Soffit Lighting Installation Cost

Looking to find out how much it costs to install soffit lighting in your home?

Investing in exterior lighting can really enhance the appearance and enjoyment of your property. In addition to providing atmospheric light for evening enjoyment, it can also provide intense light that improves security.

On average, the cost of soffit lighting installation will be around £180.

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How Much Does It Cost to Install Soffit Lights?

Your home's soffits are blank canvases on which you can add beautiful accents with the addition of lighting. Soffit lighting installation is simple and inexpensive.

The total cost of lighting installation will be determined by several factors, including the light source fixture you select, the number of lighting elements installed, and their location. This comprehensive guide discusses the average cost of installing exterior lights, such as soffit lights.

So, what is the soffit lighting installation cost?

A low-voltage exterior light installation costs around £165 to £200. Garden lighting prices can be influenced by various factors, including the number of light fixtures desired, their location, and the cost of the fixings.

Soffit Light Installation Prices

Take a look at the table below for the cost to install soffit lighting:

Supply Only Costs

Compared to standard overhead lamps and bulbs, the installation configuration combined with the style of bulbs used to provide a much softer light.

LED bulbs used in soffit layouts are significantly less expensive. In addition, LED bulbs are 80% more efficient than incandescent bulbs due to their longer life span and lower energy consumption. We'll go over the supply-only costs here so you know what you'll need when installing soffit lighting in your home.

To install soffit lighting, you will need pot lights, which cost £7 to £25. Wire nuts will cost £4 to £7. A wire stripper costs £7 to £21, and a wire cutter will cost £7 to £21. You will also need a screwdriver, which will set you back by £5 to £10, and floodlights can cost £20 to £70.

Additional Costs

When installing lights on your soffits, you may decide to have additional work done! Alternatively, minor details could add up to a high cost in some cases. As a result, we'll go over the additional costs of installing soffit lights here so you know what to expect.

Patio Installation

The average price of laying a patio in a 20 m² area ranges between £900 and £2,500. This price includes excavating the area, laying the foundations, purchasing, and laying the patio slabs.

Prices will depend on the materials used. For instance, budget options including concrete and brick patio slabs start at £15 per m², whereas premium patios are typically made of slate, which varies from £900 to £3,800 for installation, and a stone patio can cost up to £4,600.

A landscape gardener will usually charge around £100 per day to install your patio, but they will work with a general labourer, bringing the cost to around £200.

A standard installation for a small patio measuring 10 m² may take about two days and cost around £400 in labour. A 20 m² patio might take about three days, and cost around £600 to complete with two tradespeople.

Gutter Replacement

Cleaning and securing your guttering is one of the most neglected areas of property maintenance, yet it is one of the most cost-effective reasons to keep your home effective, protecting it from dampness. Gutter replacement costs are fairly low, making it a good return on investment.

Ideally, you should have the guttering cleaned twice a year, but it will eventually need to be replaced. Guttering can be made from a variety of materials. In general, plastic is the most common and least expensive material, but other options include cast iron, aluminium, and copper, to name a few.

The price will vary depending on the material, but you get what you pay for because plastic, the cheapest option, seems to have the shortest lifespan. Guttering is sold by the metre, so expect to pay around £2 per metre for supplies alone for a standard plastic (uPVC) gutter.

The average price for the same size half-round guttering in copper can reach £25 per metre. In addition to gutters, you may require a downpipe, which costs around £3 per metre for plastic and £38 for copper for the same length.

Replacing Roof Tiles

Roof tile replacement costs vary depending on the number you need updating, the material of the roof tiles, and the ease of access to your property's roof. It costs roughly £170 to substitute five broken tiles, assuming no scaffolding or any access issues are required. If a ladder and a certain amount of cement bedding are required, replacing five tiles will cost £225.

If scaffolding is required and the tiles are hard to come by, a five-unit replacement could cost around £500.

If you want to replace the entire roof, the cost of a new roof is around £10,000 or more!

Numerous factors can affect the overall cost. For example, the number, size, and type of roof tile will significantly impact the supply cost, which will shape the overall cost.

Other important factors include your location in the UK, the ease with which you can access your roof, and the type of roof you have. As a result, replacing roof tiles can fluctuate due to a variety of factors such as supply and labour costs.

