I would recommend mr 16 halogen 50 watt 4" low voltage recessed. It is the only light source available today that has 100 CRI, which means full spectrum. Led's are not, you usually get about 80 CRI which is inadequate for homes. Good luck

Am I seeing that you have 12 recessed planned in the family/dining room? I think a huge mistake to plan to light ANY living space solely from above. Harsh, unwelcoming. Plan your seating, and plan some LAMPS. Table, standing etc. It's not a hospital operating room. Lighting is layers. Ambient , task, accent. High, and mid, and low. Four inch, as above, and ALL on dimmers.

4” pots with LEDs in 4000k your GC needs to get with the 21st century and there is no reason for 12 pots in a LR where layered lighting is a must. I have replaced all my halogens with LEDs and they provide just the same light as my halogens and have dropped my electrical bill quite a lot.

I would have a haning light in the living room on one switch and then som cans to light up certain areas, perhaps some wall washers for artwork. Have you addressed putting in some floor outlets?

I thought of floor outlets. Is it too late if he has poured concrete?

Im not sure ask the but its sounds like it could be....

Agree. Ask. ASAP

Thanks for all the help guys !. I know lumens is the brightness and 3000k is the color. What is the difference between mr16 and LED? This is all new to me. Can anyone recommend any dimmers, are they compatible with most LED? Sorry for the silly questions.

Found out he is installing an integrated trim/bulb. Is this the reason for him to express his concern for overall brightness? If so, what exactly do I tell him to install so that I can achieve what I want with 4” can

Here it is

Is this build under permits? If so this is why he has to use integrated bulbs, (possibly) in some states they require it be a builtin bulb so you cannot change it later or at least use led bulbs. ( to meet energy efficiency codes). The good news here is he is retrofitting with an adapter, so if you want, after inspection you can remove that trim and put in a different trim kit. I would ask him if you are mandated to use LED or if there is just a total wattage compliance.

I agree that you have way too many recessed lights. Recessed lights are not good for general lighting - especially in seating areas. They create harsh shadows on people's faces, and as they don't provide any uplifting, the ceiling remains dark and the room still appears dim and cave-light. Recessed lights are best used for task-lighting, accent lighting (illuminating artwork and architectural features) and wall-washing. In your kitchen, they should be over the counter, not over the walkway. You want task lighting on the counters and even lighting on the face of the cabinets. Where they are now ensures your body will cause a shadow on the counters. Recessed lights are particularly ill-suited to bedrooms, as when your'e laying down you are staring straight up into them.

I would use more hanging lights, table lamps and sconces. Decide where art is likely to hang and used recessed adjustable there.

As far as bulbs go - MR16 is simply a shape. They can be low-voltage or line-voltage. They can be LED, Halogen or Ceramic Metal Halide. I would never install an MR16 fixture today. Halogen is inefficient and it is unknown how much longer these bulbs will even be available. The LED replacement MR16 bulbs aren't great - they don't offer the same light pattern and they don't have enough space for proper heat-management so they are not nearly as bright. Effective adjustable LEDs require an integrated light engine. They tend to be pricey. I wouldn't be afraid of integrated LEDs from major manufacturers. Almost all are made so that all components are replaceable from below if they fail. They also tend not to fail, not nearly at the rate that LED screw-in replacement bulbs do.

I'm not a fan of retrofit adapters like that - the white baffle creates quite a lot of glare and makes the light painfully obvious when it's on. A trim with a clear specular reflector is much more visually comfortable.

Comparing led and halogen? Beast and Beauty.

Led appears the ugly stepsister .... With FLU .

@ RL Relocation LLC , correct, he is building under permit; need to be inspected. does this mean that if he installs the HALO integrated bulb/trim, whenever these need to be replaced, i have to spend 30 bucks each time?

I use halogen lighting for general illumination and have successfully been using low voltage MR16 halogen housings. My clients are always pleased, and after the first project they never question my lighting plans, if they are spaced 3 feet O.C. and you use 40 degree flood your beams cross and there is no shadows or unlit areas.

