Young House Love

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Adding Overhead Lighting & Extra Outlets

Yes, that’s an electric slide reference. And I’d bet money that it’s cracking my mom up while my brother is rolling his eyes and vowing never to read this blog again.

Let’s talk about electrical updates, like hanging a new capiz chandelier in the bedroom, and putting our heads together to gain a few bonus outlets and cut down on drywall holes while running electrical wiring. After last week’s post about our four new outdoor sconces, we mentioned we had some other wiring work done inside at the same time, so here’s the rundown on everything we added, where it went, and how much it all cost.

We’ll start with the prettiest result so far – the new light in our bedroom.

Capiz 7 Over Bed Detail

We had the electricians add ceiling fixtures to all four of the upstairs bedrooms, since we like the look and convenience of overhead lighting, but all the bedrooms were without it. Thankfully there was no drywall-disrupting work necessary other than the hole in the ceiling for the fixture box because they could takeover the existing switches, which used to just operate various wall outlets in each room. So not only did we not have to add additional light switches, we no longer accidentally turn off random things like the cable box or the sound machine as we leave those rooms.

Electrical Upstairs Bedrooms

We don’t have fixtures for the kids rooms or the guest room picked out yet, so we’ll just add white metal covers to minimize the whole blue-circle-with-wires-in-it look until we find some. But we did have the master bedroom light ready and waiting. It’s this Large Lotus Pendant that we ordered from World Market waaaaay back when we bought our hallway lights. It was going out of stock and we got the same 25% off deal on it as the other three lights, so it was $112 instead of $149 with free shipping.

Capiz 1 Fixture On Bed

Our only gripe upon receiving it was that it didn’t include a light kit (we somehow missed that bullet on their website). Then we noticed that World Market’s light kits only come in black or silver, so we hunted down these two bronze options from Home Depot and Lowe’s. They’re the kind they make so you can pair them with their decorative glass shades (like the ones they show on the packaging) but we thought they could work for this application too (fingers crossed). We liked that they had a few finish options and came with all the other hanging hardware (and a ceiling canopy) that we’d need.

Capiz 2 Light Kits

The “aged” finish of the Portfolio brand pendant from Lowe’s (it was $18) was a better match to the fixture, which was lucky because it was the only one that ended up fitting. The ring on the capiz fixture was slightly too small to screw it on normally, so instead it rests on the flared part of the light kit like so:

Capiz 3 Light Kit In Fixture

Once we realized that nesting the cord and shade that way would work, the installation process was pretty straight forward. In fact it might be the quickest light install we’ve done here so far, clocking in at under fifteen minutes yesterday morning. Bingo. Bango. And not once did John poke himself in the face with a metal flower petal. I was not so lucky.

Capiz 4 John Hanging

It takes one 60-watt bulb so it’s nice bonus lighting on top of the two bedside lamps that we’ve been surviving with so far in this room (since we’ve lived with only those for over a year, we knew anything on the ceiling was just icing on the wattage cake for us). But can I just tell you how incredibly novel it feels to walk into a bedroom and flip the light on from the doorway. Seriously, it’s almost akin to living without a dishwasher forever and then getting one. Suddenly you feel like royalty.

Capiz 6 Straight Over Bed

But let’s switch gears to a quick overview of the whole electrical job. Here’s everything that was accomplished in the three mornings they were here (it was too hot to be in the attic or crawl space later in the day, so they spread out their work across the cooler morning hours):

  • Added ceiling fixtures to four upstairs bedrooms via our attic
  • Converted light switches in said bedrooms to operate ceiling lights instead of wall outlets
  • Added four sconces out back in the veranda (operated by an existing switch in the living room)
  • Safely terminated some old radio/intercom wiring in veranda
  • Added a ceiling fixture in our downstairs office (and converted an existing light switch)
  • Added a floor outlet in the office beneath our floating desk
  • Added two additional wall outlets in the office (more on those in a second)

Update: You guys are asking for more office floor outlet details, so here they are: it was a really simple addition since they could come up from the crawl space. Didn’t take them too long at all. They just wired it up from below and drilled a small hole in the floor from above and popped the outlet cover on. You can see the finished result below:

Electrical Downstairs Work

We got the bill this weekend, which totaled around $1,500. The breakdown was $270 for materials and the rest was labor/time. It was definitely one of the larger electrician bills we’ve received, but we paid around $900 for the lighting in our first kitchen, so getting nine fixtures across six rooms and three new outlets was a lot more work/time, and we were pleasantly surprised to realize that it calculates out to an average of about $100 per item, not including all of the switches they converted or the intercom they terminated. If we had electricians come out to tackle these rooms individually instead of bulking them all, it would likely have been a few hundred bucks per room each time (they’d be in and out of the attic a bunch of times instead of being able to do everything all at once). So efficiency = saved money, especially when you’re paying by the hour.

