Services / Lighting

Lighting design and installation.

Half of lighting is the fitting. The other half is where it goes, what colour the light is and whether you can dim it. We'll talk that through with you before anything gets cut into a ceiling.

Doing a reno? Get the lighting plan done before the plasterer. We'll come to a site meeting with you and the builder and mark it all out on the floor in chalk.

Downlights

Halogen to LED downlight replacement.

A 50 W halogen downlight runs hot and relies on a transformer in the roof space. An LED replacement gives similar light from around 7 W, runs cool, and an IC-4 rated fitting can be covered by ceiling insulation.

Living room at night under dim, yellow halogen downlights — **Whole-house LED swap, Merewether**
Twenty-two halogens out, twenty-two dimmable LEDs in. Better light, more even across the room, for about a tenth of the power, and a ceiling that no longer gets hot. We removed the old transformers from the roof rather than leaving them up there, fitted dimmers that actually work with LEDs, and used a trim that covered the old cut-outs so there was no patching.

Like for like
Same holes, same layout. Quickest and cheapest. Good when the layout already works.

Re-plan
New positions, fewer lights, better placed. Involves patching the old holes. Worth it if the room is about to be painted anyway.

Fittings we use
IC-4 rated (can be covered by insulation), dimmable, with a colour you choose. We'll bring samples so you can see the difference in your own room.

Same living room lit evenly and brightly by new LED downlights — **Whole-house LED swap, Merewether**
Twenty-two halogens out, twenty-two dimmable LEDs in. Better light, more even across the room, for about a tenth of the power, and a ceiling that no longer gets hot. We removed the old transformers from the roof rather than leaving them up there, fitted dimmers that actually work with LEDs, and used a trim that covered the old cut-outs so there was no patching.

Like for like
Same holes, same layout. Quickest and cheapest. Good when the layout already works.

Re-plan
New positions, fewer lights, better placed. Involves patching the old holes. Worth it if the room is about to be painted anyway.

Fittings we use
IC-4 rated (can be covered by insulation), dimmable, with a colour you choose. We'll bring samples so you can see the difference in your own room.

Garage workshop lit by long LED battens on the ceiling, with strip lighting under black wall cabinets over the bench — **Garage workshop lighting**
LED battens across the ceiling in a neutral white so the whole floor is evenly lit, and a strip under the overhead cabinets so the bench itself has no shadows. Two switches: one for the battens at the door, one for the bench. Replaced a single bulb in the middle of the ceiling.

Suburb
Charlestown

Time
Half a day

Type
Lighting

Choosing a colour

Choosing a colour temperature

LED colour is measured in kelvin. Lower numbers are warmer and yellower, higher numbers are whiter and bluer. Cool white suits work areas, and living areas are better with warm white. This is what we usually suggest.

If you're not sure, go warmer. Almost nobody regrets 3000K. Plenty of people regret 5000K.

Colour	Where it works
2700K warm	Bedrooms, lounge rooms, dining, anywhere you want to relax. Closest to an old incandescent bulb.
3000K warm white	Kitchens, hallways, living areas. The safe all-rounder for most of a house.
4000K neutral	Bathrooms, laundries, garages, home offices, shops. Clean without being harsh.
5000K+ cool	Workshops, warehouses, car parks, commercial kitchens. Not for living spaces.

Feature lighting

Pendants, track and feature lighting.

Pendants over an island or dining table, under-cabinet strips, wall lights in a hallway, track lighting in a shop. We supply fittings or install ones you have chosen, and check that a fitting is compliant and suitable before it goes up.

Kitchen mid-renovation with the cabinet carcasses in, pendant cables hanging from the ceiling and wiring poking out of the walls and island — **Kitchen lighting, Hamilton**
Three pendants over the island on their own dimmer, a warm LED strip under the overhead cabinets for the benchtop, and a handful of downlights for general light that mostly stay off.

Layers
General light for cleaning up, task light for the bench, feature light for sitting around. Each on its own switch or dimmer so you can choose.

Dimmers
Not all dimmers work with all LEDs. We match them so there's no flicker or buzz, and we test them before we leave.

Finished kitchen with three stone pendants over the island, under-cabinet lighting on and matte black power points — **Kitchen lighting, Hamilton**
Three pendants over the island on their own dimmer, a warm LED strip under the overhead cabinets for the benchtop, and a handful of downlights for general light that mostly stay off.

Layers
General light for cleaning up, task light for the bench, feature light for sitting around. Each on its own switch or dimmer so you can choose.

Dimmers
Not all dimmers work with all LEDs. We match them so there's no flicker or buzz, and we test them before we leave.

Living room at dusk with two slim round LED ceiling lights on a timber-battened ceiling, lit shelves and a glowing sideboard — **Living room lighting, fewer fittings**
The owners wanted the ceiling grid left clean, so instead of a dozen downlights we fitted two slim LED oyster lights on a dimmer, LED strip along the shelves and under the sideboard, and a lamp circuit on the same switch by the door. Warm white throughout.

Suburb
New Lambton

Time
One day

Type
Lighting

Outdoor

Outdoor and security lighting.

Sensor lights at the doors, a switch inside for the deck lights, low-voltage garden lighting along the path, and IP-rated fittings suited to coastal conditions.

Front entry at dusk with downlights in the porch soffit, an up-and-down wall light beside the door, lit step treads and a path bollard — **Front entry lighting**
Downlights in the porch soffit, an up-and-down wall light beside the door, LED strip under the step treads so nobody misses the edge, and a bollard along the path. All on a daylight sensor with a timer, so it looks after itself.

Suburb
Merewether

Time
Two days, with the landscaper

Type
Outdoor lighting

Questions

About lighting

Can I just change the bulbs in my halogen downlights to LED?

Sometimes, but it's often disappointing. Retrofit LED globes in old halogen fittings tend to flicker on the old transformers and can't sit against insulation. A proper LED fitting replaces the whole thing, transformer included, and is not much more expensive once you count the labour either way.

How many downlights does a room need?

Fewer than you think. A standard bedroom usually needs two or four, not six. A living room is better with four to six placed around the edges of the room than nine in a grid down the middle. We'll sketch it out with you.

Do you do smart lighting?

Yes, within reason. Smart dimmers and switches that work with the usual phone apps and voice assistants are straightforward and don't lock you into a system. Whole-house automation systems are a bigger conversation and not always worth it; we'll give you a straight opinion.

Can you supply the fittings or do I buy them?

Either. We supply good trade-grade downlights, battens, sensor lights and strip at a fair price. For pendants and feature pieces most people choose their own; send us the link before you buy and we'll check it's suitable.

Want to talk through a lighting idea?

Send a photo of the room or the plan. For a straight downlight swap we can quote from a count and a photo. For anything else we'll come and have a look.

Get a quote Call 0491 570 156