Lighting Installation & Design in Tampa Bay
Lighting is the cheapest way to change how a room feels — and, done badly, the fastest way to make a house look neglected. Third Gen Electric installs recessed lighting, fixtures, under-cabinet runs, and outdoor and landscape lighting across Tampa Bay — specified for Florida conditions and wired to code.
Lighting Installation
Most of this work happens in finished ceilings and walls, which means the install matters as much as the fixture. We lay out recessed lighting so it washes the room evenly instead of spotlighting the floor, cut the openings cleanly, and match dimmers to drivers so your LEDs don't flicker or buzz afterward.
- Recessed and can lighting installation
- LED retrofits for existing fixtures
- Under-cabinet and task lighting
- Chandelier, pendant, and vanity light installation
- Ceiling fan wiring with fan-rated support boxes
- Dimmer and smart switch installation
- Track and accent lighting
- Fixture replacement and relocation
Salt Air Is Hard on Outdoor Fixtures
Anywhere near the water — St. Petersburg, Apollo Beach, the bay shoreline — airborne salt corrodes fixture housings, sockets, and connections far faster than it does inland. A fixture rated for a dry Midwest porch will pit and fail here in a couple of seasons. Using wet-location-rated fixtures with proper gaskets, corrosion-resistant hardware, and sealed connections is the difference between a decade of service and an annual replacement.
Outdoor & Landscape Lighting
Outdoor lighting does two jobs at once: it makes a property look considered after dark, and it removes the dark spots someone would rather you couldn't see. We install low-voltage landscape systems, architectural uplighting, and security lighting, using multi-tap transformers, the right wire gauge, and hub or loop wiring instead of daisy-chaining, so the last fixture on the run is as bright as the first.
- Landscape and path lighting
- Low-voltage transformer installation and sizing
- Uplighting for trees and architectural features
- Soffit and eave lighting
- Pool, lanai, and patio lighting
- Motion-sensor security lighting
- Dusk-to-dawn, timer, and smart controls
- Wet-location-rated coastal installations
Why Third Gen Electric?
Licensed electrical contractors with over 30 years serving Tampa Bay homes and businesses. We do the job right the first time.
- Licensed & insured — EC13016137
- 30+ years of electrical experience in Tampa Bay
- Recessed lighting cut and installed in finished ceilings
- Wet- and damp-location-rated fixtures specified for Florida conditions
- Dimmer and LED driver compatibility handled up front
- Free estimates on lighting projects
Credentials & Availability
- Licensed & Insured (EC13016137)
- 24/7 Emergency Availability
- Free Estimates
- Family-Owned, 30+ Years Experience
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about lighting installation & design. Don't see yours? Give us a call — we're happy to talk through your project.
Can you add recessed lighting to a finished ceiling?
Yes — that's the majority of the recessed work we do. Modern canless LED fixtures need only a single hole and a shallow cavity, so we can usually run new circuits through the attic and cut in from below with minimal patching. Ceilings under a second floor, or ones with blocking or ductwork in the way, take more planning, and we'll map that out before cutting anything.
Why do my LED bulbs flicker or buzz on a dimmer?
Almost always a mismatch between the dimmer and the LED driver. A legacy triac dimmer needs a minimum holding current to stay latched and carries a minimum load rating — often 40 to 60 watts — and an LED load below that can't hold it on, so it drops out and flickers. There's also a type mismatch: forward-phase dimmers are what most retrofit lamps expect, while many low-voltage drivers need reverse-phase, and some fixtures use 0-10V or DALI control instead. The dimmer has to match the driver type, not just say 'LED' on the box. Two things that catch people out: an LED dimmer's LED wattage rating is far lower than its incandescent rating, and mixing lamp or fixture brands on one dimmer causes flicker even when every part is LED-rated. We sort this out during the install so you aren't left swapping bulbs.
How many recessed lights does a room need?
It depends on ceiling height, room size, wall color, and what the room is for — a kitchen work surface needs very different light than a bedroom does. As a rough starting point, fixtures spaced about half the ceiling height apart give even coverage without hot spots — and the half people get wrong is the perimeter: the first row should sit about half that spacing off the wall, so roughly two feet on an eight-foot ceiling. We lay the room out before cutting and walk you through the plan.
Can I use indoor fixtures outside if they're under a roof?
Only if they're rated for it. A covered porch is a damp location at minimum, and in Florida — with driving rain, humidity, and salt — most exterior spots should get wet-location-rated fixtures regardless of cover. Using an indoor fixture outdoors violates the code requirement to install equipment per its listing, so it fails inspection — and in this climate it tends to fail electrically within a season or two anyway.
Is landscape lighting worth having installed professionally?
The plug-in kits from a big-box store work fine until you notice the transformer was undersized for the run and the far fixtures have gone dim, or the direct-burial connections corrode and the whole branch dies. A professional install means a multi-tap transformer loaded to about 80% of its rating in a wet-location enclosure on a GFCI-protected supply, voltage drop calculated so every fixture stays inside its operating window, waterproof connections, and at least six inches of cover so a landscaper's edger doesn't find the cable. It also means we can add to it later.
Do you install smart lighting?
Yes. We install smart switches and dimmers, wire fixtures for app and voice control, and set up scenes and schedules. Worth knowing up front: most smart switches require a neutral wire in the box, which many older Tampa Bay homes don't have at the switch. We'll check during the estimate and tell you whether that changes the approach.
Lighting Installation & Design Across Tampa Bay
Licensed, permitted work throughout the Tampa Bay area. Pick your area to see what we handle there.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact us for a free estimate. No obligation, no pressure — just honest advice from people who know electrical.