Besides passing along the try-to-combine-lots-of-jobs-if-you-can tip, this was also a good reminder that it helps to be available if at all possible when this type of work is being done. In this case, it saved us from lots of unnecessary holes in our office ceiling. Thanks to being there, we were able to put our heads together to come up with an alternate wire route than the first one they proposed, which ended up causing a lot less drywall destruction:

Electrica Ceiling Plan

Instead of going through multiple joists and making tons of ceiling holes, we realized if the wires were run parallel to the fixture box joist, it could be snaked down that wall, and fed over to the wall switch via the crawl space instead of the ceiling (they’d be down there anyway adding that floor outlet). That option only required one small hole in the ceiling (near the tip of the blue arrow above) instead of nearly ten holes had we gone with the first method. It also meant there would be a few down the wall, but those would have been made near the light switch if we went with the other method anyway, and patching walls holes feels much less perilous to us than ceiling ones anyway (ceilings just tend to catch the light more and show every last imperfection, whereas wall ones are more forgiving).

Another little bonus that we came up with after putting our heads together was gaining this outlet right under the surface of John’s desk:

Under Desk Outlet

When the electrician told us a hole would end up around that area as he snaked the wire down, I asked if we could place that hole below the desk line and put an outlet there to fill the hole (instead of having to patch yet another area). He said no problem, and now John can keep his cords out of sight better (the original outlet he was using was behind one of the shelves that we anchored to the wall, so a big power strip had been resting on the floor beneath the desk).

We did the same thing on the wall under the light switch where he was going to have to make a hole anyway. That extra hole-filling outlet meant we could plug in our printer and that lamp without the cords having to snake out to the outlet under the window. So being home and talking through options might add up to more functional outlet/switch placement and less spackling & sanding.

Electrical Computer Cord

Oh, and that’s a painting of a monster that Clara brought home from art camp last week. I think it’s our new favorite creation of hers, so it might just get a permanent home there eventually. One that doesn’t involve masking tape.

Electrical Clara Drawing

So obviously you’ll be getting some light fixture updates for the office and the rest of those upstairs bedrooms sometime in near (ish?) future as we find fixtures for those spaces. Now if only we could punch our ceilings up a foot or two to give us more options. #8ftceilingproblems

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Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We left the interior intercom wiring for now since we might convert that to some new system eventually, we just didn’t think we needed an intercom on the back porch (it would have to be weatherproof now that we opened everything up, etc).

      xo
      s

  5. Lindsay says

    Love the fixture in your bedroom – It looks like the “grown-up” version of the one you had in your last house’s master bedroom!

    Reply

  7. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    Beautiful choice! Love Clara’s drawing, talent right there baby.

    I’ve been trying to find good flush mount lights to replace all of the boob lights in the house and have been coming up empty. We’re both super picky and I don’t even know what I want but I hope to find my Lotus soon!

    Reply

  8. Luciana says

    Hi! I’m really curious about the floor outlet.
    How do you open the floors to get it in there?
    thanks!

    Reply

  9. Isabel says

    I absolutely love that light, had seen it on the WM website and came very close to buying it but my husband doesn’t like it, just like he doesn’t like the Moravian star I’m also hopelessly in love with… #lightkilljoy I’m banking on our very elusive future child and pregnancy hormones to get away with a few things :) If you think 8ft ceilings are an issue, try 7ft. That’s what we got on our 2nd floor and as a result we’re stumped as to what to do with the overhead lighting we would like to add. #nobooblights

    Reply

    • Megan says

      Now I’m appreciating my 8 footers even more… thanks for the perspective! We will have the same problem in areas of our basement. Flushmounts get boring for me real quick! We plan to go all recessed lighting and punch up the style with table and floor lamps. If you don’t want recessed in bedrooms (which I assume are on your second floor), I would try more corner options… like lanterns or any lights with swag options. It’s an unexpected touch and really a good combo of decor and function (since it’s not over head).

    • Wendy says

      I have a one story ranch, and all my ceilings are about 7’8″. Sigh. Definitely jealous of anyone’s 8′ ceiling problems.

    • Michelle says

      We have 7′ ceilings in our dining/living room and removed the overhead in the living area. We replaced it with sconces and lots of floor/table lamps around the room. The dining room still had an overhead light that’s over the table so we had a lot more options there. We eventually went with a white drum pendant for the dining room and pottery barn sconces for the living room. Low ceilings are challenging but they make for a cozy room! Good luck!

  12. Kim says

    How complicated was it to add the plug in the floor of the study? Where did the “wires” come from that lead to it? We need to do that in our living room (hard wood on slab) but didn’t know if it is feasible.

    Thanks for any info!

