Thank you very much for your post davidtay. 1. A LED lamp/ strip is more than just the emitters soldered onto some wires (or copper tubing) that are in turn connected to some power supply. My bundled figure for transformers, driver circuits, and wiring may have been a little low, but I think it's close. I didn't break it out b/c I was already a little long-winded. :) I did leave out the cost of copper, though; I'm not sure that's the way I want to go anyway. 2. The LEDs will need to be powered at the voltage (and current) ranges specified by the manufacturer, which may not be 48V. The current might have to be lower than 1A for the sake of longevity. Right, the particular one I mention can be driven at 2A, but it'll last a lot longer at 300mA. I was thinking about driving it at about 700mA. Of course, I would have to design/purchase a driver that will, among other things, step down voltage if necessary and supply the right current to drive at the proper amperage. And, of course, the things burn brighter at 2A than at 300mA, but last longer at 300mA, meaning that you have to buy more to achieve the desired lumens. Definitely a balancing act. 4. The BOM cost goes down when millions of devices are built. However, the manufacturers, especially for something as hot as LEDs, and requiring as much design expertise as they do, set their markups liberally, too. Still, the case can be made (elsewhere) for the value of a purpose-built custom system, when it comes to LEDs, and that case has been made elsewhere, so I won't belabor the point. 5. The wiring and power supply setup for an extensive low voltage system will probably be a significant undertaking. There will be significant design, ... and regulatory hurdles (i.e. - building code) to clear. I believe in most jurisdictions electric code compliance starts at 50V. Anything you do under 50V DC you're welcome to without constraint. Of course code has to apply to the transformers, but generally not after that. At least, those are some of the motivations I've been riding on when trying to decide whether or not to do this.

You've definitely got a point about the overall cost. $100.00 or so per fixture is a lot- no matter what. So that's just a matter of budget. 3 grand is 3 grand. I don't necessarily agree on other issues for waiting. I have the LR6 mounted right next to a 50 watt (Ushio) MR16 recessed light to show customers. The MR16 still of course is crisper and whiter, but the LR6 is darn close. By far it's superior to incandescent and fluorescent. I don't know what electricity pricing is in FL, but just in the amount of energy people save here in CA with the LR6, they cover the costs of the bulb. Again though, they have to plunk down a lot of money to start with. In general, I agree with the lighting designer. LEDs aren't ready for prime time (main task/ general lighting), except for the LR6. It is wonderfully engineered. It can actually sense when the color it is emitting goes out of whack. It'll then automatically adjust the LEDs internally to get back to the CRI you started with. Cree doesn't use white LEDs within the bulb. They use a combination of yellows and other colors. They then have the frosted shade in front to give the final touch. White LEDs still aren't right. But overall, waiting never really hurts. No matter what comes out, it'll be made for a standard 5" or 6" can. And the price most probably will drop in a year or so.

Yes, I mentioned UCL. I can add those questions here too, if you want them. ;) GC mentioned tape. Another contractor I've had doing some other stuff mentioned pucks. I've become enamored with the Environmental Lights ultra thin system. I have emailed them questions. It's been a couple days, I'll probably call them today. Today, the electrician is prepping for outlets for the UCL in three spots where these wall cabinets will be: --next to fridge --each of the cabinets flanking the range I haven't zero'd in on a system yet, but that seems okay. I am unsure if I'll want lights over the washer and dryer. In the past, that's been a clutter catching area. Of course I'm hoping that it won't be now with better storage, but...we'll see. I think, at least with the EL system I think I understand pretty well. I can run all the lighting on that wall with one power supply and have the wire connectors connecting the different strips, and I don't really need the second outlet on that wall. But if I go with something different, I might need it just for that second wall cabinet by the range OR I might need it for the W/D area. (The wall behind the W/D is masonry, no way I'm having an outlet added there.) A question I've got re: the EL system is if I can have those three outlets on one switch, and have two or three power supplies plugged into them as needed. I think that is fine. The bigger question that I don't think I like the answer to is about dimming. And I think my mindset at this point is to not worry about dimming for the UCL. They make this stuff to be UCL, I'm going to assume it's a good brightness for it's intended purpose. I've never had UCL, so I have no frame of reference. Once I figured out the pieces that I think I need from EL, the price was a bit more than I was thinking of. However, there's the benefit that I understand it. :) I think. I'm open to other, less expensive, good systems. But I need to understand them. As always, thoughts/suggestions welcomed.

This is going to be a pretty pool I noticed a few things that may warrant some considerations. A Clean & Clear Plus 520 square foot cartridge filter is better in arid locations. You won't blow off water backwashing and it is a better match to the pump's capabilities. The sheers and lams don't need an Intelliflow. Too much pump and since these are infrequently used, that's a lot of money! A single speed will do quite nicely, properly valved and extra returns in the pool to take any overflow unless the sheers are four foot wide each. They should have their own filter too unless the suction outlets are in the wall where they can't pick up debris on the bottom. Make sure the autocover has all high grade stainless hardware. Often, they come with galvanized. Does that include a spool cover that can accommodate matching coping. This is how the service crews get to the cover's mechanicals. Is the spool to be above or below ground? Are the cover's tracks under or over the deck? How long is the fabric warrantied for? The Texas sun is powerful and it's UV rays will have an effect on the vinyl's life expectancy. Find out what the current cost is to replace the fabric and ask what the cost was five years ago. That may help you to estimate what the cost will be when the fabric does need replacing down the road. Pricing Diamond Brite with Pebble is the same? Here in NJ, there is a significant delta in pricing. While I like the negative edge look of a spa entirely in the pool, in this case, it seems like wasted space near the two walls. It also makes for a long reach to a spa-side controller, something I highly recommend. The iS-10 control will allow you to turn on the spa, raise and lower the pump speed and temperature, and turn on your your lights and water features. These controls, I should note, are water resistant, not water proof and should not be submerged but rather deck mounted. Why only five spa returns? An eight foot spa can easily accommodate eight and the IntelliFlo can certainly drive them with enough pressure. I would also expect the cover to rub on the other two edges when it opens and close. Auto covers depend on the water for support. They aren't drawn tight like a spring loaded safety cover. This will create a lot of additional wear on both the edge material and the cover material. The only one that will lose in that situation is you since the cover and the edge repair costs will likely come out of your pocket Scott