ahhhh, a conversation might be in order.

$75.00 is pretty common here...don't forget you have the can, light bulb, wire, possible extra switch, and then the drywall crews have more to forget to cut out for.

The electrician we're using for our new build is charging us $80 per can. Seems expensive to me too.

It's pretty cheap.

I always budget $100 per can. I would be thrilled with $65!! :)

That's nothing.. My builder gave me a "electric rate schedule" for any added items.. My breakdown shows $145 for standard recessed light installed.. $175 for low voltage halogen recessed...

Just for reference here are some other items:

Wall mount junction box = $100

Ceiling mount junction box = $100

Outlet = $75

Switch = $75

Cable jack = $75

Telephone = $75

Data = $75

Under cabinet puck = $125

I'm being charged $420 for 4 can lights ($105 each) on a dimmer switch. I'd love to only pay $65 each.

Our builder says $30/recessed light but that is just for the fixture itself, no additional installation costs.

We're paying $75 per can plus $40 for a rocker switch. I don't know if they're 5 or 6-inch cans but nothing special...just builder-grade. Yours sound priced right.

We paid $100/can for the rough-in, a variable amount more for trims. $150 seems a common price in our area. $65 is dirt cheap.

Is that price an Allowance for an unspecified fixture or a Unit Price for a selected fixture?

Recessed lighting fixtures come in 1 1/2", 3", 4" 5" and 6" diameters; low and line voltage; fluorescent, LED and several kinds of incandescent lamps; dozens of different trim kits (downlight, pin spot, wall washer...); and sealed and unsealed housings. The uninstalled prices for fixtures I have used varied from $40 to $300.

The only way to know if the price is fair is to say what it is and hope someone can tell you the wholesale price for the unit and offer a guess for what the general contractor would charge for an electrician to install it (which would vary greatly by region).

If it is an Allowance, the amount only needs to be somewhere near the average cost of the final fixtures you select. But installation should be in the Base Fixed Price not the Allowance.

Do you *need* so many cans? I wish I had the money back for all the 'ambient lighting' I was supposed to need from cans that I NEVER USE. Cans I do use are in laundry/back hall, closets, hallways. I wish I could make the holes vanish in my LR, DR, Foyer, breakfast room, Library, MBR, and kitchen ceilings. We've been here 14 years. I've never had to change a light bulb in these *superfluous* cans!

make sure that the recessed lights are ICAT.

insulation contact air tight

these are not much more than the IC cans,

but will stop unwanted attic air/temps/voc's

from entering the living space.

the little upcharge from IC to ICAT will more than

pay for itself over & over. plus better indoor air quality.

then before trim kit is installed, seal cut in the sheetrock

to the housing of the ICAT light fixture.

recessed lights are an open hole to the attic unless

air tight, even then the above mentioned area

will leak. air leakage from attic into conditioned space

will also effect comfort & utility costs.

buy the right recessed light to start with!!

I was being a little facetious about needing the cans. The cans that are part of the envelope are in the coffered ceiling of our great room and 2 in the upstairs hallway directly next to the great room. I think they look nice in that place. I will absolutely make sure they are air tight. We also have them in the kitchen over workspaces, and as the primary light source in the basement. those I'm not so worried about being air tight. all 6" cans. We also have 3 cans in the front porch 3 in the backporch, and 3 in the eaves (4" led) illuminating the front elevations. we didn't go crazy.

OK, you're NOT crazy! haha I use the under-cabinet lights in my kitchen ALL the time. I use the hanging fixture over the cleanup sinks. I use the chandelier over the breakfast table. I'd use pendants over the island if I had them...instead of those darn CANS. (Something I need to fix.) The only time I use the OTHER NINE CANS in the kitchen is when I'm washing the floor.

We like having cans in the kitchen, but we don't have any upper cabinets to put lighting under. We use the can lights every day. We have 15 in our small house; all used every day.

Our house is very energy-efficient, so I went to a lot of trouble to detail the cans. I used ICAT cans, caulked them to the ceiling, and built and sealed boxes over them in the attic. We used LED retrofit fixtures. I do my own work, but I'm sure that they would have been well over $65 detailed like they are. I wasn't about to just cut holes in the ceiling after having put so much time and money into the rest of the house.

We have cans with LED bulbs in every room, closet, hall, pantry, the garage, soffit, 2 covered porches, etc...the only place we didn't put cans were in the 2 shared bathrooms and we have multiple cans and 2 surface mount fixtures in our master bath...most rooms have ceiling fans with no light kits and I like that clean look. Can't remember for sure but around 70- 6" cans in our home/garage/porch and we couldn't be happier.

Just the ICAT housing and LED trim costs $50. No one puts in incandescent trim anymore. They can't. And that's your basic cheap 6" size. Any other size is more. Installation is $110.

I'm sure you're getting a generic trim for that price. Alzak trims (specular reflectors) are over $50 each now for 5" sizes.

Casey

$65 is incredibly cheap Does it actually include labor? Or is that just the materials? It can't be LED for that price. Better double check your specs to make sure what is being used. LED is the new industry standard for anything above builder grade construction as incandescent gets phased out. ICAT isn't industry standard, but should be. If you aren't getting at minimum, ICAT LED then you need to have a conversation with the builder about upgrades. And we haven't even broached the quality of the trims. Like using Alzak.

I just looked at them today for the barn. A generic 6" housing (ICAT) is $7.18, and you can get two generic 65 watt equivalent LED fixtures for $25, or $12.50 each. That comes to $19.68, right off of the shelf at Lowe's. Labor is another story.

the cost difference between IC & ICAT is about $10 per case of 6.

personally...I can't stand recessed lights.

thank goodness taste is subjective!

We paid $75 per recessed light for 18 throughout our house. This included the wiring, and led recessed light.

I'd say that's pretty standard, if not cheap. My Dad is an electrician so he wired our entire house. I'm not paying for any labour or up-charged prices, just materials. I recall him saying they were somewhere in the $40's and that's just for the lights (and all that fancy box stuff that goes in the ceiling) not including wiring and labour.

I have a TON of recessed lighting in my house. Not only do I like it, but I wanted minimal cleaning of light fixtures. I'd say I have upwards of 30 just on my main floor not including the ones outside in the soffit and over the porch. Mine aren't LED though, I hate LED for indoor lighting.