    Reply

  13. Marjo says

    Isabel, I feel your pain. I have 7.5 foot ceilings in my whole house and mostly have recessed lighting. With the ‘extra’ 6″, there’s enough room for the bedrooms to have small, ceiling-hugger fans that anyone shorter than 6′ can easily walk under. One good thing about lower ceilings is that I washed the entire exterior of my one story home this morning and didn’t have to use a ladder.

    Reply

    • Isabel says

      Thanks Marjo! We’re not fans of recessed lighting but luckily we’re nowhere near 6ft tall (the 1st owner/builder was over 6ft so it amuses me he would do one floor with 8ft ceilings and a second with 7ft) and at least in our master bedroom we think any light fixture will sit mostly above the bed so we’re currently hunting for the right one. For us the bonus of the lower ceilings has been not having to use a ladder to paint the walls :)

  15. Laura D. says

    OMG I have been eyeing that light fixture from WM for months!! I absolutely adore it!! One thing I’ve been wondering though… in your opinion, do you think it has enough space within the fixture itself to install a splitter in the light kit so that you can fit two bulbs in the fixture? If we buy it, we’d be replacing a chandelier in our dining room that only has one bulb, and it’s just not enough light for the whole room… but if we could somehow get two bulbs in there, I think it could work!

    Reply

  16. Lynne says

    Clara’s painting is the best! This ties in with your post about frames yesterday – my dad has been on an attic cleaning tear and came across a summer camp painting I did as a kid (of a pony at the camp named Chug-a-boom, can’t believe I can still recall that). Anyway, it was all wrinkled and creased, but my dad took it to his favorite frame shop and they were able to smooth it out completely and dry mount it so it is now saved for postarity. Pro framing is super spendy, but it is sometimes worth it to protect something special.

    Reply

  19. Stevie says

    Absolutely love the pendant you chose for the master! This post just proves that the right light fixture really can “make” a space.

    Reply

  21. Alicia says

    I love that your current bedroom light marries the features of your two previous bedroom lights…capiz and a large flower shape :)

    Reply

  22. Joanna @ TheNestbook says

    Love that light in your bedroom! I wish I had a spot for one in my house.

    Have you considered turning the intercom system into a stereo system or iPod docking system so that you could have music throughout the house? Just a thought…

    Reply

  23. Olivia says

    I love love love that light! So pretty. And it goes so well in your bedroom too.

    The electrical work has got to be the most boring yet necessary thing to do in a house.

    Reply

    • Milky says

      Oh I know what you mean – electrical is definitely not as fun as, say, new furniture or paint etc. But at least you get nice lighting out of it, which is important. We’ve decided we need to replace our house’s guttering – and that is definitely BORING :) No more pretty waterfalls cascading outside the house when it rains :)

  25. Janice says

    What a wonderful buy. It looks so good in your bedroom. Love the paint color too. I plan on painting my master bedroom that same color.

    Reply

  26. jeannette says

    i’m really interested that john is not femmed out by the organic patterns in your BR — flowery headboard and chandie, leafy pillows. i agree that they’re not femme patterns, and that the colors are not traditional femme colors — the acid yellow is particularly scrumptious. but how does he not feel oppressed? or, if not oppressed, did he require persuasion? or is he just one of those guys who likes organic naturey patterns?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I am SO LUCKY! I think you’re right about the headboard pattern being more leafy than flowery, and I got lucky that it was in colors that he likes (a pink floral it’s not). John is not into pink (oh how I would love a soft pink ceiling in the office, but I have yet to convince him). And since the light is framed in dark bronze and almost a geometric shape, he’s down with it. I think since our last bedroom chandelier was sort of a white globe-ish abstract flowerball, this one is sort of a throwback, so it makes us smile.

      xo
      s

  28. Emily says

    That’s the kind of light I want to use in my dining room! I’d also like to thank you for getting the electric slide stuck in my head! I’m going to have to close my office door at lunch, pull it up on youtube and get those dance moves out of my system.

    Reply

  29. Kate says

    I love the light. Did you notice how similar it is to the IKEA dandelion light you had in your last bedroom?

    Reply

  32. Bonnie says

    Can you post a pic of the master bedroom light on? I would love to see what those petals looks like illuminated! :)

    Reply

  33. darcy says

    I must request more info on this art camp — GOTTA see this Pegasus!! I was soo obsessed with them when I was little!! That monster is just PERFECT!! It totally deserves a frame and a spotlight!!! :-)

    If I would have got a bill for $1500 from my electrian, I would have passed out for a minute, and then realized, WOW that is actually really good — you guys got A LOT done with those visits!! That light for your bedroom is just gorgeous!! Can’t wait to see what you get for all the other rooms — I am so envious of your light-picking abilities!!! LOL!

