5K for bare bones HD crapola to 200K for some crystal and antique fixtures. You’ll be in between.

You need an architect or designer to help you.

I was hunting vintage second hand mostly (some European ones turned to be a real PITA to adjust)-so was able to outfit the whole place ...let's give it a thousand more, in case my memory having pity on me lol...I'd say around 4 K. Quality fixtures that we love-but as I said took lots of time and nerves, Then your house is bigger..1500 sq f bigger? So. If , mostly, choosing this hunting-gathering thing..I'd say can be twice as that? I mean if you take everything into account in terms of fixtures-chandeliers where you need them, pendants, sconces where makes sense..ceiling fixtures..outside lights..

then I didn't count in things that were included with our gut remodel-pot lights(forgot the name) for kitchen, corridor, bath..undercabinet lighting..we for sure payed for them, it was just a part of bigger electrical thing, so hard to tell exactly how much.

and I didn't count floor lamps and table lamps, since I partially had them already..some I had to buy too, to add/replace, but these are much easier, in general. To hunt and gather lol. So wasn't adding costs significantly.

Now, everyone has different expectations from lighting, obviously. And different tolerance for time spent on all that jazz. And knowing how much hassle can involve returning it, whether possible, etc. I didn't have to return anything(except for one sconse that I decided to live without-but the store was extremely accomodating. Had to write them personally for that-but they were accommodating. One of very few instances we went for new)-but always take that into account, checking policies and all. Especially online-make sure you read all that small print really well. restocking fees some stores can charge, etc

If you don't want any, any risk-go with good specialized brick and mortar. Not easy to find btw. Every time I see a store where people actually know what they are selling-I'm so very pleasantly surprized. Usually-expensive. That's the correlation that I found:)

Good work surface light levels is important in your kitchen. 450 lumens at the counter is a workable figure. You can use under-cab led lights in combination with 2" led recessed cans in front of uppers and over the sink like these from Juno. 1000 lumens output on a narrow flood in 3000k color temp. They are expensive at about $150ea dimmable.

At the other end of the price scale 1100 lumen led A19 regular format bulbs(11 watt) screw right into 6" recessed cans. Bulbs are about $4 from Costco and cans are about $15ea. Great for ambient lighting. Once everything is well lit you can add decretive fixtures as you wish.

It’s very difficult to say because light fixtures span the range from inexpensive big box to crazy margin show off.

It also depends if you go through a design shop (they have very high mark ups because they cater to a clientele like Sophie Wheeler who seem to be able to throw money on everything to get the best service and product) or if you buy the exact same product online. Lots of name brand fixtures are available directly to the end user. Sometimes with extreme discounts vs. from a design shop.

I am on a tight budget, and also happen to be a major Amazon lover, so I looked at their warehouse deals for fixtures. For about $837, I bought over $3500 worth of light fixtures. I bought a few more that I did not have in my expenses spread sheet, but they were mostly 75% off retail, or more. If you have a "vision" for your house, definitely not the way to go. But if you like a good deal, are able to be flexible with decorating/coordinating, and need to save a few bucks, I would highly recommend Amazon!

Ours was around 30,000 (combined) for both units in a 5200 sq, ft, duplex, but cans, undercounter, and certain basics were included in the electrical budget not lighting. Lighting budget was primarily for decorative only. We did include some relatively pricey, (but not super pricey) chandeliers that ran up the budget about $ 11,000 or so.

Spend money on the "built ins". Things like the exhaust fans, ceiling fans, can lights (if you have them) under cab lighting, outside lighting, sconces. Things that are harder to install / change.

Pendants are ridiculously easy to change out.

I want an artichoke light. I do not, however, want to pay $6K of my lighting budget for one right now.

However, I may spend $3500 on a Big Ass Fan because they are a PITA to install.

Also - groupings of less fancy lights can make a big impact vs big money for a single fixture.

Our cans, undercounter etc were all included in electrical too. Not a part of what I listed.

Well...at the very least you better talk to your electrician before doing anything. Many electricians will not install and will not do a free come-back for lights purchased by the owner. After all, why should they? They no nothing of the quality or reliability of the fixtures...especially second-hand fixtures from the corner lost and found store.

At the very least talk to your electrician about what sort of lights where. Chances are they can purchase and provide fixtures cheaper than many consumers.

FWIW, lighting is both a design and technical feature. It takes quite a bit of knowledge and experience to know what sort of lights are best where. To properly select and install lighting fixtures takes more than going to Home Depot.

On the other hand, if selecting your own lights is your thing, then go for it. But check with your electrician if you expect them to install and service the fixtures you choose.

Depends on how many rooms, how many light fixtures & what kind and how expensive your taste is.

