I will disagree with much of what others have said here. A bit of a caveat is required. Before doing so, I would like to point out that you have not told us anything about your growing conditions nor that of your friend. This is an issue which needs addressed. *Where are you located? *Is/was your friend located in the same area/region/state? *Are you looking at growing it outdoors year round? *Did your friend grow it indoors/outdoors? *What temperature range will the plant experience outdoors? *What humidity range and what rainfall will the plant experience outdoors? *What media are you using as potting mix? Such information is very important in enabling others to give the best/most accurate advice possible. If you could do so, sir, that would be helpful all the way around. "NIP is not adapted to handle ANY direct outdoor sunlight." Without any knowledge of the type mentioned above, and as a general blanket statement, that is pure hokum. NIP ARE outdoor plants and in nature can grow in part shade -- which does not preclude in any way getting some direct sun -- or FULL sun all day long. Now, for a bit of clarification. IF the NIP has previously been grown indoors for any length of time, it will need to be hardened off to life outdoors. It is not unlike people with fair skin in temperate climes. After a long winter of being indoors, a fair complected person who suddenly stays outside in direct sun for a number of hours will typically get sunburned ... perhaps quite badly. In order to avoid such, that person would be better off sticking to the shade most of the time at first, while exposing themselves gradually over a matter of weeks to longer and stronger sun exposure. Plants which have been grown indoors for a length of time require the same process of gradually being exposed to direct sun outdoors for increasingly longer periods of time. This is referred to as "hardening off". (NOTE: Not all plant species are created equal -- some plants in the wild grow only in shady or part shade conditions and will not acclimate to direct sun.) Assuming your plant had originally been grown indoors, putting it out in direct sun likely burned it ... hence the sudden dead branches. Now if you live in a hot and very arid area, such as Arizona, then outdoor life is not likely the way to go for your new charge. If you live in an area like Florida, it could do very well for you outside. Having said all that, it looks like much of the plant is doing fine -- even the new growth at the base. So it is possible it has already started to acclimate. To be safe, though, I would move it to a location wherein it would only get very early morning or very late evening sun for a week before "stepping it up." "When properly potted a NIP should be watered when the top half-inch of soil feels dry. " According to the OP, he is waiting until the top couple inches feels dry so that greatly lessons the odds of his overwatering. "Put the original rootball in a pot that is just large enough to hold it with little or any new soil added." I disagree. No plant "enjoys" being pot-bound. Nor does being pot-bound lend itself to optimal growth. The only advantages to keeping to small pots is: 1) stunting the plant's growth (assuming that is desired) 2) taking up less space on the floor/shelf/sill 3) less chance of overwatering if one is using a media that is highly water retentive. A pot the size shown is not "too large" PROVIDED that an appropriate, well draining mix is used. Whether the OP is using such a mix is currently an unknown.

Does anyone know where this light is from? I saw it on an IG post and cannot find it anywhere.

A. Move the tape lights towards the walls to prevent the wood (blue lines) from blocking the light -OR- Put narrow pieces of wood under the tape lights to raise them up and prevent the wood from blocking the light -OR- Mount the tape lights in channels (example) thick enough to prevent light from the being blocked by the wood. B. Experiment with sliding the two tape lights away from the corner to eliminate the double brightness seen there. -- amateur

I do not like recessed lights personally. I took them all out. You do , however, now need to plan for making up that light. One ceiling fan with a light kit on it will most likely not be enough light for that whole living room. If you do 4 light kits, that may be ok for bedrooms - just make sure to have lamps on your end tables. I really like flush mount lights - NO boob lights - there are much nicer things out there. Or this slim flush LED that looks like a large recessed For your exhaust fans - there is a model from Panasonic that is a recessed light / exhaust the would be great for the smaller bathroom We use these all the time. The Panasonic whisper quiet series and some of the Broan units are great. Look for low sones ( sound rating ) and proper cfm for the room size. For the master, you need a stronger fan. Those lights aren't always that bright. There should have been some additional ceiling lights ( recessed ) in addition to the ones over the sink area. It is so hard with textured ceilings to do lighting. Since the texture is new, I would bite the bullet tot get the stairwell light in the proper position. If it is behind you when going down the stairs, that's not very safe - I always thought it needed to be into the stairs a bit ( I could also be very wrong about that ) . Lighting does not have to be expensive if you put your money into the right fixtures and be conservative with the others. People may disagree, but Home Depot and Lowes have some very nice looking lights that are not garbage. Good luck