After much research (and even more haggling), we'd finally taken delivery of most of our new light fittings; the next step was to get them installed.
The electricians had included all the 2nd fix installation as part of their price, but since we knew precisely where we wanted the light fittings, Alan preferred to mount them all in place himself, leaving just the final wiring connections for the electricians to make (to satisfy building regulations).
Aaron the electrician was surprised to find that we'd made his job so much easier by mounting all the light holders and brackets before he arrived. Completing the final wiring didn't take him very long, so we soon had light in the hallway for the first time.
It can be a bit risky buying things like lights online, since you don't get a chance to see them 'in the flesh'. Philips had a nifty online 'visualiser' to demonstrate what kind of light and shadow their lights produce in various rooms and after trying out several models, we chose these Philips Galax stainless steel wall lights for the hall and landing and were pleased to find that the visualiser had been pretty accurate.
Alan also fitted the wall lights in the upstairs landing, again leaving the wiring coiled ready for the electrician.
The lights in the landing can be operated by four different switches, so once the wiring had been connected, it was important to check all the circuits were working properly.
Ideally we would have preferred to have had the rooms painted before getting the electrics fitted and signed off, but the painfully-slow process of finishing the Fermacell walls meant we were still some way behind schedule. That meant we would have to remove (and refit) all the light fittings, switches and sockets again in order to paint the walls (aargh!)
In the main bedroom, Alan fitted the mounting plates for the bedside lights and four wall-mounted spotlights...
... which Aaron swiftly connected up. Its such a relief not to have bare wires dangling out of the wall anymore.
Our tight budget meant we needed to get creative wherever possible. For the walk-in wardrobe, WC and larder, we bought light fittings from Germany - even with shipping costs, they were less than half the price of the UK...
Here's the retro-style spotlight for the walk-in wardrobe
We also managed to buy some brand new Philips spotlights for next to nothing on Ebay. They weren't quite right for where we'd originally planned to use them, but rather than sell them on again, we used them for the built-in cupboards in bedrooms two and three.
Having inspected some of Alan's electrical work, the electricians declared that they were happy for him to fit the rest of the lights himself. This suited us a lot better as we still had a number of lights to buy and it meant we could fit them when we were ready and still get it officially 'signed off' for the building regulations.
Another cost-saving idea is to make the light yourself... We bought a waterproof LED strip for a few pounds and fitted it into our homemade bathroom alcove. This light will eventually sit above the bath for a bit of 'mood' lighting when relaxing in the tub.
We managed to snag another bargain for the dining room; a Philips LED pendant light that was well out of our budget appeared on Amazon for a fraction of its usual price... it was clearly a mistake (the price more than quadrupled immediately after we'd ordered it) but luckily Philips honoured the deal!
It was also lucky that we'd installed a thick wooden noggin between the joists in the centre of the dining area before plasterboarding; the new light was made of thick glass and metal and was extremely heavy.
No, this isn't our entry for the Turner Prize, but a hastily-constructed platform to support the heavy light fitting while we installed and adjusted it.
After concerns over how much weight the noggin could hold, the good news was the light fitting was staying up nicely; the bad news was we kept walking headfirst into the damn thing so had to leave a garden chair underneath it as a makeshift barrier. A dining table will eventually sit directly beneath it so we shouldn't need to worry about bumping into it in the future.
Next, Alan fitted the wall lights that sit in each corner of the dining area.
Both the pendant light and the wall lights are dimmable. The crinkly plastic bag over the pendant is also not a permanent fixture...
The wall lights cast some interesting shadows in the corners.
And here's an arty shot of the pendant light coming in to land.
Along with the electrical wiring, Alan also completed the wiring for the TV aerials. The landing cupboard was the central location for all the co-axial cabling but this all needed patching together and tidying.
These are the feeds that take the aerial signal to various rooms around the house...
As ever, we try to make use of any scrap materials from previous jobs; Alan made a backplate out of a leftover piece of PVC roofing fascia...
... and cooked up a slightly-OCD co-axial connecting station (tucked away in the side of the cupboard where no-one will ever see it!)
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