@ nexp any reason why the GC would choose retrofit adaptors like this for a new build? if he does go with these Halo, can i switch out the trim to the ones you are suggesting?

@ Sabrina Balsky Interior Design if i wanted to use MR1 Halogens, then the ones he wants to install need to be ripped out ASAP? do i just tell him i want the housing.trim,bulb set up?

No, the trim is integral to the rest of the unit. The reason he is using it is probably because he or the electrician buys thousands of the basic incandescent housing and either has a ton on hand already or gets a volume discount. The retrofit unit is a compromise - it doesn't offer various beam angles or trims or adjustable or wall-wash options. The electronics and the heat sink are all crammed into that space. As a consequence they are not very bright - only 575 lumens for those Halo ones. A regular 60 watt bulb is 800 lumens. Integrated LED fixtures can easily achieve 900 or more lumens in a 4". I don't understand using retrofit fixtures in new construction. Compare this cutaway of an integrated LED fixture - notice the massive heat-sink and the separate driver.

@ nexp do you think i should request the GC to use something else so that i could replace a bulb of my liking or leave it? If so, what do i tell him? Thanks!

Take a look at this line: Juno Adjustable LED and Juno 4" Downlight. The adjustable ones are...adjustable and have 3 choices of user-replaceable beam spreads. Both have a wide selection of trims. With ceilings that high I would go for the higher-lumen version.

Were it my new house, I would want something nicer than the basic builder-grade recessed light. I don't know how flexible your GC is and if this is a spec house or a custom-build. If it's a custom-build, I would be looking for a far more customized lighting plan, which is somewhat hard to do without a furniture plan.

This is a custom build room addition and according to him I have a min of 8 in the living room since that was what he submitted. I didn’t know to request for a lighting specialist and how important it is. Hence, I am scrambling for help. I was going to drop the ceiling to create this kind of look but then that defeats the purpose of the open floor plan?

My TV would actually be on the wall where the artwork is

There's no need to drop a ceiling, create soffits just to have recessed light. Your inspo pic visually shrinks an already narrow space. At eight, I'd want two inch.

I didn’t realize we were only talking about that back room. That’s the only thing on the plan being built? What are its dimensions?

@nexp it is an entire first floor build out. I initially highlighted the back room for advice but later realized how important it is to have proper lighting for the entire house. I thought I could hang some pendants on the hallway. The back room is 14 x 35 (includes dining and family room) kitchen is off to the side of the dining room.

happy panda here is a link to the mr 16 low voltage housing and trim i would use these they are also a shallow housing 3.5 inches i believe https://noralighting.com/product/nlr-403s/ Trim

https://noralighting.com/product/nl-4865/ I really believe unless you want a very austere lighting scheme you really should stick with halogens. They really are the most beautiful light with so many options for dimming and light effects

@happypanda25 Those bulbs won't burn out for YEARS if they do burn out short term they will likely get replaced at no cost, they will have a burn time on them. LED does loose lumens over the years so they will dull in a few year's time, but by that time prices will change again. The argument for MR 16 is not the best unless you are worried about beam spread and forced light, possibly artwork. Today's LED get better and better. Start at the beginning don't go into this with the feeling the LED is not sufficient, it is. I do love a good MR 16 but dont underestimate the LED.

@ RL Relocation LLC its not really for artwork, mainly to light up my living room and dining room (open floor plan). Trying to arm myself with knowledge so I could tell the GC "i dont want integrated LED's in 4"...i want to use ???

This is what he is using:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halo-RL-5-in-and-6-in-White-Integrated-LED-Recessed-Ceiling-Light-Trim-at-Selectable-CCT-2700K-5000K-665-Lumens-RL56069S1EWHR/304533541

Yes but like i said for code he probably has to use integrated LED. I'm not sure how this got so spun about the bulbs. Again, they are retrofit, so you can change them later either way. Stick with the plan. Ask him about code for your own knowledge. Unless you want your project delayed, or failed inspections, go with the plan.