Excuse me but you would be nutz to not hardwire lights & switches for closets. Economize elsewhere but not on your home's infrastructure. Bldr. basic light fixtures, Formica countertops and paint the backsplash, basic dishwasher, etc. Things that are easy to upgrade at a later date.

I appreciate your feedback :) thanks a lot!

Spend the money-you will be happy you did.

Most of my reach in closets don’t have lighting. And the one that does, we never use it. They didn’t in the last house either. We get by just fine. I have never missed it. Seems to get enough light from the room. Walk-in is different, of course, but I suspect you’d love without it.

Is it a possibility to run wiring at a later date. Will it cost much more ?

*live without it.

Bedroom closets for sure need lights. A shallow closet like a coat closet or linen closet probably not, especially if there’s a hall light that allows indirect lighting. And if you have a walk-in pantry I’d light that too. Anything else is probably optional.

It will always cost more, take longer, and be messier after the fact. You want to run wires when there is no drywall up. You should do the walk-in closet now for sure, and then decide which reach-ins you really want them in and do them there as well. Most reach ins are designed to make use if the room light, so no assitional closet light is typically required.

You CAN do the battery powered lights, but trust me, you will get sick of replacing batteries or charging lights that fail when you need them the most.

So 3 of my closets (coats and 2 linen ) are being right near the hall light in front of the door opening
The remainder are room closets relying on centers room light
And the last remaining closet is a large playroom closet but also reach in
And the other coat closet is a walk in but also under hall lighting

As a closet designer, I suggest doing at the very least all walk in closets.

Forget the battery power lights, they don't last & it's a unneeded aggrevation to replace or put batteries in. I know from my client's feedback of things they wanted to fix & that was replacing their diy lighting with light switches.

I personally would do all of the closets, especially if there's no direct light fixture in hallway or room in front within 2'. Even with that light the upper part of closet will be in shadow.

It's frustrating trying to find something in a dark closet.

The chances of regretting not doing it is higher than doing it now.

Considering the labor involved, $200 per closet sounds very reasonable to me. Go for it. You won't regret it.

I guarantee that you WILL regret it, at least for some closets, if you don't. LEDs have improved the situation somewhat in recent years, but the steady-state for battery operated closet lights is still "battery dead."

Spend the $2K now. Probably not a huge chunk of your Reno cost and worth it vs wanting it a few months from now when you’ve moved in and the closets are too dark for proper usage

it is very expensive to wire after the walls are finished as to add an outlet or light the electrician has to feed the wire through the walls making small holes in your walls from the box to the location of the outlet/light--- so not only do you have to pay the electrician to feed the wiring you will also have to pay someone to Spackle and repaint all of your walls.

You need electric in closets, but look to the future not the past. Check around and see how closets are now being lit with LED lights in the rods. The lights are motion activated.

Maybe what you need is an electrical outlet not an overhead box with the switch. Even if this is something you cannot afford now, maybe you will eventually upgrade your closets.

Also make sure you have an electrical outlet near your toilet, they will require them in your future. Smart toilets for everyone on are the horizon.

So if I put an outlet and switch. Will that cut the costs in the future to install ?

All I am saying is it doesn't make sense to simply supply a box in the ceiling and expect that to meet your future requirements.

Also I have rechargeable vacs, floor scrubbers, etc that all require outlets for recharging. Do it now it's cheaper than later.

I understand. Thanks so much for all the input I think I will be putting them in then. And figure out where to cut elsewhere. Thanks all’s o much!!

You need to check with the local authorities about their requirements. The inspectors in my area have a requirement that closets over a certain minimum size must have a light and larger closets must have a switched light. I do not remember the exact dimensions but I remember the requirement and that all incandescent fixtures had to be on the wall over the door for the reach in closets.

I have never regretted investing in additional electrical past the minimum but there are a few spots I would like to have more lights or additional outlets.

$2000 is not very much when you’re building an entire house (and your savings are even less—you still have to buy fixtures + batteries). If your budget is that tight I’d suggest reconsidering the scale of the project. One thing going wrong (and something always does) will cost you many times that.

Or, economize elsewhere. Live on plywood floors for a few years (I’ve done it, it’s no big deal). Forego the dryer (or washer + dryer—use the laundromat). Seed, don’t sod, the lawn. Use plastic laminate counters.