Home Security

The average price for home security ranges between £165 and £470. However, this may vary depending on the preferences of the homeowners and the number of cameras, alarms, or sensors you want to be installed in your home.

The final factor in determining the cost of your home security will be whether you want your home to be closely watched by a team of professionals.

A complete set of home security equipment can cost over £200 upfront, but you can get a discount to bring the price down even further if you're on a tight budget. In addition, some businesses will let you lease equipment monthly if you don't have the money for a large upfront payment.

A standard burglar alarm installation will cost between £125 and £300 for the most basic alarms. Depending on the number of sensors selected, this price range is typical for homeowners who enjoy installing their security systems.

The burglar alarm cost rises to between £175 and £350 when a home security system that calls or sends messages is installed. All monitored security systems cost between £99 and £150.

Painting Soffits and Fascias

The cost of painting fascia boards or soffits ranges between £700 and £1,000. However, the cost varies depending on the material used to make the boards, the amount of prep work required, and the size and style of your home.

An expert painter will typically charge around £150 per day and bring an assistant for safety. The job will usually take 3 to 4 days to complete, depending on the weather, because the tradesperson will usually paint in the morning and return the next day.

Depending on the quality of your soffits and fascias, the project may take a little longer to complete because the contractor may need to prepare and treat them before painting over them.

Gutter Cleaning

To have your guttering thoroughly cleaned, expect to pay between £100 and £425. The price varies according to the size of your property and, as a result, the length of the guttering. It could take anything between two to ten hours, based on the job's complexity.

The cost of cleaning the guttering on a two-storey semi-detached house will cost around £100. The size and type of guttering can also impact the overall cost of the job.

The total bill will be influenced primarily by the type and size of the house and the length of the guttering. Another factor to consider is your location in the United Kingdom.

Labour Costs and Timescales

You will only need one electrician to complete the work because they can install soffit lighting on their own. Most soffit lighting installation jobs can be completed in one day. So, how much does soffit lighting cost to install?

The cost of hiring an electrician is around £150 to £200 per day for labour. However, most electricians will charge a minimum of half a day's work, so you can expect the labour cost to be between £75 and £100 for installing soffit lighting.

The labour costs will be determined primarily by the amount of work required and your location in the United Kingdom. Those living in or near London should expect to pay more for labour.

Soffit lighting installation takes about 30 minutes to an hour. Depending on how many are installed, the total installation time will most likely be between 2 and 4 hours. This includes only the installation process and any time spent planning or gathering materials and supplies.

A lot goes into ensuring that the soffit lighting is installed correctly and safely. However, once you've gathered all the necessary materials and tools, you'll only need an afternoon to complete this project.

Many factors can influence how long the process takes. For example, if you're doing it yourself for the first time, the installation will take longer. A licenced professional who does this job regularly, on the other hand, should complete it in the time specified.

Cost Factors of Installing a Soffit Lighting

There are numerous reasons why installing soffit lighting varies. In this section, we will discuss the various cost factors and how they affect the overall cost.

Whether You Have an Intelligent Lighting System

Bright lighting allows you to control your lighting via an app on your phone or a voice-activated device with Wi-Fi, such as Google Home and Amazon Echo.

It will allow you to turn the lights on and off while on vacation or when you return home at the end of the day. Some innovative bulb models allow you to dim the lights, change the colour, or adjust the temperature.

For example, if you return from work with a headache, you could change the brightness from white to blue to create a more relaxing atmosphere. Smart white ambience bulbs cost between £15 and £45, while coloured bulbs cost between £35 and £50.

Wi-Fi light switches that work with remote voice-controlled devices range in price from £18 to £76.

If you want to convert your soffit lighting into a Smart Home to control lighting, heating, and security, you can buy plug-and-play products, or if you recently purchased a home that you are renovating, an electrician can install an embedded digital wiring system.

How Much Electrical Work Is Needed?

The job will take less time if the wiring is already in place than if the electrician would have to wire through to the location of your fitting. If you had your kitchen rewired before installing fixtures and fittings, you'd be looking for between £950 and £1,600.

Your Location

You'll pay more for an electrician if you live in London or the southeast of England than in the midlands and the north of England. This is because wages are higher in the south, so products and services are more expensive.

What's Involved in Installing Soffit Lighting?