    Also — side note — Can you believe that it is ACTUALLY July 1st already?!?! Seriously– this year — where did it go?

    Reply

  34. Melissa says

    Oh my God! THAT is what those little flaps on the sides of the Mac chargers are for! I have been stumped by that for nearly a decade. Talk about a game changer.

    I love all the outlet updates – they are giving me lots of inspiration for our upcoming kitchen and basement renovations. And now I’m thinking we should compile a full list of where else we want outlets/light fixtures to have them do it all at once.

    Reply

    • Leah says

      If you do use the little flaps, be sure not to pull your cord super tight. A loose wrap is all you need. Otherwise, you risk damaging the electrical wires inside the cord.

      (pro-tip from someone whose cord once caught on fire — whoops! At least they replaced the cord for me.)

  35. Jill Karen says

    Love the light!!! What about the beautiful overhead light from your last house’s master bedroom? Guest room, possibly? Thanks for all your wonderful info – your site is GREAT!!!! :)

    Reply

  36. Allen says

    Oh. My. Gerd.

    I *always* say boogie woogie woogie after anyone says the word electric and no one ever gets it. I did it silently in my head with a coworker not 10 minutes before reading this post! So glad to know I’m not alone…

    Also, the light looks great.

    Reply

  37. Juli says

    So strange to read your blog and see so many of the same problems we face. Our house was built in 1978 and also has no overhead lighting in the low ceiling rooms. Coming from a 1932 charmer in Westover Hills, it feels very dark and “cozy” in some rooms! ;) We’ve been here only 6 months, I wonder how much longer we’ll live without the overheard lighting.

    Reply

  38. Amanda says

    I love the way you display your frames. I am horrible at this because I tend to do everything too symmetrical. Would you mind shedding some light on where to find perfect wall frames and possibly offering suggesting for the wall hanging challenged folks like myself? :) I am new to your blog so you may have already provided tips on this. Thanks!

    Reply

  39. mp says

    Do you have any ceiling fans? I’ve had them in both my one-story homes and can’t imagine life without them.

    Reply

  40. Jenny B says

    Great minds think alike! We just put that light fixture in our bedroom a few months ago. I think you were the one that inspired me to look at Cost Plus for lighting after you had just installed a your hallway lights, so we must have bought them around the same time (we got the last one available in that store). Thanks, I love the organic bling it adds to the room!

    Reply

  43. Karin Bunton says

    Looking good! Don’t you love it when you can see again, or hide those cords? :D

    As an FYI: Be careful with the heat from the bulb. The stained glass shop I worked for during college would occasionally fix lamps like this every so often, because the solder tacking would actually soften and “petals” would come off. They tack the pieces together instead of soldering most of the seam to keep the aesthetics.

    On a separate note, I just noticed your photos over your bed. I always wondered with decorating where to put photos without making my house looking like a shrine to our family, or make the hallway/staircase look like something out of the 70’s. But then again, I have to LOVE something to keep it in my home. With 4 kiddos, we have A LOT of pictures. I like how you have arranged it!

    Thank you for sharing your love of life and home with us. :D

    ~Karin

    Reply

  47. Hannah says

    I just have to say… I feel that my tastes have been vindicated. Because I picked that light out months ago for my dining room and have been waiting rather impatiently for it to be restocked. :) It looks stunning in your bedroom!!

    Reply

  48. Jessica W says

    The dishwasher thing made me laugh! I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel 7 years in the making. And I CANNOT WAIT to have a dishwasher!

    Reply

    • Saskia says

      Hahaha, i remember the first thing we bought when we moved to our first apartment was a dishwasher! I actually sat in front of it loving the sound when it was on! It saved our relationship :) what will you btw do with the ikea light from the old bedroom? Will you re-use it somewhere else?

  49. Meredith says

    I bought the smaller flower light for my hallway after seeing your original purchase; I LOVE it. It’s one of my favorites! (Tied with the large yellow one in my kitchen that I bought from your Shades of Light collection.) I get so many compliments on both of them! :)

    Reply

  50. Jennifer R. says

    Awesome bedroom light, I love it!

    Our house was built in 1979. It has weird electrical stuff going on. No overhead lights in the 3 upstairs bedrooms, but we do have a switch that turns on a lamp. Then our living room has no overhead lighting but the switch turns on ALL 5 outlets. So yeah, the lamps plus the TV, radio,cable box, and everything else you keep in a living room. Genius! (Sarcasm). So we had to put a blank plate over it so we didn’t turn everything off all the time. Quote to get it fixed how we want it is $700, so we will wait a bit.

    We have an wireless fan set up in our bed room. It has lights and a fan, and a wireless remote that links to it, but it does not go to a switch. Not a bad solution I guess.

    Reply

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