Highland Park Lighting
Highland Park sits on a 100-foot bluff above Lake Michigan, 25 miles north of Chicago — a city where craftsman cottages in Ravinia stand next to Georgian estates in Braeside and mid-century ranches near the lakefront. We install LED recessed lighting across all of it, with transparent pricing and patching included on every job.
Highland Park became a city in 1869, developed from two early settlements — St. John and Port Clinton — on the wooded bluffs above Lake Michigan. That long timeline shows in the housing: roughly 28% of homes predate 1950, and the median construction year citywide is around 1961. The result is a remarkably varied housing stock, from early-20th-century Craftsman bungalows in Ravinia (where an artist colony flourished from 1904 to 1940) to sprawling Colonial and Tudor estates in Braeside, postwar ranches in Sherwood Forest, and the refurbished brick homes of the former Fort Sheridan Army post. No two streets look quite alike.
That variety is exactly why we approach each Highland Park project individually. The same recessed-lighting job that takes half a day in a drywall ranch can take considerably longer in a 1920s Ravinia cottage with original plaster ceilings — and we price them differently. We walk through your home, assess what you have, and give you a clear quote before a single hole is cut. If there are complications, you hear about them before work starts, not after.
Our licensed electricians work in homes across Highland Park and the North Shore, from Ravinia cottages with original plaster ceilings to newer construction in Fort Sheridan. Most projects are scheduled within two weeks and completed in a single day.
Because Highland Park's housing spans more than a century of construction, ceiling types vary widely from block to block — and the ceiling type is one of the biggest factors in how a recessed-lighting job gets done.
Most homes built from the 1950s onward — including the postwar ranches of Sherwood Forest and the newer construction in Fort Sheridan's converted residential areas — have drywall ceilings. This is our standard installation. We cut clean openings, run wire, install the fixtures, patch any imperfections, and paint. Our flat pricing applies.
Homes built before the 1950s — a significant share of Highland Park's housing — often have original plaster-and-lathe ceilings. Plaster ceilings are harder and more brittle than drywall; cutting them requires different tools and more care to avoid cracking the surrounding surface. Neighborhoods like Ravinia and older sections of Braeside have a higher concentration of these homes. We do install in plaster, but this is a non-standard situation and we quote it separately after seeing the space. We'll be straightforward about what's involved.
Finished basements with drop-tile ceilings are common throughout Highland Park, and open ceilings in unfinished spaces are straightforward to work with. Both fall under standard pricing. If your Highland Park home has an unfinished basement you're looking to brighten up, recessed lighting is one of the most effective improvements you can make.
Some larger Highland Park homes — particularly estates in Exmoor and along the lakefront — have vaulted or exceptionally tall ceilings. Anything over 9 feet may require an adjusted quote due to the additional labor involved. We'll identify this during your free walkthrough.
Energy-efficient LED can lights suited to Highland Park's wide range of room sizes — from the intimate sitting rooms in Ravinia cottages to the open-plan great rooms in newer lakefront construction. We match fixture size and color temperature to the space.
Many Highland Park homes still have older dome lights, surface-mount fixtures, or fluorescent tubes that were installed decades ago. We remove them, convert the ceiling to recessed lighting, patch, and paint — leaving no trace of what was there before.
For Highland Park homeowners integrating lighting into a broader home automation setup — whether that's voice control or app-based scheduling — we can install smart-compatible switches. Note that smart/WiFi switches are an upgrade beyond our base pricing and will be quoted separately.
Highland Park's larger homes — many with 7–9 rooms — benefit from a cohesive lighting approach across kitchen, living areas, bedrooms, and basement. We handle multi-room projects start to finish, and projects spanning 3 or more rooms receive a 10% discount.
We've worked in the full range of North Shore housing — from pre-war plaster-ceiling homes to modern construction. We know what to expect before we open a wall, and we communicate it clearly.
Fully licensed electricians with comprehensive insurance. Your home is protected, and all work meets Illinois electrical code requirements — relevant whether you're updating a cottage in Ravinia or a larger estate in Exmoor.
We come out, look at your ceilings, count your rooms, and give you a written quote before any work begins. No surprises. Non-standard situations (plaster, high ceilings, smart switches) are identified and priced upfront.
$500 first light per room, $200 each additional — includes LED fixtures, dimmer switches, 3-way/rocker switches as needed, all wiring, patching & basic painting. Multi-room discount for 3+ room projects.
We protect your floors and furniture, patch every opening, and paint the ceiling to match. We're particularly careful in older Highland Park homes where original finishes and architectural details matter.
Most Highland Park projects are scheduled within 2 weeks. Single-room installations are typically done in 3–5 hours. Larger projects take 1–2 days. We arrive on time and work efficiently.
We install recessed lighting throughout Highland Park's neighborhoods — each with its own housing character and ceiling type mix:
Recessed lighting installation in Highland Park costs $500 for the first light in a room and $200 for each additional light. This includes LED fixtures, dimmer switches, all wiring, patching and basic painting. A typical kitchen with 6–8 lights runs $1,500–$1,900. We offer 10% off for projects spanning 3 or more rooms. Non-standard situations—plaster or lathe ceilings, ceiling heights over 9 ft, smart/WiFi switches, or splitting a room into multiple zones—may require an adjusted quote after a free consultation.
Yes. A large portion of Highland Park's housing stock was built before 1960, including many homes with original plaster ceilings in neighborhoods like Ravinia and Braeside. We have experience retrofitting lights in plaster ceilings, though this is considered a non-standard installation and we'll quote it separately after seeing the space. Standard pricing covers drywall, drop tile, and open ceilings.
Most retrofit recessed lighting installations in Highland Park do not require a permit. Our standard pricing assumes no permit is needed. If you'd like a permit pulled for your project, we can quote that separately and handle the entire process with your municipality.
Single-room projects typically take 3–5 hours. Multi-room installations in larger Highland Park homes generally take 1–2 days. We schedule most projects within 2 weeks of your free quote.
Our price includes LED recessed fixtures, dimmer switches, 3-way and rocker switches as needed, all wiring and connections, standard wall plates, patching, and basic painting. Standard pricing applies to drywall, drop tile, and open ceilings. Plaster or lathe walls, ceilings over 9 ft, smart switches, or splitting a room into multiple zones may require an adjusted quote — we'll discuss everything upfront at no charge.
Yes. In addition to Highland Park, we regularly serve Lake Forest, Highwood, Deerfield, Northbrook, Glencoe, Winnetka, Glenview, and other Lake County and North Shore communities. If you're within 50 miles of Chicago, we can help.
In addition to Highland Park, we provide recessed lighting installation in:
Ready to update the lighting in your Highland Park home? Fill out the form below or call us directly — we'll walk through your space and give you a clear, written estimate.
Serving Highland Park & Surrounding Areas
Licensed & Insured | Free Estimates