Lighting Design & Installation That Flatters the Space.
Bad lighting is the last thing people notice and the first thing they feel — a renovated kitchen that still looks flat, a living room with one sad boob light, a backyard that's pitch black by five in November. ElectroMax Systems designs and installs lighting across Metro Vancouver: recessed layouts, pendants, dimming and scenes, and full landscape designs. We lay out the plan before we cut a single hole, and every fixture is wired to BC Electrical Code.
Lighting that changes
how a room feels.
Good lighting is layered — ambient, task, and accent working together instead of one fixture doing a job it was never meant to do. Here's what we design and install:
Recessed & Pot Lights
Laid out on a real plan — spacing, beam spread, and ceiling joists accounted for — not a grid guessed at with a tape measure on install day.
Pendants & Feature Fixtures
Kitchen islands, dining tables, entryways. Hung level, at the right height, on boxes rated for the fixture's weight — and dimmable where it matters.
Under-Cabinet & Task Lighting
The difference between a kitchen that photographs well and one you can actually cook in. Hardwired, switched properly, no plug-in strips taped underneath.
Dimmers, Scenes & Smart Controls
LED-compatible dimmers that don't flicker or buzz, multi-way switching where it should have been all along, and smart scenes wired in permanently — not dependent on a battery bulb.
Landscape & Exterior Lighting
Path lights, soffit washes, and accent lighting on their own circuits with proper weatherproofing — aimed to flatter the house, not blind the neighbours.
Commercial & Retail Lighting
Track, high-bay, and display lighting for shops, restaurants, and offices — including after-hours installs so your business never goes dark for the upgrade.
From a dark room
to the reveal.
Lighting done right starts on paper, not with a hole saw. Here's how every project runs — whether it's four pot lights or a whole-house design.
- 01Step
Walkthrough & Lighting Plan
We walk the space, ask how you actually use it, and mark out a layout — fixture placement, switching, and dimming zones — before quoting anything.
- 02Step
Written Quote
A fixed, itemized number covering fixtures, wiring, patching, and cleanup. No hourly mystery, no extras invented mid-job.
- 03Step
Permit When Required
Like-for-like fixture swaps usually don't need one. New circuits and major additions do — and when they do, we file the permit and handle the inspection.
- 04Step
Clean Install
Drop sheets down, holes cut once in the right spot, wiring fished properly. Older homes with knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring get flagged honestly before we touch anything.
- 05Step
Dimming & Controls Setup
Every dimmer tested against the actual fixtures for flicker and buzz, smart scenes programmed, and every switch labelled so you're not guessing which one does what.
- 06Step
Evening Walkthrough
Lighting is a nighttime product. We do the final walkthrough with the lights on and the daylight gone, and adjust aim and dimming levels with you in the room.
Lighting is the cheapest
renovation you’ll ever feel.
Nothing changes how a home feels per dollar like lighting. A $2,000 recessed layout does more for a dated living room than a $20,000 furniture swap — and realtors will tell you buyers feel it before they can name it. Done wrong, though, it's glare in your eyes at the dinner table, shadows on the cutting board, and LEDs flickering on a dimmer that was never rated for them.
Metro Vancouver homes each come with their own lighting constraints. Character homes in Kitsilano and New Westminster can hide knob-and-tube wiring that needs honest conversation before new fixtures go in. Seventies and eighties builds in Burnaby and Richmond sometimes run aluminum branch wiring that changes how fixtures get connected. And concrete condo ceilings downtown and in Metrotown rule out traditional recessed lights entirely — which is where slim-profile LEDs and track systems earn their keep.
As one of our electricians puts it: “Anyone can cut a hole and stick a pot light in it. The job is deciding where the hole goes, what beam angle belongs in it, and what dimmer won't make it buzz at 10pm. That's the part you're actually paying for.”
Six reasons the install
matches the design.
BC Licensed
Every fixture is wired by a licensed electrician — connections, boxes, and loads done to BC Electrical Code.
Fully Insured
Your home is covered on every job, from a single pendant to a whole-house retrofit.
WorkSafeBC Covered
Proper safety standards on every ladder and in every attic, on every job.
Design + Install Together
The person who lays out your lighting plan is on the crew that installs it — nothing gets lost between a designer and an installer.
No Subcontractors
The electrician who walks your home is the one cutting the holes — not a crew hired the morning of the job.
Clean, Patch-Ready Work
Drop sheets, vacuumed floors, and holes cut once in the right spot. We leave the room ready for paint, not ready for a argument.
A few we’ve wired up.
See your home in a better light.
Free estimate, real design input.
Lighting install
questions.
Do I need a permit for lighting installation in BC?
Swapping an existing fixture like-for-like usually doesn't need one. Adding new circuits, cutting in recessed lights where no wiring exists, or major additions do require an electrical permit. We tell you which category your job falls into during the quote — and file it when it's needed.
Can you install fixtures I've already bought?
Yes. Bring your own fixtures and we'll install them properly — mounted on rated boxes, wired to code, and checked against your dimmers. We'll just confirm during the quote that what you bought works with your ceiling type and dimming setup.
Is it worth converting my whole home to LED?
Almost always, yes. LEDs cut lighting energy use by 75% or more and run for years without a bulb change. The catch is dimmer compatibility — older dimmers cause flicker and buzz with LEDs, which is why we test every dimmer against the actual fixtures before we leave.
Why do my LED lights flicker on the dimmer?
Nearly always a compatibility issue — the dimmer was built for incandescent loads and can't regulate low-wattage LEDs cleanly. Swapping in an LED-rated dimmer fixes it in one visit, and it's one of the most common calls we get.
How long does a recessed lighting install take?
A typical room — four to six pot lights with a new dimmer — is usually a single day, including patching-ready holes and cleanup. Whole-home layouts run longer and get a real timeline with the written quote.
Can you install pot lights in a condo with concrete ceilings?
Traditional recessed cans, no — there's no cavity to put them in. But slim-profile surface LEDs, track systems, and cove lighting get you the same layered look without touching the concrete. We spec these constantly in Metrotown, Brentwood, and downtown buildings.
Do you do outdoor and landscape lighting?
Yes — path lights, soffit washes, accent and security lighting, on weatherproofed circuits with proper outdoor-rated fixtures. Everything gets aimed and tested after dark before we call it done.
Serving Metro Vancouver
& the Fraser Valley.
From condo slim-LED retrofits in Burnaby to full landscape designs in South Surrey — pick your city for a page written for its homes.