CHASE ELECTRIC

Recessed Lighting Installation in Southern Maine

Recessed lighting transforms a room. The right layout brightens up a kitchen, makes a living room feel bigger, turns a dark hallway into something you actually want to walk through. Chase Electric installs LED recessed lighting across Windham, Portland, and Southern Maine. New construction or retrofit into a finished ceiling, we handle the layout, the rough-in, the drywall cutting, and the trim work, and we clean up before we leave.

  • Kitchens, for both general overhead lighting and task lighting over the island, sink, or stove

  • Living rooms and family rooms, where ambient ceiling light replaces a single center fixture

  • Hallways and stairwells, especially long or narrow ones that feel dim

  • Finished basements, where ceiling height is often limited and surface fixtures eat headroom

  • Bathrooms, especially over the shower (wet-rated trims required) and at the vanity

  • Bedrooms, particularly walk-in closets and dressing areas

  • Home offices, where consistent ambient light reduces eye strain on screens

Where Recessed Lighting Works Best

Layout and Spacing

A good recessed lighting layout is not just "put cans every four feet." The rule of thumb is that the spacing between fixtures should be roughly half the ceiling height, so an 8-foot ceiling wants fixtures about 4 feet apart, and the perimeter fixtures should sit about 2 feet off the walls so the light wash hits the walls without scalloping. We plan the layout during the quote, talking through what you use the room for, where the furniture sits, and what feel you are after. Bright and even? Layered with dimmers and task lighting? Each works, but they look different and the layout is what drives the result.

New Construction or Retrofit

New construction installs go in before the drywall, which means the wiring is run through open studs and the cans are mounted to the joists. Clean, fast, lower cost per fixture. Retrofit installs go into a finished ceiling, which means we cut precise holes, fish wire through joist bays, and use canless LED fixturesthat clip in from below without needing access from the attic. Retrofit takes longer per fixture, but it lets you add recessed lighting to a room you are not gutting.

Recessed lighting handles the room. Under-cabinet lighting handles the countertop. We install hardwired LED strips or puck lights under kitchen cabinets, with the switching tied into your existing kitchen circuit or onto a dedicated dimmer. The wiring is hidden, the cabinets get a clean even wash of light along the counter, and the kitchen becomes dramatically more usable for actual cooking. If we are already in the room doing recessed cans, adding under-cabinet lighting at the same time is a small incremental cost and a huge quality-of-life upgrade.

Under-Cabinet Lighting

Recessed Lighting Installation Cost

New construction recessed lighting installs typically run $100 to $175 per fixture installed, including the LED fixture and wiring. Retrofit installs into a finished ceiling typically run $175 to $275 per fixture because of the extra labor in cutting holes and fishing wire. A typical kitchen project (6 to 10 fixtures with two dimmer zones) runs $1,200 to $2,800. Under-cabinet lighting adds roughly $300 to $700 for a standard kitchen layout. We quote the full job at a fixed price after a site visit, so you know exactly what it costs before we start cutting drywall.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a recessed lighting install take?

1

New construction: a few hours per room. Retrofit into a finished ceiling: most kitchens are a one-day install, larger rooms or whole-house projects span two to three days.

Will you cut into my ceiling?

2

For retrofit installs, yes. We use templates and a hole saw sized to the fixture, so the cuts are precise and the trim covers the cut edge cleanly.

LED, dimmable, color temperature?

3

All our recessed cans are LED, dimmable, and available in 2700K (warm white, traditional incandescent feel), 3000K (warm white), or 4000K (cool white, more daylight). 2700K and 3000K are the most popular for living spaces. 4000K is better for kitchens, garages, and workshops where you want clearer task light. We can also install adjustable color temperature trims that you switch between with the wall control.

Do recessed lights work with smart home systems?

4

Yes. We install with smart dimmers (Lutron Caseta, Leviton Decora Smart, Kasa) that integrate with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and SmartThings. You can also install smart-bulb-style recessed trims, but for whole-room control the smart dimmer route is cleaner and more reliable.

Ready for a quote?

Texting is one of the easiest and fastest ways to reach us. Text or call (207) 239-2231 or email ChaseElectric207@gmail.com to get started. Chase Electric proudly serves Windham, Portland, and all of Southern Maine.