Light Fixture Installation and Light Switch Replacement
Need a light put up, a chandelier hung, or a switch or dimmer changed? The Wire Guys installs lights and switches in homes and strata units across British Columbia, and tests each one with you before leaving.
Licensed Electrical Contractor
Licensed and insured in British Columbia.
WorkSafeBC Registered
Active and in good standing, with continuous coverage since 30 September 2019.
BBB Accredited
Accredited since 2023.
Canadian family owned, working across British Columbia since 2019.
Get a quoteWhat is involved in putting up a new light or changing a switch?
Light fixture installation means hanging a light on a box that can carry it, connecting it, and testing it with its switch. Light switch replacement is usually the simpler job, unless the new switch is a dimmer or one of two switches that run the same light. Either way, the size of the job depends on the box and wiring already in place.
- If the new light is heavy, like a chandelier, we fit a box or brace made to carry it.
- If the room has no light yet, we add a box, new cable and a wall switch.
- If we find brittle or aluminum wire behind the old fixture, we show you and get your approval before extra work.
Do I need an electrician to install a light fixture or replace a switch?
Changing a light fixture on a box in good shape, or swapping a worn switch for the same kind, is a job a handy owner can do. In BC, homeowners may do this only in a detached house they own and live in, and changing a fixture still needs a homeowner permit. Strata units, duplexes and rentals go through a licensed electrical contractor, and in a strata building it is worth checking with the strata first.
When to call an electrician instead
- There is no box behind the old fixture.
- The light fixture wiring has gone brittle, or it is older aluminum wiring or old knob and tube wiring.
- The new light is heavy, such as a chandelier.
- The switch is a dimmer, or one of two switches that run the same light.
If one of these applies, call an electrician to install light fixtures and switches. We handle all four.
Switches and dimmers
Light switches and dimmer switch installation
Swapping a worn switch is simple. Problems start with LED bulbs on the wrong dimmer, or two switches for one light wired like a single switch:
- We swap a worn or cracked switch for a new one of the same kind.
- Not every dimmer works with LED bulbs. Lutron says using the wrong one is why a dimmed LED flickers, buzzes or will not dim fully, so we fit a dimmer switch for LED bulbs matched to your bulbs.
- Three-way switches let you turn one light on or off from two spots, such as the top and bottom of the stairs. We wire the two matching switches to work as a pair.
- We also do light switch installation at a doorway that never had a switch, which needs new cable and a permit.
- Switch at the top of the stairs
- Two wires between them
- Switch at the bottom
- One light
Lutron, Leviton and Legrand are the switch and dimmer brands we install.
Five things to know
What our lighting installation work covers
We put up indoor lights on the box that is already there, or on a new one:
- We swap ceiling and flush-mount lights on the existing box.
- Kitchen island pendant lights go up as one light or a whole row.
- Vanity lights go over a mirror, and wall sconces in halls and bedrooms.
- We fit under cabinet lighting so the kitchen counter is lit where you work.
- We swap older fixtures for LED ones, which use less power and run cooler, as part of our LED lighting installation work.
We also install pot lights in the ceiling, outdoor and garden lighting, and a ceiling fan instead of a light.
Chandelier installation and other heavy fixtures
The box in the ceiling holds up the whole light, so a heavy chandelier is only as secure as the box above it.
An ordinary ceiling light box is made for a light, not a chandelier. A heavy fixture needs a junction box (the box where the wires meet) or a brace fixed to the framing, rated for its weight. We hang heavy chandeliers, including ones on high ceilings, on a box or brace that will hold them.
Ceiling light installation where there is no light yet
A room that has never had a light needs more than the fixture itself:
- We fit a new box that can carry the light you plan to hang.
- New cable runs to the new box from a nearby circuit.
- A switch goes on the wall, usually by the door.
- With an attic above, the cable comes in from overhead. With no attic, we cut small openings in the finished ceiling and patch them afterwards.
Adding lights is easiest during electrical work for a renovation, while the ceilings are open.
Light fixture installation cost: what changes the price
We price light fixture installation on the time it takes, at $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper, and many jobs have a flat rate. The estimate is free. Several lights or switches in one visit share that visit's time.
What changes the total:
- A fixture swap on a sound box already in place is the shortest job.
