Recessed lighting installation in Dearborn, MI.

New recessed lights in the Dearborn area typically cost $150 to $300 per light installed. A room of six on one new switch sits near the low end per light. Plaster ceilings, no attic access above, new circuits or smart dimmers push it toward the high end.

Most of the cost is the wiring path, not the fixture. Slim LED wafer lights need only a small hole and a junction box that sits above the ceiling, so they work in places old housings would not fit, like under floor joists in a first-floor ceiling. If there is an open attic above, wire runs are easy. If the room has a finished floor above it, the electrician has to fish wire between joists, which takes longer. A permit is required when new wiring or a new circuit is added, and it is included in the quote.

Yes. Plaster and lath can be cut cleanly with the right saw, and slim LED fixtures need only a small opening. The risk is cracking around the hole, so the electrician scores and cuts slowly and supports the lath. Expect a little touch-up, not a new ceiling.

Many houses in East and West Dearborn still have original plaster ceilings, sometimes under a later layer of drywall. Before cutting, the electrician checks joist direction and locates what is above: ductwork, plumbing from a second-floor bathroom, or old knob-and-tube wiring that should be dealt with first. Fixtures go between joists, so the layout sometimes shifts a few inches from the drawing. If the ceiling has a texture, ask whether patches will be blended; small touch-ups are normal around a few holes.

A common starting point is spacing lights about half the ceiling height apart, so roughly 4 feet apart in an 8-foot ceiling, and half that distance from the walls. Kitchens need lights over the counters; living rooms often look better with fewer lights and a dimmer.

Rules of thumb are only a start. A kitchen needs light where people work, so lights go over the counter edge, not the middle of the floor, to avoid shadows. A living room with a TV wall may want fewer lights and wall washers. A basement with a low ceiling and ductwork needs a layout that works around the trunk lines. Color temperature matters too: 2700K to 3000K looks warm in living spaces, while 3500K to 4000K suits kitchens and workshops. The electrician should mark the layout in pencil before cutting so you can see it.

Yes. Any recessed light in contact with attic insulation must be IC-rated, meaning approved for insulation contact. Air-tight fixtures also help keep warm air from leaking into the attic in winter. Most slim LED fixtures sold today are both, but it is worth confirming on the box.

Older recessed cans that are not IC-rated need clearance from insulation, and many have been buried over the years when attic insulation was added. That is a fire risk and a reason to replace them. NEC Article 410 covers luminaires, including recessed ones, and the inspector checks the fixture rating against where it is installed. In a cold Michigan attic, leaky old cans also let warm, moist air into the attic, which can lead to frost and ice damming. Swapping them for air-tight IC-rated LEDs fixes both problems.

Use a dimmer listed for LED loads and check that the fixture maker lists it as compatible. Old incandescent dimmers cause flicker, buzzing and lights that will not dim all the way down. Many fixture makers publish a dimmer compatibility list.

LED drivers respond differently to different dimmers. Some work best with forward-phase (TRIAC) dimmers, others with reverse-phase (ELV) dimmers. Smart dimmers add scenes and schedules, and many need a neutral wire in the switch box. Older Dearborn homes often have switch loops with no neutral in the box, so ask before buying smart switches. If the lights flicker or hum after install, the fix is usually a different dimmer or adjusting its low-end trim, not new fixtures.

Adding new recessed lights with new wiring or a new circuit needs an electrical permit from the City of Dearborn, and the electrician pulls it. Replacing an existing fixture with a similar one on the same box usually does not. The call will tell you which applies to your job.

If the new lights go on an existing circuit, the electrician checks the circuit's load and whether the circuit needs AFCI protection under NEC 210.12 when it is extended. In a bedroom or living room on an old circuit, that can mean replacing the breaker with an AFCI breaker. In a basement being finished, the lights are often part of a larger permit for the whole basement, which is a good time to add outlets, a bathroom fan circuit and smoke alarms at the same time.

Yes. Most old 5 and 6-inch cans take an LED retrofit trim that screws into the bulb socket and clips into the can. It is quick and cheap. If the cans are not IC-rated and touch insulation, or they are damaged, replacing them with new slim fixtures is better.

Retrofit trims are the easiest upgrade in a house that already has recessed lights, often from a 1980s or 1990s kitchen or basement remodel. They use less power, run cooler and seal the opening better than an old bulb and trim. The electrician checks each can for heat damage, loose sockets and the IC rating label inside, since older cans that were buried in attic insulation are a fire risk. Mixing retrofit trims and new wafer lights in the same room is fine if they match in color temperature and trim size. Swap them all at once so the light looks even across the ceiling.