voltage fixtures with MR16 lamps put out much more light, can be aimed, and rarely require the lamp size to be reduced in an insulated ceiling.

With careful design it is possible to reduce the number of low voltage fixtures (because of their higher light output) and also avoid hot spots or scalloping on vertical surfaces.

How about wall sconces for extra lighting in rooms other than the kitchen?

I almost never use the recessed lighting in our MBR, library, LR or Kitchen. I *would*, had some of these been sconces. I seldom use the fan light in our MBR either, but do use the fan.

The two recessed (reading) lights over our bed are creepy -- a perfect home for spiders is what my mind conjures!

Wall sconces only work if you have a wall that you don't want to put artwork on. In most new houses with open plans there's not a lot of wall area available. If the sconces flank the artwork you usually need something to light the artwork like a recessed light or a picture frame light. That's a lot of light fixtures.

Are there any recessed lights that don't put out a ton of heat? I have 10 in my current kitchen and I feel like the roast beef at the Sunday buffet sometimes when I'm working in there. I'm getting to the age where I need good light, but I'd prefer not to have all the heat.

LED and fluorescent