- A heavy fixture takes longer if it needs a box or brace made for its weight.
- A new light where there was none adds new cable, a box and a switch.
- A high ceiling adds time, as the work needs a taller ladder.
Light switch replacement cost is priced the same way. A like-for-like swap is short, while an LED dimmer, three-way switches or a new switch spot with new cable take longer.
You get the quote in writing before any work starts. A quote is priced on what we can see, and if the scope changes, we tell you before we do it.
A light or switch that has stopped working is a fault, not an installation. The estimate for new work is free, but electrical troubleshooting and repair costs $165 for a 45-minute diagnostic that finds what is wrong and how to fix it.
Do you need a permit to change a light fixture?
Yes: in BC, putting up a light fixture needs an electrical permit, even when one fixture simply replaces another, and so does adding a light where there was none. Swapping a light switch like for like is the one job here that needs no permit when a licensed contractor does it.
We pull the permit wherever your home is, whenever the work needs one, so the paperwork is ours. An inspector from outside our crew checks the work with us there, and the permit leaves a record of it.
Our light fixture installation process
We look at the box, wiring and switch first and explain what the job needs. If we find anything unexpected, we talk it through with you and get your approval before any extra work begins.
- 01
We do the work you approved. The light goes up on a box that can carry its weight, or the new switch or dimmer goes into the wall.
- 02
The work is checked. An apprentice's work is checked, every time, by a Red Seal electrician or a Field Safety Representative, the certified electrician who answers for our work.
- 03
We test it and show you it works before we leave. You see the light turn on and off from its switch, and any dimmer run from low to full.
What happens if something is not right after we leave?
If something we installed is not right, we come back.
A failed inspection
If an inspection does not pass on our work, we put it right, call the inspector back, and we cover the cost.
Who does the work
The Wire Guys Electrical Ltd. is a licensed electrical contractor serving Abbotsford, Vancouver, Victoria and communities across the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Greater Victoria, handling residential and commercial electrical work for homeowners, landlords and business owners in British Columbia.
We take on lighting work in Abbotsford, Vancouver, Victoria, Chilliwack, Mission and Langley, and have been serving British Columbia since 2019. In Burnaby, we did a full lighting replacement for FIFO Innovations, along with kitchen, attic and crawl space work.
We are a licensed electrical contractor in British Columbia, licensed and insured, and we pull the permit whenever the work needs one.
What our customers say
These two lighting jobs come from our 137 Google reviews, averaging 4.7 stars:
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The wire guys installed this chandelier and an external electrical outlet for us. They put down a cloth and cleaned up after themselves and did a great job.
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Specials, thanks to Nick and Nanak They did an awesome job, wiring up the stairs Looks beautiful, very clean and professional. They also did other electrical work for us. Thanks again guys.
Frequently asked questions
One light or one switch is enough to book, and we answer the phone at any hour.
Any questions? Call 778-708-0451 Can you put a dimmer on any light?
Not on every light. A bulb or fixture marked non-dimmable will not dim on any dimmer, LED-rated or not. A dimmable LED bulb also needs a dimmer made for LED bulbs. Look for the word "dimmable" on the bulb box or the fixture label before you buy.
How long does it take to install a light fixture?
A straight swap onto a sound box already in the ceiling is the quickest lighting job. A heavy fixture takes longer when its box has to be replaced or braced. A new light takes longest, because it needs new cable and a wall switch.
How much does an electrician charge to install a light fixture?
We charge $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper. Your total depends on whether the box can carry the new light and whether new cable is needed.
Will an electrician leave holes in my walls?
Not for a straight swap, because the new fixture goes on the box already there. For a new light under a finished ceiling with no attic above, we cut small openings for the cable. We patch the drywall once the light is in.
Our WorkSafeBC coverage has run unbroken since 30 September 2019.
Have this ready when you call:
- Take a photo of the light you have now, and of the box behind it if you can.
- Check whether one switch or two turn the light on.
- Tell us roughly how high the ceiling is.
- Tell us whether it is a detached house or a strata unit.
- Check the new fixture's weight on its box, if you have it.
Other electrical services we offer
Same licence on every one of them, with the permit and inspection wherever one applies.
Book a light or switch job.
Call 778-708-0451 or request a callback.