Wiring underway. It’s time to light up the place.

I went to the main distributor for light fixtures in Portland, Globe Lighting. Oh my, how things have changed. The new LED sources for lighting are a significant step forward from compact fluorescent, which I disliked greatly. The power and reach of these new fixtures is phenomenal. One slight problem is the cost, though as production ramps up is dropping rapidly.

The high output of the LEDs along with the low operating temperature allow many hidden applications of these lights, with no chance of igniting a fire in your woodwork. They are cool, literally.

We will be using recess cans to keep the ceilings of this small home uninterrupted. The main challenge is finding a can that will satisfy the air sealing requirements of Earth Advantage Energy program, with a tight can and a gasket to contact the sheet rock ceiling.

One disturbing aspect of this fixture selection is the process of looking through catalogs to get an overview. There’s hundreds of very similar styles, and it is very confusing to have sticky notes attached to edges of pages in a 6 inch thick book. One would think in this age of technology there would be a high tech program to show an image of these different fixtures. Honestly, I had a head ache after a couple of hours of trying to coordinate the few surface mount fixtures in my house, even with two very talented lighting professionals on board.

As always, I have to trust my experts. My team is the best. After decades of working together, we’ve honed our relationship. It’s time for me to step back and trust them to deal with the sticky notes and confusion. I’ll just sit here and look at the pretty lights.