Can an expensive light fixture save your project money and keep your design intact? Definitely! The key is to trim the cost of labor on the job site, which has skyrocketed over the past decades. That is why progressive contractors are prefabricating wiring and assembling fixtures and controls off site in order to be cost competitive.
Wall slots are just one example. Many designers incorporate wall slots to illuminate a wall or cove lighting to indirectly light a space. The effects are wonderful, but the total system costs might be prohibitive. In either case, the framing contractor must build the slot or cove out of wooden or steel studs. Then, a second trade, the drywaller, must come in and wrap the cove. Then, the drywall must be taped and floated with drywall mud, followed by sanding, retaping and more sanding. After the cove or wall slot is painted, the fourth and final trade, the electrician, must mount and wire the fixtures.
For years, premade wall slots have been offered to address these issues. More recently, premade coves with integrated lighting have been available on themarket (Figure 1). Most of these products literally screw into a vertical soffit and then the drywall ceiling is added to complete the lower ceiling plane. Once sanded and painted, you are done, as the product includes a lip to conceal the lighting.
Apart from the cost saving, the biggest benefit is they are photometrically designed, so the lights are positioned and oriented correctly to maximize their efficiency or effectiveness. As the assembly is premade, the light sources are concealed behind the lip. This eliminates major punch list items to correctly aim the lights, raise them or add a glare reducing lip.
The best reason for these premade coves, however, is space. Since LEDs were introduced, architects and interior designers keep making coves increasingly shallow as floor-to-floor heights continue to be reduced. No matter what the source, we still need space. Room for the electrician to install the lighting, but more importantly, the extra space allows for the lighting to spread out and provide a soft even wash of light. These new premade coves are shallower by eliminating extra framing, so coves can now fit in tighter ceiling plenums.
Early communication with the design team and ownership is required as both creative solutions must be installed prior to drywalling. Therefore, the fixtures need to be ordered early, and because they cost more than a standard LED product, the labor cost savings should be shared to avoid costly and time-consuming value engineering.
Yes, you can keep your coves and they will work perfectly, thefirst time.
Bottom Line: You can have your cake and eat it too with prefab wall slots and ceiling coves.