We still have one last electrical project to work through on the tiny house. Intermittently, we’ve continued to work on figuring out our last type of lighting. Along with our log lights and box lights, we’ll have LED strip lights embedded in the top of the loft joists to provide light in the kitchen, bathroom, and above our daybed couch in the living area.
Before installing the lofts, we routed out a small ledge on the top of each 4×4 joist to put a strip of LED lights. We were a little leery of how reliable these LED strip lights would be for every day lighting, so we didn’t wire them directly into the house. Instead, we made sure to have outlets specifically for the LED strip lights to plug into, making them easy to replace, if necessary.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on these LED strip lights. So many options and considerations. One of the benefits of LED strip lights is they’re really customizable with the ability to cut them to length. But, there’s also wide variation in the size of the LEDs on the strips, the density of LEDs on the strips, and the quality of both the LEDs and the strips themselves. You also have to consider the length of the strips you’ll be installing, which dictates how much power you’ll need to provide for the strip. And, of course, there’s also lots of options for lighting color, dimming, switches, and remotes. So, lots of researching–as with all other elements of this build.
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been pretty overwhelmed with trying to balance quality (perceived or real) and cost. These strip lights can get expensive. Initially, I ordered a cheap short string of them off of Amazon to see how they work and to play around with for snipping and soldering practice. I then also bought a strip from a mid-price-range company, HitLights, and a strip from a high-priced company, Flexfire LEDs. I have to admit I’m stuck in vacillation trying to decide which brand and type of lights to purchase. I’m not convinced the expensive ones are worth it, but I also want to assure we get good quality strips that last and are reliable.
So, I keep experimenting with how they function and the best way to wire them, improving my soldering skills and testing the lights in the tiny house, and trying to gain more experience and knowledge to inform our decision in which strips to ultimately purchase as our lighting. The verdict is still out…
