▪Consider having an architect or interior designer come up with a lighting plan (drawn out on paper) to maximize the quality of the interior lighting for your home remodeling or new home construction project.

▪If you have a large job, you will need a lighting plan to give to the electrician so that he can place the fixtures, recessed cans, ceiling fans, etc. exactly where you want them. Also, this is useful so that you will know exactly what materials to purchase.

▪For your home remodeling project, consider the following interior lighting possibilities: ceiling mounted fixtures, ceiling fan/light combinations, recessed cans, eyeball fixtures, pendant lights for kitchen counters, fluorescent lights, keyless (the most basic fixtures), and track lighting. Of course, there's nothing wrong with good old floor or table lamps that might be on a switched receptacle!

▪Ceiling Mounted Fixtures: These are the most common. They do require that you make an aesthetic choice, unlike recessed cans.

Ceiling Fan/light combinations: I like to have my electrician wire for ceiling fan/lights on front porches, bedrooms, and sometimes living rooms. These electrical boxes can always be used for regular ceiling mount fixtures if you decide not to put up a fan.

Recessed Cans: These offer a sophisticated look, in my opinion, and are reasonably priced. Note: when you buy recessed cans for your home remodeling or new construction lighting, consider the different choices. For use with insulation or without insulation? 4" or 6"? (4" often looks a bit more elegant) For remodeling or new construction? What kind of trim do you want on it?

Eyeball fixtures: You can get special trim to make your recessed cans directional or you can buy special "spotlight" type fixtures to aim at your artwork. Eyeball fixtures really add a lot of ambiance to a room. It's nice to have the light reflecting off of a wall.

Pendant lights: These lights look sharp over a kitchen countertop. Just be sure to have your electrician center them over the countertop.

Track Lighting: This can be great for long hallways that might have artwork on the walls. It's nice to be able to direct the rays of light where you want them.

▪For long hallways or up and down stairs, don't forget to tell your home remodeling electrician that you want 3-way switching. This means you can turn the light off when you reach the end of the hall!

▪For bathrooms, it is nice to have your electrician separate the circuits for the bath fan and the bath light. Have your electrician put them on separate switches so that you can have light without fan noise when you want it.

▪For exterior lighting, consider flood lights with motion control. It's nice to have the lights come on when you drive up to the house.

▪As is the case with many building materials, you can save a great deal of money by buying your light fixtures (including recessed cans) online.

Former builder and instructor of "Save Time and Money in Home Remodeling" cont. ed. course at Emory University

Common misspellings: lite, ficsture, home remodling, house liting, light blub, lite bulb.