Before installing soffit lights, it is important to plan their placement carefully. Finding that balance of illuminated areas and shadows is essential for getting the look you are after.

This section will go over the 6 steps involved in installing soffit lighting correctly:

Step 1: Determine the Right Light Locations

First and foremost, you must identify the soffit areas where the lights will be installed. Next, check that the installation area is large enough. Keep in mind that the light fixture's height should be at least five and a half inches.

Trace the template of the remodelled pot light fixtures onto the soffit and cut the holes with a keyhole saw.

Step 2: Connect the Cable

Turn off the breaker at the main panel to turn off the electricity to that circuit and remove the possibility of an electric shock. Next, run a 14/2 non-metallic (NM) cable from the switch to the nearest soffit hole.

Remember to leave an additional 10 inches or so of wire hanging out of each hole for the additional light wiring and installation. Forward the cable onto the following openings when they're all covered.

Step 3: Connect the Pot Lights

Put the wire from the switch but the one heading to the next lights into the electrical box at the first pot light opening and fasten the light fixtures into the eave. Repeat for the remaining Pot Lights.

Step 4: Remove the Cables

Strip six inches of decking from the 14/2 non-metallic cables in each soffit fixture with a pair of wire strippers. This is because the bare copper conductor inside and the other coloured wires must be visible. Use the wire stripper to remove half an inch of insulation from all the white and black conductors.

Step 5: Join the Wires

Return to the first fixture and connect the wires to their proper locations. Next, connect the two black wires (one from each cable) with a wire connector. Connect the white wires in the same manner, and then connect the green wire to the bare copper wire and the ground screw. Repeat this procedure for each soffit light fixture you would like to install.

Step 6: Install the Soffit Lights

Insert the light fixtures into the soffit holes you created. Then, with a flathead screwdriver, press the black clips upwards until you hear them click down into the slot in the soffit light fixture itself. Make sure that all the black clips are securely fastened to the soffit light fixture.

When you finish installing the soffit lighting and turn on the light, you should see the light coming from above. It will resemble a large floodlight or a small spotlight.

Can I Install Soffit Lighting Myself?

We would always suggest getting a professional to install soffit lighting. Dealing with anything electrical is very dangerous if you are not a licensed electrician.

On top of that there are many factors to consider when trying to achieve a specific look with your lights.

Exterior soffit lighting fixtures prevent break-ins and enlighten your backyard and driveways.

Let us take you through 3 things to avoid if considering installing soffit lighting yourself.

1. Choosing the Best Soffit Lights

We want to accomplish soft and toned light levels when installing soffit lights for enhancement. Unfortunately, many soffit lights are overly bright, resulting in glare and a rugged appearance.

Fortunately, LED bulbs with varying light output are readily available, allowing you to achieve the exact look you desire, depending on the placement of the lights, distance from the side of the property, and angle of illumination.

A professional would know what type of brightness your house needs and install the correct brightness straight away without any hassle.

2. Light Location

Have you ever seen a house with soffit lights that appear like an alien spaceship about to take off? It may appear amusing, but it is a common mistake among homeowners.

Soffit lights that are too vibrant and installed all along the roofline can make your house appear to be a floating object in space, which is unappealing. If you don't want your house to look like a spaceship at night, consider combining other lighting styles to counteract the spaceship effect.

If the lights are too bright or too many of them, having only pointing down lights can give this appearance. Illumination around your home's foundation can also make it appear more natural. Therefore, unless you know the positioning, it could be challenging and make your home look silly!

3. Light Positioning

If you're only concerned with lighting up your landscape and not illuminating your home, it may appear empty and strange at night. Or, more accurately, a dark island with no one on board. Aside from decorative purposes, installing soffit lights on your home can help increase security, particularly against burglars at night.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission for Installing Soffit Lighting

If you are doing electrical work or installing lighting outside your home in England or Wales, you must follow new building regulations.

You should hire a competent person scheme-registered installer or apply to your local authority's building control department or authorised inspectors.

The goal is now to make our structures as energy-effective as possible. In certain circumstances, you must install efficient electric lighting in your home, such as:

• When your house has been expanded.
• When your current lighting system has been replaced as part of the rewiring process.