I will find out thank u for that

Another question. I can take an led keyless or I can take a 2-4 foot led strip. My closets range from 5 foot up wards to 9. Any advise which one.
The led will cost me 115. And the led strip 2 foot 180 and 4 foot 200.
Any suggestions which to take
8.5. 9.5. 7.5. 3.5. 4 foot are the reach ins. Wide

And 6.5 by 6 x 6.5 is walk in
Which should I take for what

I hate smart faucets and smart toilets. Outlets in closets? Good for that rechargeable flashlight you will need without a light? and might be an idea for those non-walk in closets....... They have smart technology in a new commercial building....and smart"electrical' door locks(battery) and LED lights on every level/hallway. The LED's do NOT last and are on 30 day replacement rotation for every hallway to save maintenance the tear down/set up work orders that were running them nuts for every 1, 2 or 3 bulb that 'failed' in less than 30 days....the smart toilets(they flush themselves/low water I presume)...don't. They too need batteries regularly as the wind down to where only the heaviest contents leave the bowl and the rest is there for the next visitor to push to flush before sitting just because that is what we do......and the water faucets....spit and spit and spit as you try to rinse the soap off but you have to hold your hands high in front of the upright when the sink is undermount on the granite counter...which makes a nice pool of water all over the counter for the next visitor to wipe up and try to find a place to set a purse, keypod or phone down on !!!! and you don't get hot water if you don't have a flow of cold too keep coming thru the faucet....and the batteries get weaker by the faucets that have the heaviest use every week....the one that is the least likely to have the puddle of water on the counter?? Smart is just looking pretty DUMB to old school folks. Battery factories...should be GREAT investment paying public companies however..

I agree with most other posters, forget battery operated lights. All the ones I have seen don't give off much light, and eat through batteries very quickly. Also, having shopped for closet lights lately, I found that most LED strips sold for that purpose are very directional, and do a very good job shining a narrow strip of light on the wall or the floor, depending where it's mounted. Unless by LED strips you mean tubes designed to replace ordinary T8 or T12 fluorescents, but I don't know if they still sell fluorescent luminaires.

I went with standard box with lampholder, like this one, with a traditional A19 LED bulb mounted right over the door, with a traditional wall switch. It does a great job at lighting the whole closet.

Can u show a photo how it looks with the light on and off ?

That type of setup is not permitted in my area. Bulbs must be in recessed fixtures or in fully enclosed fixtures. Yes, fluorescent fixtures are still available and can be placed with only 6 inches clearances from storage space instead of the 12 inches necessary for incandescent or LED fixtures

w0lley32, that type of fixture is not allowed in most, if not all, closet setups in the US. Be careful about what you're recommending here.

Use plastic laminate counters.

After all the problems I've seen in this forum with natural and synthetic stone, and the grout that's always dirty in my tile counters, Formica sounds really good to me right now. If economical and sturdy countertops save you enough to buy your closet lights, I say go for it.

I’m not sure I get the need for a reach in closet to have lights...wouldn’t the shelves block the light anyway? Walk in closet, yes, spend the money, you’ll appreciate it every single time you use it.

Honestly this is 2k in a whole house build get cheaper tiles in bathrooms but put the lighting in now. I don’t see the point in a linen clset unless it is huge and the same for coat closets but the rest yes.

So just an update we will probably do a compromise. And do without the 2 linen closets they are both right near hall lighting. We hope to do led keyless. In the 2 coat closets that will run me 115. And do the led 4 foot strips for 200 for the remainder reach in closets. And that can lower our costs and do what it needs to in each closet. Thanks all for ur input. If u have any other suggestions where to add any other outlets or electrical thoughts pls feel free to share. We are wrapping our plans up shortly. Thanks all

This may already be in your plans, but I suggest you have your garage prewired for electric vehicle charging points (EVSEs) at all vehicle locations. If I'm not mistaken, most EVs charge from the front, and that seems likely to continue.

Even if you don't use them any time soon, they may become a selling point for the house in the future.

Good point David. I would for sure have electrical in the way of plugs in the walkins .

hey im currently living in an apt without closet lighs and the closet is DARK!

CENTER LIGHT DOESNT REACH AND MY CLOSES WILL BE AT LEAST TWICE THE SIZE OF MY CURRENT CLOSET:)

thats why i reached out:) however if it works for you without light thats amazing but we decided we will go with hard wire lighitng in the end. c my total is 945 for 6 closets. 3 i am doing led strips and 3 im doing keyless ( 2 coat closets and one reach in but its rihgt under the hall light so keyless should be fine)

Great decision!

Sorry for recommending a setup that is not code compliant in the US. I see this all the time here in Canada, even in new houses, so I thought it would also work south of the border.