Systems Built · Ongoing
Integrated Lighting
Every build gets lights. Not fixtures added after the fact. Not a lamp in the corner. Lights built into the structure itself — cut into risers, routed inside platforms, tucked behind shelves — before the wall closes or the carpet goes down. No visible wires. Automated from day one. The kind of thing most people don't notice, which is exactly the point.
The Approach
Part of the Build, Not an Addition
The difference between a light that looks installed and a light that looks added is almost always wiring. An exposed cord, a plug visible behind something, a strip light stuck to the outside of a shelf — these things announce themselves. They say someone thought of this later.
The approach here is to treat lighting as a finish element — the same way tile or trim is a finish element. You plan for it before you build, run the wire while the structure is still open, cut the housing into the face before anything is closed up. By the time the project is done, the light appears to be part of the material rather than something attached to it.
Every installation here is tied into Home Assistant through a Shelly relay — which means it's also automated. The deck lights come on at dusk. The theater platform lights respond to a physical switch and to automations. The goal for every future project is the same: if you have to explain that the light is there, it isn't installed right yet.
Wired during the build — the wire goes in before the post is set
Post cap lights at dusk — warm, wired, automatic
Before — deck goes dark at night
After — every riser lit, comes on at dusk by itself
Dusk from the far side — every step, every night
Theater platform — blue step lights, built into the risers
From the platform — lights built in before the carpet went down
Inside the cavity — housings cut in before anything was sealed
Deployments
Where the Lights Live
Current installations and what's already planned.
Deck Railing Post Lights
Powered post cap lights wired through the railing posts during the 2019 deck build — wire routed while the posts were still open. Warm glow from every post at dusk. Not solar. Not battery. Wired in before anything was closed up.
Deck Step Lights
Warm white deck lights cut into every riser on the Azek deck. Wired to a Shelly relay, tied into Home Assistant. Come on automatically at dusk every night.
Theater Platform Risers
RGB deck lights installed in both step risers on the theater platform before the carpet went down. Blue by default, Shelly-controlled, triggered by a physical switch or automation.
Built-in Shelf — Coming
A built-in shelf currently in progress. 2" recessed lights and LED strips built in, no visible wires. Same approach: light planned before the structure is closed.
More to Come
This page grows with the house. Every new build that gets lights built into it ends up here.