An example of efficient lighting is when reasonable provisions are made to allow effective control and use of efficient lamps so that:

Either the lamp capacity per light fitting does not exceed 150 Watts, and the lighting automatically switches off if there is enough daylight and when it is not needed at night, or the lighting fittings have sockets which can only be used with lamps that have an efficacy greater than 40 lumens per circuit watt.

External Illumination

If you are installing an external light that is powered by your electrical system and is fixed to the outside of your home, you should make reasonable provisions for effective control and the use of energy-efficient lamps.

There are two ways to accomplish this: installing a lamp with a capacity of no more than 150W per light fitting and having the lighting turn off automatically if there is enough daylight, but also when it is not needed at night.

Ensure that the lighting fixtures you use have sockets that can only be used with lamps with an energy efficiency of more than 40 lumens per circuit watt.

Types of Soffit Lighting

Soffit lighting is the most popular lighting method for a home's exterior. These lights can be installed in a variety of different places, including:

• Soffits
• Roofs
• Eaves
• Porch Overhangs

Installing lights in these areas can create a pleasant downlighting effect, improving the appearance of your home.

Soffit lighting can also be installed inside your home, where it can be used as accent lighting or under-cabinet lighting.

Let's go over the various types of soffit lighting available.

Flood Lighting

Soffit flood lights are excellent for adding security and accessibility to your outdoor lighting scheme. They have a 120-degree beam tilt so that they can illuminate a large area of your home or yard.

These lights are ideal for brightening the front exterior of a house, allowing visitors to see your home from the street and allowing you to monitor the areas of the driveway and yard nearest to your home. At night, soffit flood lights add ambience to your yard.

Spotlights

Soffit spotlights are like soffit floodlights. They are similar in size, appearance, and tech, but spotlights have a narrower beam angle (20 to 30 degrees) than flood lights. This means a narrow band of light is illuminating your landscape, house exterior, etc.

This also means that these exterior soffit lights are bright white lights that can illuminate dark corners or make a clear focal point outside your home. You can also use them to add security to your driveway or the region outside your garage. DEKORR sells spotlights in 4-packs or kits that include all the necessary installation materials.

Recessed Soffit Lights

Recessed lighting is a popular soffit lighting for both indoor and outdoor use. These lights are ideal for under porch ceilings, deck lighting (especially if your deck has an overhang), under railings, and other applications.

While still strong, these ceiling lights are not as precise as the spotlight, so they add warm white artificial light, ideal for outdoor spaces where people are likely to congregate socially at night. Finally, our best-selling products are DEKORR's recessed soffit lights, which can be used inside or outside.

Soffit Lights in Different Colours

Soffit lights are available in white. If you're replacing your lights, why not choose colours that will create a pattern or draw attention with visual interest? These coloured LEDs have the same capacity to light your home's exterior as our other soffit lights, but they also add character to your outdoor light design.

Deck Soffit Lighting

Is there an overhang or a ceiling on your deck? Is there a pergola in your yard? These are both ideal options for soffit lighting, mainly outdoor recessed lighting. For example, perhaps you have a deck on the second floor with a seating area below. Soffit lights attached to the ceiling provide subtle, built-in lighting for your sitting room.

Checklist: Hiring Contractors for Installing Soffit Lighting

• Count on word of mouth. One of the best places to identify a good local electrician is to ask your family, friends, and neighbours for recommendations. If you can hire an electrician who has already been tested and proven by someone you trust and who is satisfied with the electrician's work, they will do a good job.
• Inquire with other reputable tradespeople. Because good tradespeople prefer to work with other qualified, dependable tradespeople, ask any tradespeople you know or even have previously worked with if they can recommend an electrician. They should be able to recommend a good electrician in your area.
• Examine trade associations Register of Competent Persons. If you can't find a good local electrician through suggestions. The next step is to look for qualified electricians on the Registered Competent Person register. All the electricians on the register have been evaluated to ensure the quality of work and are reputable tradespeople. Similarly, the Trustmark register is another place to look for qualified, assessed electricians.

Sources

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/lighting/lighting-building-regulations
https://www.soffit.com/blog/your-guide-to-installing-soffit-lights
https://www.soffit.com/blog/soffit-lights-101-everything-you-need-to-know-about-soffit-lights
https://www.soffit.com/blog/outdoor-soffit-lighting-how-to-do-it-yourself
https://www.dekorlighting.com/8-soffit-lighting-ideas-for-exterior-lighting-perfection/