Recessed Lights Added to a Bedroom and an Attic Light in Brush Prairie, WA

This Brush Prairie bedroom had a ceiling fan and a smoke alarm on the ceiling, and the fan was the only light in the room. We added four recessed lights around the fan. On the same visit, we put a pull-chain light with an outlet in the attic, which had no light at all.

Adding recessed lights to a finished ceiling

Adding recessed lights to a finished ceiling isn’t like new construction. The framing’s closed up, and textured ceilings show every patch. Here’s how we do it:

• Lay them out between the joists and around the fan box, so the light’s even instead of bunched in the middle
• Cut clean holes sized to the light, so the trim covers the edge and there’s no texture to patch
• Fish the wire from the existing circuit, so the walls and ceiling stay intact

New LED recessed lights make this easier than old cans did, because they need a lot less room above the ceiling. Our lighting installation page covers how we pick lights and dimmers.

Why the attic needed a light

With no light in the attic, you’re holding a flashlight in your teeth every time you check the insulation, look for a leak or put something away. The fix is small: a pull-chain light with a built-in outlet on the framing by the hatch. Now there’s light where you climb up and a place to plug in a work light or a fan.

A room with one light

A lot of bedrooms were built with a single light in the middle of the ceiling, or none. Recessed lights fix that without a remodel. See our Brush Prairie service area page for other jobs in the area, or call 360-828-7143 to plan out the lighting for a room.