Ceiling & Lighting

The cost depends on the ceiling area, how much of it is full flat ceiling versus bulkheads and cove details, the board used, and how many light points go in. A double-height void adds scaffolding, and wet areas need moisture-resistant board. Access and ceiling height matter too, because taller rooms are slower to work in. Two houses of the same size can land at different prices, so we put a number to it after a free site visit.

Not necessarily, because most of the cost of a cove sits in the recess that has to be built for it, not the strip inside. The LED strip, driver and dimmer are cheap next to the plastering. Downlights cost less per point, but a good layout often uses many of them. What moves the number is the total length of cove, the number of light points, and whether the circuits dim. We price it as one layout, not fitting by fitting.

It depends on how many floors are involved and how much of the ceiling is bulkhead and cove detail. The sequence is framing and boarding, wiring, skim coat and painting, with fittings and testing at the end, and a stairwell void adds scaffolding time. If the ceiling is part of a bigger renovation we sequence it around the aircon and carpentry, so no trade stands around waiting for another. You get the schedule with your quote.

Usually not. Internal false ceiling and lighting work is non-structural and adds no floor area, so on its own it rarely needs a submission. That changes when the ceiling is part of larger addition and alteration works, when the attic or roof space is altered, or when the house sits in a conservation area. The wiring itself must be done by a licensed electrician, which is part of our scope. Where a submission is needed, we handle it.

Yes, and in most landed homes that is the main reason to build one. Concealed units, refrigerant lines, drain pipes and cabling run inside a boxed bulkhead, with the drain kept on a proper fall so condensation actually flows out. We leave an access panel at each unit and drain point, so servicing does not mean cutting the ceiling open. The bulkhead is set out only after the aircon route is confirmed, so the ceiling follows the pipes, not the other way round.

It depends on what has to fit above the board. A flat ceiling or a cove with only wiring above it can sit close to the slab. A bulkhead carrying a concealed aircon unit and its drain needs a deeper drop. We measure floor-to-slab height at the site visit, keep the main living areas at full height where we can, and push the deeper drops to the edges of rooms, over corridors, or above wardrobes where you never notice them.

With layers, not ceiling lights fired straight down from the top. From that height downlights glare and still leave the floor dim. We usually hang a pendant or cluster sized to the void, add cove or wall lights at the upper level, and put task lighting down where you read and sit. The other question is maintenance. We agree how the fitting will be reached for cleaning and replacement, by winch, drop rod or long-life sealed units, before it is ordered.

Fibre cement board or an aluminium strip ceiling, with weather-rated fittings. Standard gypsum board is an indoor material, and a car porch soffit takes driving rain and humidity all year, so out there it stains and sags. We seal the junctions, keep ventilation where the roof needs it, and check the gutters, flashing and any slab above before the soffit is closed. Trapped water shows up as staining months later, when it is much harder to reach.

Warm white in living rooms, bedrooms and dining, and a neutral white in kitchens, bathrooms and utility areas where you want to see clearly. Keeping one colour within a sightline matters more than the exact number, so a hallway should not shift tone halfway along. Dimming is worth having in the living, dining and bedrooms, and it must be decided before wiring starts, because the light, the driver and the switch all have to match. We fix the zones with you first.