I need to have some Can Lights installed in our office and master bedroom. 4 in each room, with a switch. I've been quoted $110 per light for everything. Wanting to know if this is good, average, or if I'm getting hosed!

Thanks

Questions to ask:

1) Is he pulling a permit for it?
2) Is he tying into existing circuits or running a new circuit? (Note: You're only allowed eight light fixtures per circuit, so he'd better be pulling a new circuit from the panel.)
3) Are the cans going into insulated spaces/will they be in contact with insulation? If so, they need to be IC-rated fixtures, otherwise they're a fire risk.

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Note: You're only allowed eight light fixtures per circuit, so he'd better be pulling a new circuit from the panel

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Umm...

Wouldn't the number of lights per circuit depend on the load?

$110 is too much.

That quote sounds way high. We paid about $500 for 6 can lights in our living and a fan installation.

IC can lights run about $15.

$170 = labor 2 hours @ $85 hr
$120 = cans 8 @ 15
$100 = romex (swag) and other parts
$100 = drop for 2 switches @ $50 /ea
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$490

Clearly I just made this up but based on my experience paying an electrician for this exact upgrade (4 cans in my LR with a switch).

I think your quote of $880 is way too high unless you have a problem with attic access or a 2 story house????

The hardest part is actually measuring and cutting the holes.

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Wouldn't the number of lights per circuit depend on the load?

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Yes. And the cost depends on the type/quality of can light, and the difficulty of installation. Plain open downlight? Adjustable? Low voltage? LED? Ceiling height? Sloped ceiling? Access above ceiling? New home, old home? Gyp board ceilings, plaster ceilings?

I could put in four can lights in one room at home in a few hours - you can stand up in the attic. A different room could take f o r e v e r /sandlot.

OP, your best bet would be getting prices from a couple of electricians and asking them to specifically list what they are doing - especially when it comes to the can light itself.

Can you recommend some good quality open downlights? I think we'll need about 6 or so for our kitchen, and we plan on using LED bulbs FWIW. I'd planned on having 3 pendant lights, pantry lighting, and misc. undercabinet and toe kick lighting with this on the same circuit.

I suggest a dimmer switch for times when that is too much light. We have dimmers on all our can lights.

FYI - I do hate dim-able (sic) CFL's.

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IC can lights run about $15.

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Do you want a trim on that? More importantly, do you want a $15 ChiWanDia down light? Ever see a trim melt and fall out? Or the springs give out/slip and produce a giant illuminated testicle on the ceiling? Bad thermal protector? There $20 lights, and $120 lights, and all points in between. We know nothing of the OP's case beyond quantity.

And if you can do all that in two hours, Elite needs to hire you.

1) Agree that the trim / bulbs separate. Plus there are many tiers of cost. We got a bulk pack of IC cans.

2) Our electrician had a helper who was in the attic so the cans installation went really quickly.

3) We also have a very tall easy attic.

4) We had removed paneling so the switch was easy was as simple as drilling the header and dropping the wire.

5) Ok, I revise my estimate to 1/2 day!

:-(

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I suggest a dimmer switch for times when that is too much light. We have dimmers on all our can lights.

FYI - I do hate dim-able (sic) CFL's.

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Yep, we planned on having dimmers on all switches in this area. I've never paid attention to can lights in the ceiling before. What makes a good one from a bad one?

I would definitely look into the LED can lights. They don't put off hardly any heat, last dang near forever, and use a fraction of the electricity (8 watts compared to 60). You can buy nice LED can lights at Lowes for under $40/each now.

Well, here is most of the information that you have been talking about. Hopefully this will help understand the situation and whether or not I am getting a good deal.

1) House was completed Dec 2012
2) One Story - Very Roomy Attic
3) Regular IC Can Lights - I am actually going to use the same ones that they used when the house was built (just the retro version, not new construction)
4) Each set will be on it's on dimmable switch (dimmable switch not included in cost)
5) More than likely will have to be new cable pulled for each.
6) Company that initially wired the house during construction is who I contacted, just because they are familiar with where everything is.

I will get some estimates as you have said.
Referrals for 2-3 other companies would be appreciated.

Some companies I have thought of but haven't contacted are:
Dailey
G&W
Elite

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Company that initially wired the house during construction is who I contacted, just because they are familiar with where everything is.

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Trust me, this does not matter at all. A good certified electrician can figure it out in 10 seconds if the work was done to code.

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I would definitely look into the LED can lights. They don't put off hardly any heat, last dang near forever, and use a fraction of the electricity (8 watts compared to 60). You can buy nice LED can lights at Lowes for under $40/each now.

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True, but I see a ton of options out there - everything from some that are a LED bulb with an Edison base that screw into a regular can light, to dedicated LED only cans. Would it be better to go with a regular can + screw in LED light, or a dedicated can? I'm wondering how universal the plug on some of the dedicated LED lights are because someday it will burn out and it would be a PITA to replace the whole can instead of a bulb.

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True, but I see a ton of options out there - everything from some that are a LED bulb with an Edison base that screw into a regular can light, to dedicated LED only cans. Would it be better to go with a regular can + screw in LED light, or a dedicated can? I'm wondering how universal the plug on some of the dedicated LED lights are because someday it will burn out and it would be a PITA to replace the whole can instead of a bulb.

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If you are worried about that, then go with the regular bulb base LED lights that you screw into the fixture. The nice thing about the LED fixtures is that they aren't as tall and don't stick up very far in your attic. But if you aren't worried about that, then just go with the screw in LED bulbs. They are about $20/each at Home Depot.

Thanks. No worries about attic space - it's unuseable anyway because it's way too hot for that sort of thing around here.