Light fitting swap in Exeter
Professional light fitting swap services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60-£85
Typical Duration
30 mins-1 hr per fitting
Location
Exeter, Devon
Swap out the previous owners' dated light fittings for your own - done before you move in so there's no furniture in the way. Walk into your new home with your lights already up.
First Impressions Matter
You've just bought a house. The kitchen is dated but liveable. The bathroom needs work eventually. But those hideous brass ceiling lights in every room? They can be fixed before you even move a single box in.
💡 Pro tip: Book this for the day before moving day. Empty rooms = easy access. No furniture to shift, no belongings to protect. Job done in a couple of hours.
Why Do It Before You Move In?
| ✅ Empty House | ❌ After You've Moved |
|---|---|
| No furniture to work around | Moving sofas to get to ceiling |
| No carpet/flooring to protect | Risk of damaging your new floors |
| Quick and easy access | Ladders balancing on boxes |
| Feels like your house from day one | Living with someone else's taste for months |
What's Involved
🔧 Simple Light Swap
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Prep | Power isolated safely, old fitting removed |
| Install | Your new fitting wired correctly and mounted |
| Test | Power back on, check it works properly |
| Tidy | Old fitting removed, any mess cleaned up |
📦 What You Get
- Your choice of lights installed properly
- Old fittings removed (you can keep them or I'll dispose of them)
- Everything tested and safe
- Rooms looking like yours, not theirs
Pricing Guide
| Number of Fittings | Estimated Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Single room | 30-45 mins | £60 |
| 2-3 rooms | 1-1.5 hrs | £60-£85 |
| Whole house (5-6 fittings) | 2-2.5 hrs | £110-£135 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour) + £50/hr after. Assumes straightforward swaps with standard ceiling roses.
Perfect For...
✅ Before moving in - easiest time to do it
✅ Dated fittings - brass, frosted glass, anything from 1995
✅ Wrong style - you like modern, they liked ornate
✅ Personal touch - make it feel like your house immediately
Why Choose Us for Light fitting swap in Exeter?
Swapped before you move your stuff in
No furniture to work around
Properly wired and safe
Your lights from day one, not theirs
What to Expect
Step 1: Quick Survey
You tell me which rooms need swapping, I check the existing fittings to make sure your new ones will work. If anything needs additional work (new backplate, different wiring), I'll flag it.
Step 2: Safe Isolation & Swap
Power off at the consumer unit, old fittings down, new ones up and wired correctly. Each fitting tested as I go.
Step 3: Power On & Check
Everything back on, lights working properly, old fittings bagged up or binned. Rooms ready for your furniture.
🔧 DIY Tips
Confident enough to swap your own lights? Here's how to do it safely:
🔧 Tools you'll need
- Stepladder (stable one!)
- Screwdrivers (flathead and cross-head)
- Wire strippers
- Electrical tape
- Voltage tester
- Terminal block connectors if needed
📐 Safety first
- Turn off at the consumer unit - not just the light switch
- Test the circuit is dead - use a voltage tester, don't just trust the switch
- Take a photo before disconnecting - so you know which wire goes where
- Work carefully - you're on a ladder dealing with wiring
✂️ Wiring basics
- Brown = Live
- Blue = Neutral
- Green/Yellow = Earth
- Match the old connections to the new fitting
- Make sure connections are tight
⚠️ Common DIY mistakes
- Not turning off the power properly (dangerous!)
- Losing track of which wire was which
- Overtightening screws and cracking the ceiling rose
- Not supporting the weight of heavy fittings properly
- Assuming all ceiling roses are standard (some are different)
💡 Pro trick: Before you disconnect the old fitting, take several clear photos of how it's wired. Makes reconnecting the new one much easier and reduces risk of mistakes.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
💡 Doing other pre-move jobs? If I'm swapping lights, makes sense to book me for door locks, smoke alarms, small repairs - whatever else you want done before moving day. More efficient than multiple visits.
Heavy fittings (chandeliers, multi-arm lights): Some need additional ceiling support beyond the standard rose. I'll check if yours is adequate or needs beefing up.
Dimmer switches: If you want dimmable lights, the switch needs to be a dimmer too. I can swap those at the same time if needed.
Keep the old fittings? Some people keep them in the loft in case they want to put them back when they sell. Or I can take them to the tip - your choice.
LED bulbs: If your new fittings need bulbs, go LED. Cheaper to run, last forever, better light. Worth spending a bit more on decent ones though - cheap LED bulbs are horrible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why swap lights before moving in?
Much easier when the rooms are empty - no furniture to move, no pictures to take down, no carpet to protect. Plus you walk into a house that actually feels like yours, not the previous owner's taste in 1990s brass.
Can I choose any light fitting I want?
Pretty much, as long as it's suitable for the ceiling rose you've got. I can advise when you tell me what you're planning. If you want to change a basic ceiling rose to a multi-bulb fitting, that might need additional work - I'll let you know.
Do I need to buy the lights first?
Yes - have them delivered to the new house a day or two before I come. Or I can collect them if you've bought them locally. Just make sure you've got the right number of fittings.
How long does each light take to swap?
Simple swap (one fitting for another) is usually 20-30 minutes. Doing multiple rooms in one visit is most efficient - once I'm set up with the power off, makes sense to do them all.
Is it safe to do this myself?
It's not complicated if you're confident with electrics, but you're working at height with live circuits. Many people would rather just have it done properly and not worry about it. Also, if you're selling later, having an electrician do it properly is better than DIY.
Light fitting swap Also Available In:
Get a Free Quote in Exeter
Call us today for a free, no-obligation quote for your light fitting swap job in Exeter.
01392 964094Request Online QuoteOur Rates
Got multiple jobs?
Make the most of your first hour - I can often tackle several small tasks in one visit. List everything you need done when you call!
Why Trust Us
Need Light fitting swap in Exeter?
Get a free quote for your light fitting swap job in Exeter today.