We didn't buy any of our lights. We simply gave a list of the lights to the builder. Like Virgil said the electrician needed to be okay with them and willing to install. But this was easily done and not an insurmountable task by any means.

It was in the contract.... I buy the lights, builder's electrician installs the lights. The electrician was just happy that I wasn't having any fans -- evidently, he is not crazy about installing them LOL!!!

Oh, I forgot to add in my first post, the electrician recommended four can lights in the kitchen, so that was an extra $200.

As the electrician reminded me....don't forget the light bulbs!!! Already bought $90 worth of light bulbs, still have a few more to buy.

There a bunch of reputable discount lighting websites. This was the only place my GC said "sure". I shopped the ooo-la-la- local designer place. And then saved 60%-70% by going to discounters in New York. Not without checking in with GC/electrician. They looked at specs/install and all was good.

Rest of the lighting was on GC/electrician (spec'd by me) , but oh my...I saved thousands.

And no, Sophie. You can't find this in Home Depot...

Thank you everyone! I’ve already taken care of my cans and under cabinet lighting and exterior lighting so no worries on that end. I just wanted to be realistic when shopping for my interior fixtures. My electrician will be coming back to install but I will make sure to mention about fans! We aren’t using a builder so I’ve got to figure it all out myself

My builder said - Pretty please, no actual vintage fixtures. They aren't UL approved and won't get past the inspector. If you want those, but in something cheap for now and swap it out after inspection.

Our lighting place is not over-the-top ridiculous. And, twice a year, they do a 40% off sale. They'll even warehouse for you if you're not ready to install, yet. I DO think it's very helpful to have an experienced designer on hand for lighting selection, because it's not as easy as it looks. Even the difference between a flush-mount and semi-flush mount really changes the light available in the room. As a bonus, they unpack each fixture, inspect it for damage or missing parts, pack it back up WITH THE CORRECT BULBS and send it out to the site. I am permitted to get fixtures wherever I like, but my time is also worth something and so is the knowledge that I'm not going to foul it up out of ignorance.

Budget $300+ per ceiling light & vanity fixtures & $500+ per chandelier if you want something of quality. You can probably find some of the same lights on-line a little cheaper than you would find at a lighting store. They sometimes use a different name, but you'll be able to tell by the photo and description. Home Depot & Lowes carry some decent special order name brand lights online. The good thing about Home Depot & lowes is if you do not like the special order item it is easy to return to a local store. Check Wayfair also, but returns will require shipping. I would look at reviews of the light fixtures before you order on-line as well.

OP We just started our second build and have used a lighting store both times. I researched first this time to see if I could hunt around and save some cash but I decided the lighting store wasn’t much more expensive.

Our lighting lady was great. We had a few fixtures that we liked the look of but were more than we wanted to spend—-she quickly started throwing catalogs left and right until she found what we wanted from a different company at a price point we were happy with. She was also great at listening to what look we wanted and helping to guide us in the right direction.

Our vintage fixtures passed inspection. It's CA. so. Inspectors are strict.

(we had to tweak some of them etc, huge PITA as I've said..but they did pass. )

no, our electricians didn't like non-standard stuff -oh whom I'm kiddding..they hated both non standard stuff and us lol... obviously was totally on us to make sure all the fixtures are in order and can be installed etc.

yes I think I saved thousands. Thousands upon thousands. No I didn't have any help choosing and buying (but wanted to. but hadn't))

No I think didn't help my overall you know..well-being. lol

Unless one counts a vision for the house coming to life being a positive factor in one's well being.

Was it worth it?

my answer always depends on the mood I am.

if in good mood-oh yes it was. We love our lights. And I learned so much and became obsessed with lighting(I somehow didn't have chance to pick lights before. First time me really choosing lights besides a lamp or something)

When I'm in a bad mood-I curse all this remodel together with its lighting. All the precious experience.

When I'm in a very bad mood I obviously think of other things alltogether.

Now I'm in a bad mood-trying-to-be in-a -good one:)

erica, we finished building our own house, in rural Canada a few months ago and I was in charge of choosing and buying all of the light fixtures. No lighting stores within a three-hour drive, so I did most of my purchasing online, everything from a Canadian online lighting store to Home Depot, Lowes, and Wayfair. There were a number of more inexpensive fixtures (Quoizel, Livex, etc) but also a few splurges, including two fixtures from Currey & Company, brass sconces from Northeast Lantern, and four Hudson Valley sconces on clearance (from Wayfair).

We also wanted ceiling fans (without lights), and I like the fans to "disappear" against the ceiling, and we were lucky to find several builder packs of ceiling fans at Lowes on clearance.

