HawthorneVillager.com

is this easy to take off and replace with something more aesthetically pleasing?

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Springridge

Its very easy to do if you have the box behind it.

I don't know about the standard now, but in the earlier phases mine included, you had to purchase the upgrade ~$40 for the box inbehind the strip lighting, otherwise it is just wires through a hole in the drywall to the strip light (all done to code).

Some people have done this after the fact without any problem...

Tim

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http://spaces.msn.com/greensburg101/ website update...Feb 13, 2009

In the energy saving homes, at least in phase 15a, they have improved the standard. It's no longer the ugly strip lighting, but what looks to me like a stainless steel light fixture.

I assume it's probably standard in phases after 15a as well. In our documentation from mattamy from 15a it still mentions the strip lighting standard, but what they've actually given people is something different (better).

It's not the same model/look of the picture that Raika posted from home depot, but it is similar.

It is so easy a monkey can do it and you do not need a box, at least I didn't in my phase 9B home. You simply take off the old one (remove bulbs, unscrew bulb fixtures, take out some screws) and install the new one. Most lights (the one I used to replace is similar to what mattamy uses now) come with an easy to install bracket so that it makes installing the light a piece of cake (or pie if that's what you prefer).

But if you don't have the box, and you had strip lighting, what are you securing the bracket to? Just the drywall ?? i.e. what if the stud (wood vertifical thingy) isn't close to where you want the light to go. All you have is drywall. Or is the bracket really looong so if the stud is a foot or so away from where you want the light to go, it'll reach that far?

I was told by an electrician I need a box or something that's secured to a wall stud. You can't just install it with only with the drywall securing it as it's against code/un-safe. This is what Tim is referring to when he mentions the "box" upgrade behind the strip lighting, or making that box yourself after closing.

Not unsafe at all, at least not how I did it (or in my opinion). All you need to do is buy some of those good metal drywall anchors (I believe that is what they are called) and it's almost as strong as screwing the nails into a stud (if you do it right of course). If that isn't how they want it done, screw em, I know the way I did it is more than safe. (me just being stubborn I suppose and not wanting to waste money on unecessary things).

I'm not worried, I did a good job, it'll be fine, trust me.

You can replace the bathroom fixture with a nicer one that doesn't require a box. You just need to look for a fixture with a back plate, such as this one from Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stor ... PartNumber

The wires in the wall come through the back plate and are connected on the other side, so no box is required.

Sara&Mike, that is exactly what I did and it worked out wonderfully and very easy too.