Do you know your style? The best thing to do right now is to decide/determine your style, and also what finish you want based on what's available now. If you have a fairly open main floor (open kitchen, dining room, living room) find fixtures that will work together -- similar style and/or finish and/or shape. Decide what you need for what room, and don't forget that most rooms look much better with layers of lighting -- table lamps and floor lamps in addition to a ceiling light.

I've never heard of an electrician who only installs fixtures he purchases. Frankly I'd be installing a new electrician in that case - I can do without prima donna's on my build.

Depends on the style of the home & value you are trying to achieve.

I start with a spreadsheet room by room, fixture by fixture. If the home already is mostly lit with recessed fixtures (aka "can" lights) the budget for ornamental fixtures might be $2-4 per square foot once you add all the lines including bulbs, tax and delivery. If your home has a bunch of exterior fixtures, its easy to spend a lot of money here. If the home is more production (tract) style, the budget might only need to cover a few fixtures for less than my numbers.

If your home is $2 mil+, is in a resort or beach area with empty lot values in the high six figures or more, I've seen clients spend $10-30K on the dining room alone. … but I've also had clients spend big in the dining or entry, then purchase cast fixtures from the big box for the exteriors.

My budgets are based on real completed projects but even if doubled or tripled, most clients manage to overrun what ever number is given.

My mother would say "its easy to spend money on nice things, more work to make it look nice and stick to the budget"

Light fixtures, stone counters, tile... all very sexy and hard to resist sometimes.

Freeoscar, you simply don't understand the situation...

Our electrician had nothing to do with the light fixture purchase. Some were purchased through the builder from Lowes while many we purchased and it was not a problem. We were told when we needed to have the fixtures over to the house and told where to leave them and that was that. I did label all the fixtures we purchased with where they needed to go. The fixtures we purchased were all purchased online.

This is why electricians (and plumbers) keep raising their prices. And why there is no trade warranty on any product anymore.

Used to be, you got a one year parts and labor warranty. No warranty on materials anymore except by the manufacturer. And the homeowner has to pay the labor for the service call to troubleshoot the fixture. And change out to the new one when it comes. And send the old one back as the warranty claim requires.

My mother would say "its easy to spend money on nice things, more work to make it look nice and stick to the budget"

Jeffrey's mother is correct : ) .

Light fixtures, stone counters, tile... all very sexy and hard to resist sometimes.

Jeffrey and his mother are right again lol.

erica, it might help to decide if any of your light fixtures are going to be a "star" in a room or just supporting players. If you're going for all supporting players, it's much easier to stick to your budget. Light fixtures as "stars" will generally be more expensive, but this is manageable if go for a high-low mix, especially if you go for more low and fewer high $$ items.

For our house, the overarching idea, since we live in the country, was to bring the outdoors in. Our dining room has windows on three sides and is surrounded by trees; we also have a round sitting room off the living room with six windows, also surrounded by trees. I found wrought iron fixtures that look like branches at Currey & Company that really make each room and carry through our idea for the house, so that was an easy place to decide to splurge. The pantry and laundry room have enamelled metal "factory" pendants (Trans Globe/Bel Air's Sherman pendant), which are perfect for the room and cost about $30-35 each, though these pendants have their fans too, especially with the younger "modern farmhouse" set : ) .

Why not go and pick out what you want, total up the cost and eliminate the potential for an unpleasant surprise during the build?

We spent around $12k on lighting (that does not include my cans). I purchased majority of them from a lighting store recommended by my GC which saved me 14% on everything from them. I also purchased a few from Amazon, World Market, Lowe’s, Ashley Furniture etc. I did not have a budget in mind, I found lighting that I liked and went with the best price.

Here's a showroom with a site to develop budgets. http://www.lofingslighting.com/

I've used them for years and found them surprisingly competitive.

Lighting is one of my favorite elements and it can make or break your overall look. With a tight budget, i like to find key fixtures first, because that puts your budget in most important spots first. Most underestimate what these cost even modest price ranges and this creates big problems late in the build. I definitely use Internet sources to stretch budget for best overall layered plan. Getting with Electrician is a must and make sure they plan fir extra wire behind walls in case you need to move junction boxes later in build. Sconce placement is always challenging so make sure you leave room on wall fir those and additional wire to adjust if needed. Pricing ranges all over and depends on home design. Assuming you have entry, dining areas, kitchen island, over sink fixture and breakfast area that along with master bath will be biggest dollars. I would allow $500 for entry at least. If high ceiling much more. So without a style and floor plan along with ceiling heights we can’t estimate. Go to lighting showroom, look at what you like for the key areas and add it up. Add 15% for unknowns and scope creep then another budget item for bulbs. Good luck. Don’t forget closets, garages and possible lighted mirrors. Loads of great products out there. Appetite control will be your biggest problem! Enjoy!